Teams Free is available without a Microsoft 365 subscription and includes unlimited chat, 60-minute group meetings, and 5 GB of storage per user. However, features like meeting recordings, advanced admin controls, extended meetings (up to 30 hours), and deep Microsoft 365 integrations (SharePoint, Exchange calendar, Planner) require a paid Microsoft 365 Business plan or Teams Essentials/Premium license.
Requirements Before You Start
Before setting up Teams for your organization, make sure you have the following:Microsoft 365 Admin Account
You need a Global Administrator or Teams Administrator role in Microsoft 365. This is the account you use to sign in to admin.microsoft.com.
Assigned Licenses
Each user who will use Teams must have a Microsoft 365 license that includes Teams (e.g., Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, or a Teams add-on).
Teams App or Web Access
Users can access Teams via the desktop app (Windows/Mac), the browser at teams.microsoft.com, or the mobile app (iOS/Android).
Setting Up Teams for Your Organization
1
Sign In to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Navigate to admin.microsoft.com and sign in with your Microsoft 365 Global Administrator account. This is your organization’s primary management portal for all Microsoft 365 services, including Teams.
2
Assign Microsoft 365 Licenses to Users
In the left navigation, go to Users → Active Users. Select a user (or select multiple users using the checkboxes), then click Manage product licenses. Assign a license that includes Microsoft Teams — such as Microsoft 365 Business Basic or higher — and click Save changes. Repeat for all users who need access to Teams.
3
Download and Install the Teams Desktop App
Direct your users to download the Microsoft Teams desktop app at teams.microsoft.com/downloads (Windows and Mac installers available), or access Teams directly in the browser at teams.microsoft.com. The desktop app is recommended for the best performance and full feature access, including background effects and system audio sharing.
4
Create Your First Team
Once inside Teams, click Teams in the left sidebar, then click Join or create a team at the bottom of the teams list. Click Create team, then choose to build from scratch or use a template. Select the team type (Public, Private, or Org-wide — see below), give your team a descriptive name and optional description, and click Create.
5
Add Channels to Organize Topics
Every new Team automatically includes a General channel. To add more, click the three-dot menu (…) next to your team name and select Add channel. Give the channel a name that reflects its purpose (e.g., “Marketing Campaigns”, “HR Announcements”, “Dev — Backend”) and choose the channel type: Standard, Private, or Shared.
6
Invite Members to Your Team
Click the three-dot menu (…) next to your team name and select Add member. Type the name or email address of colleagues in your organization and click Add. You can also assign them as Owner (full admin rights for that team) or Member (standard access). Members will receive an email notification with a direct link to join the team.
Understanding Team Types
When you create a Team, you choose who can discover and join it. Pick the type that matches your team’s purpose and sensitivity.Private
Only people you invite can find and join this team. Best for project teams, executive groups, HR, Finance, or any team that handles sensitive information. Members must be explicitly added by an owner.
Public
Anyone in your organization can find and join this team without approval. Good for company-wide interest groups, social channels, or open communities of practice.
Org-Wide
Automatically includes every person in your organization and keeps membership in sync as people join or leave. Ideal for company-wide announcements. Only Global Admins can create Org-wide teams, and organizations must have fewer than 10,000 users.
Understanding Channel Types
Channels are the conversations-and-files spaces within a Team. Each channel type serves a different collaboration need.- Standard Channels
- Private Channels
Standard channels are visible and accessible to all members of the team. They’re the default channel type and are ideal for most team communication — project updates, general discussion, announcements within the team. The General channel created with every team is a Standard channel.
Scheduling and Joining Meetings
Teams makes it easy to schedule meetings, launch instant calls, and manage your calendar — all without leaving the app. To schedule a meeting:- Click the Calendar icon in the left sidebar
- Click + New meeting in the top-right corner
- Give your meeting a title, add attendees by typing their names or email addresses, set the date and time, choose which Teams channel to associate it with (optional), and add an agenda in the details section
- Click Send — attendees will receive a calendar invite with a Teams join link automatically included
- In any channel, click the camera icon at the bottom of the message compose box and select Meet now
- Or click Meet → Meet now at the top-right of the Calendar view
- Click the meeting link in your calendar invite or in the channel post
- Or click the meeting tile in your Calendar tab and click Join
Using Teams Meeting Features
Teams meetings go far beyond basic video calls. Here’s a breakdown of the most useful in-meeting features:Screen Sharing
During a meeting, click the Share button (rectangle with an arrow) in the meeting toolbar. Choose to share your entire screen, a specific application window, a PowerPoint file, or a whiteboard. You can also give another participant control of your screen.
Meeting Recording
Click the three-dot (…) menu in the meeting toolbar and select Start recording. Recordings are saved to OneDrive (for non-channel meetings) or the SharePoint document library of the channel. All participants receive a notification when recording begins.
Breakout Rooms
Organizers can split participants into smaller sub-groups during a meeting. Click the Breakout rooms icon in the toolbar, choose how many rooms to create and whether to assign participants automatically or manually, then click Create rooms and Open rooms to start.
Background Effects
Click the three-dot menu (…) before or during a meeting and select Apply background effects. Choose a blur effect to hide your surroundings or select from pre-built virtual backgrounds. You can also upload your own custom background image.
Integrating Apps and Tabs in Channels
One of Teams’ most powerful features is the ability to bring your tools directly into channels as tabs, so your team doesn’t have to context-switch between apps. To add a tab to a channel:- Open the channel and click the + button next to the existing tabs at the top
- Browse or search the app gallery
- Select the app you want to add and configure it
- Planner — Add a Planner board to track tasks and project milestones right alongside team conversations
- OneNote — Attach a shared OneNote notebook for meeting notes, wikis, or team documentation
- SharePoint — Pin a SharePoint page or document library for instant access to key files
- Power BI — Embed live reports and dashboards so your team can always see the latest data
- Website — Pin any internal or external URL as a tab (great for dashboards or documentation portals)
Inviting External Guests
You can invite people from outside your organization — clients, contractors, or partners — as guests in Teams. Guests can participate in channels, meetings, and file collaboration without needing a Microsoft 365 license. To invite a guest:- Go to the team and click More options (…) → Add member
- Type the guest’s external email address and press Enter
- Click Add as guest and then Add
- The guest will receive an email invitation and can access Teams through a browser without installing anything
Teams Admin Center Basics
For IT admins, the Microsoft Teams Admin Center at admin.teams.microsoft.com is where you manage policies, monitor usage, and configure Teams at an organizational level. Key areas to explore:Meeting Policies
Meeting Policies
Control what users can and cannot do in meetings — such as whether recording is allowed, who can present, whether external participants can join anonymously, and whether lobby waiting rooms are enforced. You can create different policies for different groups of users (e.g., stricter policies for frontline workers, more permissive ones for executives).
Messaging Policies
Messaging Policies
Manage features like whether users can delete sent messages, use GIFs and stickers, use read receipts, or translate messages. Assign different messaging policies to different user groups through the admin center.
Teams Policies
Teams Policies
Control whether users can create private channels, create shared channels, discover and join public teams, or create new teams entirely. Restricting team creation to admins is a common governance strategy for larger organizations.
Usage Reports
Usage Reports
Go to Analytics & reports → Usage reports to see how Teams is being adopted across your organization — active users, meeting counts, call minutes, message volume, and device types. This data is also available in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center under Reports → Usage.
Setting Up Teams on Mobile
The Teams mobile app keeps you connected to your team even when you’re away from your desk.1
Download the Microsoft Teams App
Search for Microsoft Teams in the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) and install it. The app is free.
2
Sign In With Your Work Account
Open the app, tap Sign in, and enter your Microsoft 365 work or school email address. Complete MFA if your organization requires it.
3
Enable Notifications
Allow Teams to send push notifications when prompted. You can customize notification settings by tapping your profile photo → Notifications, where you can control alerts for mentions, direct messages, and meeting reminders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Team and a channel?
What is the difference between a Team and a channel?
A Team is the top-level container — it represents a group of people working together (e.g., “Marketing Department” or “Project Apollo”). A channel is a focused conversation space within that Team, organized by topic, project, or workstream (e.g., “Social Media”, “Campaign Planning”, “Budget”). Think of a Team as the building and channels as the individual rooms within it. Every Team has at least one channel (General), and you can add as many additional channels as needed.
How many users can join a Teams meeting?
How many users can join a Teams meeting?
Microsoft Teams supports up to 1,000 participants in a standard meeting for interactive video/audio participation. For larger events — webinars, all-hands broadcasts, or virtual conferences — Teams supports Teams Webinars (up to 1,000 interactive attendees) and Teams Town Halls (up to 10,000 view-only attendees with interactive Q&A). The exact limits depend on your Microsoft 365 license type.
Can external guests join Teams meetings?
Can external guests join Teams meetings?
Yes, in two ways. First, anyone with the meeting link can join as an anonymous participant (they land in the lobby first and must be admitted by the organizer, unless your admin has disabled the lobby). Second, guest users who have been added to your Teams organization can join meetings with their full name and access to meeting content. Your admin can configure lobby and guest policies in the Teams Admin Center under Meeting policies.
How do I record a Teams meeting?
How do I record a Teams meeting?
During a meeting, click the three-dot (…) menu in the meeting toolbar and select Start recording (and optionally Start transcription). All participants will see a notification that the meeting is being recorded. To stop, click the three-dot menu again and select Stop recording. The recording is automatically saved to the meeting organizer’s OneDrive (for personal/scheduled meetings) or the SharePoint document library of the associated Teams channel (for channel meetings), and a link is posted in the meeting chat for all participants to access.