When you first open Microsoft Teams, it can feel like you’re stepping into a digital office building with many hallways, meeting rooms, conversation boards, and file cabinets. Teams isn’t just a chat app, nor is it simply a video meeting platform. It’s a central workspace where collaboration naturally happens — through conversation channels, private chats, meetings, and shared files.
But here’s the good news: you don’t have to master everything on day one. Most people only use three core features:
team channels, private chats, and online meetings.
If you understand these three areas, you’re already prepared for 90% of your daily work in Microsoft Teams. So let’s start gently and move step-by-step through what you’ll actually use.
Accessing Microsoft Teams and Understanding the Interface
Before exploring features, it helps to know how to get into Teams and what you’ll see once you’re inside. Teams works almost everywhere — Windows, Mac, mobile, and even your browser — but the fastest starting point is the web version.
You can open it directly by visiting:
Official Website: https://teams.microsoft.com
If you sign in with a personal Microsoft account, you’ll see a simplified version meant for friends and family. But if you use an organizational account — from work, school, or an institution — you’ll see the full Microsoft Teams experience.
Once loaded, the left sidebar becomes your navigation hub. It’s where you move between:
- Chats
- Teams & Channels
- Calendar
- Files
- Apps
However, Microsoft recently changed how Chats and Teams behave. In 2025, many users see a combined interface, meaning the Teams button may not appear separately.
If you’re missing it, here’s why:
Microsoft merged Chats + Teams into one view by default.
You can change this anytime:
Settings → Chats and Channels → Choose “Separate” or “Combined.”
With the structure clear, it’s time to explore the first core feature.
Working Inside Teams & Channels — Your Shared Conversation Spaces
Team channels are the heartbeat of organizational collaboration. Think of a “Team” as a department or project group, and each “Channel” as a topic within that group.
You might have:
- A Marketing Team with channels like “Campaigns” and “Announcements”
- An Engineering Team with channels like “Bugs” and “Releases”
When you click into a channel, you see ongoing conversations — often threaded, often active, and always shared with everyone in that team.
Posting in a Channel
When you want to start a new conversation, scroll to the bottom and select Post in Channel. You can add text, files, or even a subject line if you want to introduce something clearly.
If someone has already started a thread and you want to contribute, always click Reply in Thread, not “New post.” This keeps conversations organized and easy to follow.
Managing Files Within a Channel
As conversations grow, so does the pile of documents your teammates share — spreadsheets, presentations, images, PDFs. Teams keeps everything tidy by offering a Files tab at the top of every channel.
This tab becomes your library of shared documents. You can open, edit, and collaborate on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote files without leaving Teams. Edits save automatically.
Every channel has its own file library, so each topic stays neat.
Seeing Who’s in a Team
Sometimes you’ll wonder who else is part of a particular team. Maybe you want to see whether a new teammate has been added or confirm who can read your messages.
You can check this easily:
- Hover over the team’s name.
- Click the three-dot menu.
- Select Manage Team.
Under Members and Guests, you’ll see:
- The Owner (who created/manage the team)
- Regular Members
- Any external guests (if allowed by your organization)
Remember: Team conversations are visible to every member — including new ones who join later.
This is why private chats exist for more confidential, smaller discussions.
Private Chats — One-on-One or Small Group Conversations
While Teams channels serve groups, the Chat section is where personal or small-group communication becomes easier. It feels familiar, like messaging apps you already use.
To start a new chat:
- Click Chat in the sidebar.
- Select New Chat (Compose button).
- Enter one or more names.
Chats are private. Only the selected people can see the messages and files. Just like channels, you can click the Shared tab at the top of a chat to revisit all exchanged files neatly organized.
Chats also accept:
- File attachments
- @mentions
- Emojis
- Links
- Images
And if someone replies while you’re not looking, the chat becomes bold with a notification.
Meetings — Scheduling and Joining Online Sessions
Next comes a feature you’ll likely use daily: online meetings. Whether you’re joining one or scheduling your own, the Calendar tab handles everything.
This is the same calendar that powers Outlook, but Teams presents it in a meeting-friendly format.
Joining a Meeting
If someone invites you, it appears on your calendar. You can open it, check the time, view details, and then accept or decline. When you’re ready, simply click Join.
Before you enter the meeting, Teams shows a “pre-join screen” where you can:
- Turn your camera on/off
- Choose your microphone
- Set a virtual background
- Check your appearance
When everything looks right, click Join now.
Scheduling a Meeting
When you want to schedule a meeting:
- Click New Meeting in the Calendar.
- Add a title, date, time, and optional reminder.
- Add participants by name or email.
If participants belong to your organization, you can check availability through Scheduling Assistant, which displays busy and free times for everyone — perfect for coordinating large groups.
External attendees can be invited using their full email address, although some companies restrict this.
Inside a Live Meeting — What You Can Do
Once inside, Teams gives you a well-organized toolbar with everything you need:
- Mute/Unmute microphone
- Toggle camera
- Open meeting chat
- Share screen
- Record meeting
- Add transcription
- Manage participants
You can leave the meeting anytime using the Leave button in the top right.
Meetings can be as simple or complex as you need — quiet check-ins, big discussions, recorded presentations, brainstorming sessions, or live document collaboration.
Three Small Settings That Make Teams Easier
Before wrapping up, here are three helpful things many people don’t notice immediately.
1. The Settings Menu
Click the three-dot button at the top right → Settings.
You’ll find dozens of useful options — notifications, appearance, chat layout, language, audio/video devices, and more.
2. Switching Between Accounts
If you have multiple Microsoft accounts (work + personal), you can switch quickly using the profile menu next to Settings.
3. Customizing the Sidebar
Right-click any sidebar item → Unpin or Pin.
If a button disappears accidentally, click the ⋯ button in the sidebar to restore it.
This lets you shape Teams into a workspace that feels comfortable and uncluttered.
Disclaimer
Teams features may vary depending on your organization’s policies or Microsoft 365 configuration. Some administrators restrict external invites, recordings, or certain apps. Always check your workplace guidelines to ensure compliance with internal communication and privacy rules.
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