Microsoft Teams

Using Microsoft Teams for chat, meetings, channels, and file collaboration.

Joining a Teams Meeting from Your Outlook Calendar

Steps

  1. Open Outlook and go to your Calendar
  2. Find and open the meeting
  3. Click Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
  4. Teams will open — click Join now

Tip: You can also join directly from the Outlook meeting reminder popup when it appears — click the Join Online button.

Joining a Teams Meeting via the Outlook Reminder

Step-by-step guide

  1. Before the meeting Outlook will remind you of the meeting. Click on the Join Online button.

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  2. If you asked to choose an application, make sure Microsoft Teams is selected and click Open Link.

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  3. The new meeting will open in Teams. Click on Join now.

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Scheduling a Teams Meeting

Overview

You can schedule a Teams meeting directly from Outlook or from within Teams. All attendees will receive a calendar invite with a Join link.

Schedule from Outlook

  1. Open Outlook and go to your Calendar
  2. Click New Teams Meeting in the ribbon at the top
  3. Fill in the meeting title, add attendees in the To field, and set the date and time
  4. Add any agenda or notes in the body
  5. Click Send

Schedule from Teams

  1. Open Microsoft Teams
  2. Click Calendar in the left sidebar
  3. Click New meeting in the top right
  4. Fill in the meeting details and add attendees
  5. Click Save

Sending a Chat Message in Teams

Overview

Teams Chat allows you to send quick messages to individuals or small groups without needing a formal meeting or email.

Starting a New Chat

  1. Open Microsoft Teams
  2. Click the Chat icon in the left sidebar (speech bubble icon)
  3. Click the New chat icon (pencil icon) at the top
  4. In the To field, type the name of the person you want to message
  5. Type your message in the box at the bottom and press Enter to send

Group Chat

To chat with multiple people at once:

  1. Follow steps 1–3 above
  2. In the To field, add multiple names (up to 20 people)
  3. Type a group name in the Group name field (optional but recommended)
  4. Type your message and press Enter

Useful Chat Features

Chat vs Email — When to Use Which

Use Teams Chat forUse Email for
Quick questions, informal conversationFormal communication, external parties
Real-time collaborationLong records that need to be archived
Small group coordinationDistribution to large groups

Finding and Using Teams Channels

Overview

Teams are organised into Channels — dedicated spaces for different topics, projects, or departments. Channels help keep conversations organised and searchable.

Finding Your Teams and Channels

  1. Open Microsoft Teams
  2. Click Teams in the left sidebar
  3. You will see a list of Teams you are a member of
  4. Click on a Team to expand it and see its channels
  5. Click a channel name to open it

Posting in a Channel

  1. Open the channel
  2. Click the message box at the bottom that says Start a new conversation
  3. Type your message and press Enter to post

Tip: Click New conversation to start a distinct thread, rather than replying to an existing one.

Replying to a Channel Post

  1. Find the post you want to reply to
  2. Click Reply below the post
  3. Type your reply — this keeps the conversation grouped together as a thread

Important: Always click Reply on the original post rather than starting a new conversation, so the thread stays together.

Channel Notifications

By default you are notified when someone @mentions you in a channel. To change notification settings for a specific channel:

  1. Hover over the channel name in the sidebar
  2. Click the three dots (...)
  3. Select Channel notifications
  4. Choose your preference (All activity, Mentions only, Off)

Sharing Files in Teams

Overview

You can share files directly in Teams — either in a chat or in a channel. Files shared in channels are stored in SharePoint automatically, making them accessible to all channel members.

Sharing a File in a Chat

  1. Open the chat
  2. Click the paperclip (attach) icon below the message box
  3. Select Upload from this device to share a file from your computer
  4. Or select OneDrive to share a file already in your OneDrive
  5. The recipient can view or download the file directly in the chat

Sharing a File in a Channel

  1. Open the channel
  2. Click the Files tab at the top of the channel
  3. Click Upload to add a file, or drag and drop a file into the window
  4. The file is now available to everyone in the channel

You can also post a message with the file attached by using the paperclip icon in the channel message box.

Opening a Teams File in the Desktop App

When you click a file in Teams, it opens in the browser by default. To open it in the full desktop app (e.g. Word or Excel):

  1. Click the file to open the preview
  2. Click Open in Desktop App at the top right

Co-editing a File with Colleagues

Multiple people can edit a file at the same time in Teams. Open the file from the channel Files tab — you will see other people's cursors in real time. Changes are saved automatically.