Microsoft Teams

Step-by-Step Guides

Microsoft 365
V
Verison · 18. 04. 2026 · ~6 min read
Users

This article is a practical, step-by-step guide to common tasks in Microsoft Teams — from signing in, through chat and calls, to working in teams, planning meetings and collaborating on documents. While the previous article on Teams introduced its key features and benefits, here you'll find concrete steps for carrying out each task.

Article contents
  1. Signing in and access
  2. Chat
  3. Calls
  4. Teams and channels
  5. Meetings
  6. Document collaboration
  7. Status and settings

Signing in and access

How to sign in to Teams

  1. Open teams.microsoft.com (web), or launch the installed Teams app.
  2. Enter your company email and password, and confirm MFA (two-factor authentication) if prompted.

How to install the desktop app

  1. In the web version of Teams, click the app download icon (usually in the bottom-left corner or in Settings).
  2. Run the downloaded installer and follow the instructions.
  3. After installation, sign in with the same company account.

Chat

How to send a message to an individual

  1. In the left-hand panel, click "Chat".
  2. Click the new chat icon and enter your colleague's name.
  3. Type your message and send it (Enter).

How to create a group chat

  1. In "Chat", click new chat and add several names at once.
  2. You can optionally name the group chat — click the pencil icon next to the participants' names.

How to share a file in chat

  1. In the chat window, click the paperclip icon (attachment).
  2. Choose a file from your computer, OneDrive, or recent files, and confirm sending.

How to edit or delete a sent message

  1. Hover over the message and click the three dots (more options).
  2. Select "Edit" or "Delete" and confirm.

How to mention a specific person in a message

  1. In the message text, type @ and start typing your colleague's name.
  2. Select the name from the list — that person will receive a special notification.

Calls

How to start a video or audio call

  1. In the chat with that person, click the camera icon (video) or the phone icon (audio).
  2. Wait for the other party to answer the call.

How to share your screen during a call

  1. During an ongoing call, click "Share" in the control bar.
  2. Choose your entire screen, a specific window, or an app, and confirm.

How to add another participant to an ongoing call

  1. During the call, click the "Add people" icon.
  2. Enter your colleague's name and send the invite — they'll join the call directly.

Teams and channels

How to create a new team

  1. In the left-hand panel, click "Teams" → "Join or create a team" → "Create team".
  2. Choose a team type (e.g. from scratch) and enter a name and description.
  3. Add members by name or email and finish creating the team.

How to create a channel in a team

  1. Open the team, click the three dots next to its name → "Add channel".
  2. Enter a channel name, optionally a description, and choose whether it should be standard, private, or shared.

How to add a member to a team

  1. Click the three dots next to the team's name → "Add member".
  2. Enter your colleague's name or email and confirm.

How to find a channel's shared files

  1. Open the channel and click the "Files" tab at the top.
  2. These are the same files as in the channel's folder on the team's SharePoint site.

Meetings

How to schedule a meeting

  1. In the left-hand panel, open "Calendar" → "New meeting".
  2. Enter a title, time, and participants, or the channel the meeting should take place in.
  3. Click "Send" — the invite goes out to all participants.

How to start an instant (unscheduled) meeting

  1. In Calendar, click "Meet now", or click "Meet" in a channel.
  2. Confirm your camera/microphone settings and start the meeting.

How to join a meeting

  1. Click the link in the invite (email or Calendar), or the event directly in the Teams Calendar.
  2. Click "Join" and confirm your camera/microphone settings.

How to record a meeting

  1. During the meeting, click the three dots in the control bar → "Start recording".
  2. After the meeting ends, the recording and transcript are saved to the organizer's OneDrive/SharePoint.

How to invite an external participant from outside the company

  1. Enter their regular email address in the meeting invite, the same as for an internal colleague.
  2. The participant joins by clicking the link in the invite, without needing a company account.

Document collaboration

How to open and edit a file directly in Teams

  1. In the channel, open the "Files" tab and click the document's name.
  2. The document opens directly in Teams (Word/Excel/PowerPoint) and changes are saved automatically.

How to collaborate on a document in real time

  1. Open the file in Teams or the web app and invite a colleague to collaborate (if they don't have access yet, share the file with them).
  2. You can both edit at the same time — you'll see the other person's changes as they happen.

Status and settings

How to change your status

  1. Click your profile picture in the top right.
  2. Select a status (e.g. Available, Busy, Do not disturb) from the list.

How to set up notifications

  1. Click your profile picture → "Settings" → "Notifications".
  2. Adjust what you want to be notified about and how (chat, mentions, channels).
Before you type anything in Teams, it's worth knowing whether chat is even the right channel — you'll find a comparison of chat, email, channels and calls in a separate article.
This article provides a practical overview and is not an exhaustive list of all the features or benefits of the tool described. Some of the features mentioned may only be available with higher Microsoft 365 versions or licenses. Because the tool's appearance and functionality change over time, we recommend visiting Microsoft's official website for current and binding information.
© 2026 Verison. Copying, distributing or otherwise using the content of this article without the prior written consent of Verison is prohibited.
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