How to create Teams and Channels in Microsoft Teams?

Description: The purpose of this article is to guide you through the process of creating and configuring Teams and Channels in Microsoft Teams. 

Teams and Channels are fundamental features in Microsoft Teams, and they serve distinct purposes that make collaboration and communication more efficient in a variety of ways. These features enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and facilitate effective teamwork, especially in larger groups or organizations with multiple projects or departments.

How to create a Team?

A Team is a group of people gathered to get something big done in your organization. Sometimes it is your whole organization.

To create a Team, go to Microsoft Teams (in this step-by-step guide, we will use the desktop version of the app as a user interface example). Locate and select the "Teams" tab in the left-hand menu of the app.

When this tab is open, navigate to the right-hand section of the app and click on the "Create team" button that will become visible in the when you hover the mouse cursor over it. 

If you already have teams listed here, the interface will display the top team from the list. To access the "Create team" button, you should first click on the "Join or Create Team" button at the very bottom of the app to prompt a change in the interface.

Once you click the button, a pop-up window will emerge on top of the app, asking you to choose a team type for the team you want to create. Your decision may be influenced by various factors, but for the purposes of this guide, choose the "From Scratch" option.

Next, the application will inquire about the team's privacy settings. Your choice in this matter may also be influenced by various factors, but in our scenario, select the "Private" option.

In the subsequent page of this form, input the name for the team you are configuring.

Next, you will be prompted to add team members in the configured team. To do so, use the search field for entering a person's name and picking them from the list of suggestions that will appear as you begin typing the initial letters. 

It's important to note that the individuals you select in the search field are not automatically added to the configured team. To do so, you need to click the "Add" button that becomes active when you select someone from the list of suggestions. 

Once clicked, the table displaying the added team members will appear beneath the search field. If you wish to remove someone from the table, you can do so by clicking the "X" icon in the corresponding line of the table.

You can also skip this part and add team members later by selecting the newly created team in the list of available teams and pressing the "Add more people" button. The user interface for adding members that will appear when you click this button remains the same as the one described above. 

Starting at this point, the team is ready for use.

How to create a Channel?

Teams are made up of channels, which are the conversations you have with your teammates. Each channel is dedicated to a specific topic, department, or project.

By default, every newly created Team includes a single channel named "General." 

To create a new channel linked to the chosen team, simply click on the three-dot button located adjacent to the team's name for which you wish to create a new channel. Alternatively, you can right-click to access the same dropdown menu, where you should select the "Add channel" option.

Once you click the button, a pop-up window will emerge on top of the app, asking you to fill several fields.

• Channel name: here, you should input the name of the configured channel. This field is mandatory.
• Description: here, you can add some description of the configured channel. This field is optional.
• Privacy: upon clicking this field, a dropdown list of privacy options will become visible. By default, the "Standard - Everyone on the team has access" option is preselected.

• Automatically show this channel in everyone’s channel list: by checking this checkbox, you grant permission for this channel to be visible in the channel lists of all the team members you have added to the team.

Once you have completed these fields and clicked the "Add" button, the newly created channel will be displayed in your channel list, as well as in the channel lists of all other team members if you have selected the "Automatically show this channel in everyone’s channel list" checkbox.

Starting at this point, the channel is ready for use.