How Teams Works

Microsoft Teams is a Microsoft 365 service for organizations that offers group-based collaboration spaces with persistent chat, integrated access to several Microsoft 365 services, voice and video meetings, and connections to many third-party services. This screen shot shows the Teams Windows desktop application. (Versions for other platforms and devices are available.)

The vertical bar on the left contains icons that allow users to switch between their recent activity, one-to-one chats, team chats, hosted calendars from Microsoft 365, voice and video calls, and their files available in Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and configured third-party cloud storage. Other apps available within Teams may also be displayed here. The ellipsis icon (three dots) provides quick access to selected integrations and utilities. The Apps icon allows users to browse other apps available for Teams. The top bar contains icons that allow a user to switch between recently used views and a command box where users can enter commands to quickly perform tasks, send messages, and interact with apps. The profile icon allows a user to change their visible status and access application settings.