Teams user interface

After you sign up for Microsoft Teams, either by launching a desktop application or choosing to use an Internet browser, a window will open in which you can view past activities, talk to other members one-on-one or in a group, have team conversations, organize or participate in meetings and webminars, use applications, open, download or add files … In this post you will learn how to easily navigate multitude of ​​options offered by Teams.

After launching MS Teams through the Internet browser in the upper right corner you will see the Apps menu represented by the icon with “nine dots in the shape of a square”. Clicking on the icon will open a panel where you can select another Microsoft 365 (Office 365) application. Although the word application is used colloquially, this is not very adequate, because you are actually accessing a cloud service. For example. if you click on Word you will open Word Online. By selecting the Microsoft 365 link, you will be directed to office.com where you can access additional applications, which are not visible in the menu, or the admin panel.

At the top of the Teams window, next to the name, you can see the Search field. It is used to search for content by user name, group, or term. You can also enter slash (/) commands here. These are shortcuts for performing common tasks in Teams: changing status, going to a specific channel, viewing messages, etc. If you type slash (/) in this field you will get a list of all available shortcuts.

In the upper right corner is an icon to access the user menu. If you have not changed your Microsoft profile before, you will see the initials here. This is the default display of the user’s avatar if he has not added a photo. Clicking on the icon will open a menu with several options. First, at the very top, there is an option to change the photo. If you select it, you will be prompted to add a new one and remove the existing one. Then follows a menu with status descriptions. Clicking on the arrow will open a menu with the offered statuses: Available, Busy, Do not disturb, etc. By choosing the appropriate status, you let the team members know what you are doing, ie whether you are ready to communicate with them. Additionally, by selecting the Set Status Message option, you can describe your status in a short sentence and how long it is valid. I often know how to write verses by singer Sheryl Crow here: “All I want to have some fun. I got a feeling I’m not the only one “… Settings menu contains additional settings within which you can change the look of the application, language, set privacy, mode and frequency of notifications, specifics regarding calls … Saved is the menu where you can access recorded messages. Then, you have the options to download a desktop or mobile application and finally the Sign Out option to log out of the system!

On the left side of the window there is a Teams menu, and in it the options: Activity (overview of own activities and activities of all team members), Chat (chat with other team members, 1-1 or in a group), Teams (creating teams and channels, managing them , write and view posts, share files, access services used by the team, etc.), Calendar (schedule and organize meetings), Calls (calls, contact list), Files (list of available files), Apps (Internet store with additional applications), and Help. This menu may vary slightly from version to version and from user to user, but all the main options are listed here.