Microsoft Teams FAQ

1. Within a Channel or Chat: If you share a file in a specific channel or in a chat, members of that channel or participants in the chat will have access to the file. They can view, and depending on permissions, edit or download it.
2. Within the 'OneDrive' tab in Teams: On the left sidebar, you can open OneDrive (called Files in some versions of Teams) and securely store files where nobody else can see them. This space is your personal, private storage and cannot be viewed unless you share content with others.

Learn all about file sharing in Microsoft Teams (video)

Files you upload and share in a chat are stored in your OneDrive under a folder named 'Microsoft Teams Chat Files'. These files are shared exclusively with participants in the chat and can be accessed or deleted anytime.

Additionally, you can find them within the 'Shared' tab within the specified chat in the Microsoft Teams app.

Scheduling with the Teams App

A straightforward method of scheduling a Teams meeting is from the Calendar tab within the Microsoft Teams app. Learn how to schedule a meeting in the Teams app.

Scheduling with Outlook

When scheduling a calendar item normally, check the 'Teams Meeting' switch in the Outlook settings area of your invite. Learn how to schedule a Teams meeting from Outlook.

Microsoft Teams meetings have a time limit of 30 hours.

Learn more about the limits and specifications for Microsoft Teams meetings.

You can have up to 1,000 people actively participating in the same Teams meeting, using chat, audio, and video. If the meeting reaches this limit, additional invitees (up to 10,000) can join as view-only attendees.

Learn more about the best practices for a large meeting in Microsoft Teams

Overall, Microsoft Teams has four separate roles in meetings: Organizer, Co-organizer, Presenter, and Attendee. 

• Organizers: This role creates the meeting and has full control to set up the meeting, managing settings, and invite participants.
  • To assign this role, simply create or schedule a new meeting in Teams.
• Co-organizers: Assigned by the organizer, they assist in managing the meeting and have many of the same options as organizers.
  • An organizer can designate co-organizers by including them in the meeting invite and then selecting them in the meeting options before or during a meeting.

Two additional roles are present in MS Teams meetings, mainly large meetings like webinars or formal presentations

• Presenters: Chosen to speak or present, they can share their screen, manage their audio/video, and start meeting recordings.
  • The organizer assigns presenters by selecting them in the meeting options before the meeting.
• Attendees: Regular participants with limited control, primarily there to listen and watch.
  • This is the default role for meeting participants if the meeting has been configured to restrict sharing and participation.

Learn more about roles in Microsoft Teams, including assignments and specific options available to each role.

Yes, in Microsoft Teams, the Waiting Room is called the "Lobby." This feature prevents participants from joining the meeting until they are admitted by an organizer, co-organizer, or presenter. While in the lobby, organizers and presenters receive notifications and can decide when to let participants into the meeting.

Learn about using the lobby feature in Microsoft Teams meetings.

Yes, Microsoft Teams provides an option to "Allow Attendance Report" for each meeting. This feature is optional and can be enabled during the scheduling process. After the meeting, you can download the attendance report or view it in the persistent meeting chat in Teams. For scheduled classes, the "Class" and "Lecture" meeting templates automatically have this option enabled.

• Learn how to manage meeting attendance reports in Microsoft Teams.
• What does an attendance report look like? View an example attendance report in Microsoft Teams (excel file)

Yes, you can create breakout rooms in Microsoft Teams, but only if there are fewer than 300 participants in the meeting. Only meeting organizers using the desktop versions of Teams (Windows and macOS) can create and manage these breakout rooms. Organizers or presenters must join the meeting first to set up or manage the breakout rooms.

Learn how to use breakout rooms for Microsoft Teams meetings.

Yes, as an organizer, you can select between moderated and unmoderated Q&A settings for your Teams meeting. In the Q&A settings, you can enable features like replies and anonymous posts. Responses to questions will be threaded with the original question. Additionally, you can assign a co-organizer role to someone in the meeting, allowing them to assist with screening questions as moderators.

• Learn how to enable and use the Q&A feature in your Teams meeting or webinar.
  • Learn how to use Q&A in Microsoft Teams (video)

Yes, you can assign and use an interpreter in a Microsoft Teams meeting. Language interpretation can be added to any scheduled meeting. After you organize a meeting**, you can enable language interpretation to it and invite interpreters to join. For many reasons, however, we do not recommend using language interpretation in Microsoft Teams meetings.

**If the interpreter is an external guest, they will need to be added from within the meeting after it starts. You cannot add external interpreters prior to the meeting start.

How do recordings work in Teams?

In Microsoft Teams, any participant with the necessary permissions can record a meeting. Depending on the meeting type, recordings are automatically uploaded to the organizer's OneDrive or the Team's SharePoint site, streamlining the process for organizers. All meeting recordings utilize Microsoft Stream's features, and after the meeting, a link to the recording is shared in the meeting chat or channel conversation. Access to the recording can be managed for privacy purposes.

All About Recordings in Microsoft Teams

Do meeting recordings expire?

By default, meeting recordings are automatically deleted after 60 days.

Where do they go after deletion?

Deleted recordings can be retrieved from the meeting organizer's OneDrive recycle bin via Cardinal Apps. For meetings hosted in a channel, the recording will be located in the recycle bin on the Team's SharePoint site.

Can this expiration date be changed?

Yes, the expiration date can be extended by 7, 30, or 60 days, or set to a custom date range. Alternatively, you can choose to remove the expiration date entirely. This must be done manually after the recording is completed.

• Learn how to extend the expiration date of a Teams meeting recording.

Yes. Sharing content in meetings and calls is a great way to quickly collaborate and get participants to understand what they're looking at.

Learn how to share content in a Microsoft Teams meeting.

Yes, Teams has a larger capacity limit than Zoom, allowing up to 1,000 participants compared to Zoom's 300. Additionally, Teams offers structured webinars that are available to everyone, unlike Zoom's limited access. In these webinars, participants have defined roles: presenters share insights while attendees listen, with their audio and video permissions disabled by default.

Learn how to get started with webinars in Microsoft Teams.

Yes. Non-UIW personnel are referred to as 'guests' in Teams. You do not need a Microsoft Teams account to join a Teams meeting. While external users can join and participate in a Teams meeting without an account, some features may be limited, such as the ability to view certain shared file content or the meeting chat history. If an external guest has received a meeting invite, they can join the meeting in a few different ways:

1. Through a Web Browser:
   1. Click on the meeting link provided in the invitation.
   2. The link will open in a web browser, giving the guest an option to join via the web or desktop app.
   3. Guests will have the option to join anonymously without signing in, or they can sign in with a Microsoft account.
2. Using the Teams App:
   1. Although guests don't need a Teams account, they might be prompted to download the Teams desktop or mobile app, which can offer a more comprehensive experience.
3. Dial-in:
   1. If the meeting invite includes a dial-in phone number, guests can join the meeting by calling that number and entering the conference ID provided in the invite.
   2. Joining by phone is useful if someone is unable to access the internet or prefer to use a telephone.

For guests joining a meeting, the meeting organizer may have set up lobby entry settings. If so, guests might need to wait to be admitted by someone already in the meeting. This is a security measure to control who can join the meeting.

Learn more about joining a Teams meeting as an external guest or without a Teams account through the links below.

• Join a meeting without an account in Teams.
• Meet with external partners with Microsoft Teams (video)