Microsoft Teams guide
Daniel Okonkwo writes about phones and mobile apps for Appcyclopedia, working on a MacBook Pro, a Pixel 9 Pro and an iPhone 15.
- Windows
- macOS
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Short answer
Select Chat (or Teams), then New items above your list, and choose New team. Give it a name and a description, choose Private or Public, name the first channel and select Create. Then add members.
You become the owner: the person who creates a team owns it and decides who joins, which channels exist and what members can change.
Below: the steps on a computer and a phone, private versus public, and what creating a team sets up behind the scenes.
How to set up a new team in Microsoft Teams
To create a team in Microsoft Teams, start from New items and work through the form. The first group creates the team on a computer, the second on a phone, and the last adds the people.
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On a computer
Select Chat, then New items
Select Chat on the left of Teams; if your Teams shows chats and channels separately, select Teams instead. Select New items above your list of chats and channels.
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Choose New team and name it
Select New team. Type a name people will recognise, such as the project or department, and an optional description of what the team is for.
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Choose Private or Public
Choose Private to keep the team’s content to the people you add, or Public for a team anyone in your organisation can find and join. If your organisation uses sensitivity labels, choose one too.
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Name the first channel, then select Create
Give the first channel a name; it is created for you and cannot be deleted later. Select Create. The team appears in your list with you as its owner.
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On a phone
Tap More options, then Create new team
In the Teams app, go to your teams, tap More options at the top right and tap Create new team. Enter the name, description and privacy, then invite people or contact groups.
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Add the people
Add members to the team
Open the team’s More options and choose to add members. Type names or a group, and choose whether each person is a member or an owner. They are told they have been added, and the team appears in their list.
A project group of six: create a private team called “Website relaunch”, name the first channel General updates, add the six colleagues, then add channels for Design and Content. Each topic has its own thread, and files shared in a channel stay with it.
Make the team private unless the whole organisation should be able to join: you can always open it up later.
More about Microsoft Teams
Microsoft’s app for chat, video meetings and shared files at work and at home.
If you cannot create a team in Microsoft Teams
- There is no New team option
Your organisation may restrict who can create teams. Ask your IT administrator to create it or give you permission.
- People outside the organisation cannot be added
Guests can only be added if your organisation allows guest access. Ask your administrator, or share a meeting link instead.
- You have hit a limit on teams
One account can own up to 250 teams. Archive or delete teams you no longer use.
Private or public: which team to create
The privacy setting decides who can find and join the team.
| Private team | Public team | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can find it | Only members | Anyone in the organisation |
| How people join | An owner adds them | They join themselves |
| Good for | Projects, managers, confidential work | Interest groups, open communities |
Choose private for project and department teams: the people who need it are added, and nobody stumbles into a conversation they should not see.
What a new team sets up
Creating a team does more than add a name to your list. Teams creates a SharePoint site where files shared in channels are stored, and a OneNote notebook for the team. The first channel, often used for general updates, cannot be archived or deleted, so give it a broad name.
What to do after creating your team
A new team is empty until people use it. Add the members, create a channel for each main topic, and post a first message saying what the team is for.
Create the team from New items, keep it private, name the first channel and add members. When the team needs to meet, the guide to scheduling a Teams meeting covers setting one up in a channel.
Creating Microsoft Teams teams: what to know
- What is the difference between a private and a public team?
- A private team is visible only to its members, and owners decide who joins. Anyone in your organisation can find and join a public team.
- What does creating a team set up?
- A team comes with a SharePoint site for its files and a OneNote notebook, as well as its channels and chat.
- Can I change a team from private to public later?
- Yes. Team owners can change the privacy setting in the team’s settings.
- What is the difference between a team and a group chat?
- A group chat is a single conversation. A team has channels for separate topics, shared files and members who can be managed by owners.
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Test log
Followed the steps? Tell us how it went on your device. Entries appear here after we check them.
- Worked Every step, start to finish · Elias Brandt and Marta Kowalczyk Team
I tested this
Steps performed and confirmed 2 days ago
When you need this
If you want a shared space in Microsoft Teams for a project or department, create a team from New items and add members. Your organisation may limit who can create teams.
- Describes
- Microsoft Teams desktop app for Windows and Mac, and Teams in a browser, with a work or school account · Microsoft Teams app for iPhone and Android
- Takes
- A few minutes
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · Web · iOS · Android
- Published
- 22 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 10 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Elias Brandt and 
Marta Kowalczyk
on
- Elias Brandt: the Windows and web steps on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 11 Pro) and the Android steps on a Galaxy S25 (Android 17).
- Marta Kowalczyk: the Mac steps on a MacBook Air (macOS 27.0.1) and the iPhone steps on an iPhone 16 Pro (iOS 27.0.1).
Limits quoted here come from Microsoft Teams’s documentation and were not tested.
Source: Microsoft Support, Create a team from scratch in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams 
