Top 25 Microsoft Teams tips and tricks

This step-by-step tutorial shows my top 25 Microsoft Teams Tips and tricks for 2021. These MS Teams tips and tricks cover new Microsoft Teams features, productivity enhancers and hidden gems 💎 Microsoft Teams is always adding new feature and I try to give a fairly holistic view of some new Teams features in 2021 plus existing things you may not know about
✅ More details on Microsoft Teams new features for 2021: 10 New Features in Microsoft Teams for 2021
✅ More details on Microsoft Teams Meetings new features for 2021: • 9 new features in Micr...
✅ Latest Teams blogs on new updates: techcommunity.microsoft.com/t...
📝 Table of contents
0:00 Introduction
0:14 PowerPoint Presenter View in Microsoft Teams
1:32 Focus mode
1:56 Full screen mode
2:23 Meeting Options in the Teams meeting
2:57 Add a Team picture
3:42 Use CTRL-SHIFT-X for Teams messages
4:29 Announcements
5:18 Saving messages
6:11 Share to Outlook
6:35 Immersive Reader in Teams messages
8:12 Mute meeting chat
9:04 Add apps for messages
9:43 Dark Mode
9:58 Filtering in Chat
10:33 Get Email address for a channel
10:53 Channel notifications
11:44 Add a Whiteboard to Channels
13:00 Emoji channels
13:35 File sharing updates
14:34 Drag Outlook attachment to Teams files
14:51 Add apps to the app bar, pin them
15:13 Pop out apps
15:33 OneNote in Teams
16:06 Keyboard shortcuts
16:59 Control Notifications in Teams
For a Microsoft Teams tutorial and lots of tips and tricks, check out my Teams quick tip video playlists:
📺 All Microsoft Teams tips playlist: • Microsoft Teams quick ...
📺 Microsoft Teams meetings tutorial playlist: • Microsoft Teams meetings
📺 Microsoft Teams basics playlist: • Microsoft Teams - the ...
📺 Microsoft Teams advanced playlist: • Microsoft Teams - adva...
📺 Microsoft Teams for Education playlist: • Microsoft Teams for Ed...
📺 Teams Assignments tutorial playlist: • Microsoft Teams Assign...
I am always creating more quick tip Microsoft Teams teacher tutorials, so let me know in the comments about other features you'd like to see videos for.
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*Distance Learning Resources:
Microsoft EDU Remote site: www.microsoft.com/en-us/educa...
Teams EDU Quick Start Guide: aka.ms/TeamsEDUQuickGuide
Webinar series: aka.ms/RemoteLearningPlaylist
Resource, training and tips collection: aka.ms/RemoteLearningWakelet
#MicrosoftTeams #Microsoft #msteams

[@ajonoh]

Tip 10 the immersive reader - so useful for so many! And I had no idea. Thank you Mike!

[@MikeTholfsen]

My team helps build that one!

[@evolution2001]

Interesting idea of using the "format" window to avoid the accidental [Submit/Confirm] action. Along those same lines, but in different context, some people aren't aware that you can insert a ("Carriage Return" for us old people), i.e. "a new line of text" by hitting SHIFT+ without having to use the "Format" window. This is fairly universal across all online platforms where you only appear to have a single line entry space. NOTE: On some websites/platforms, even though you use the SHIFT+ to create that new line, the website/platform might not recognize it and subsequently submit/post without it. The text will just continue on in its single paragraph format.

[@kylieweller9092]

So helpful, thank you!

[@joelskosana1566]

Great Tips, thank you

[@dannyhometown]

👍 Useful and powerful video. Thanks Mike for your sharing.

[@MikeTholfsen]

Glad you like it!

[@lee-annmcellister1177]

You really are a true gift to all of us Teams Users - Thank you!

[@MikeTholfsen]

Glad to help!

[@Kate98755]

will have to watch this several times, so much here!

[@yoeuychhung8219]

You are amazing. I put all three webinars in favorite.

[@miguelguerrerom]

thanks! great tips

[@sarahchua2811]

It's good to know about the immersive reader in Teams 😊

[@chicstyleandawinningsmile3085]

Beautiful upload and useful tips, thank you for sharing! Have a chill day!🎧🎵😎

[@mariuspretorius2130]

10:33 Tip 15: The purpose of the channel email address is to send an email that will post directly to the channel - not to open the channel in Teams. For that purpose one uses the link to the channel. Channel email address and channel link are two different things. Anyways - thank you Mike for all the valuable tips and demos, especially for the heads up 11:44 regarding the added Whiteboard experience as a tab in a Teams channel. It will definitely make me use the Whiteboard app more. Thank you for this one: Ctrl + . (period)

[@DavidPowellAU]

Thanks for clarifying the channel email address. I initially thought that was exactly the purpose, and it's encouraging to know that this does in fact work this way.

[@racheljackson8495]

Very helpful. Best one I've seen so far.

[@MikeTholfsen]

Glad it was helpful!

[@EvinKaless]

Hey Mike, really nice video. Lots of useful tips. How did you get your teams to display as large buttons without the listing on the left? (as seen in Tip #5 - Team picture; timestamp 3:00) Thanks!

[@fatmael-zahraael-sayedzaki7935]

Thanks alot mr /mike tholfsen about the Important information

[@MikeTholfsen]

Sure thing!

[@MohammadShahzaman]

Great post!

[@ForgeMasterXXL]

Thanks for this, after ten years out of work, and I was a corporate CIO before retiring early. (Head IT guy crossed with corporate espionage, tracking the IT usage of staff, tracking the engagement of customers with our IT messages and systems; whoa that sounds like a lot now, no wonder I retired early, lol.) Anyway, having been at the centre of knowing all things Microsoft along with Beta test versions of upcoming apps etc, it’s amazing how suddenly you find yourself in the wilderness after just ten years of retirement. And they were not sit on my backside do nothing years either, I kept my hand in fooled around with coding, advised ex-junior members on my team, and played around with loads of new programs. It may have been more than ten years now, but it feels like five, yet still the staff react in the same way whenever I’m called in for a consultation. Which usually means either a new IT manager has really messed up the settings on some innocent looking part of an obscure server, or the company is under a bad DDoS attack or worst case under a ransomware hack. All of which I used to be able to handle myself just coordinating the response and getting all the IT staff working from the relevant ‘script’ and not keep undoing each others work. Now, lol, even simple programs like Outlook are starting to look like strangers to me. I only mention Outlook as that’s the program that launched my IT career, back before it was easy to add complex rules for sorting and multi-versions of auto-reply for different people. I got noticed by the IT director (I worked on project initiation, oversight, collaboration guidance and management) because I was helping loads of staff members by hand coding the system to do what they wanted in ‘Notepad’ and they would cut’n’paste it following my instructions, fond memories. Wow, that was a lot about me just to say thanks, I obviously needed to unload my frustrations, but the thanks are truly heartfelt for all your videos.

[@donnavenditto5588]

10 years! 10 months away from it and things change.

[@ForgeMasterXXL]

@@donnavenditto5588 Very true, I remember the constant having to keep up with the evolution of systems, combined with clients/staff that always want the latest thing despite the fact the existing tech is working just fine.

[@felicial7628]

Holy wow! I am so glad that I watched this video. I loooove the new changes. SUBSCRIBED!

[@MikeTholfsen]

Welcome aboard! Be sure to check out the new video on 15 new features that I just dropped today: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZCwmmeEYpJ0aNU

[@mirah1752]

Thank you so much for making these tip videos! Is there a way to set permissions on OneNote Notebooks you share in Teams? Wanting to share a specific Notebook with my Team in Teams to provide information but don't want them to be able to edit it. Thanks!

[@madhavnatekar4674]

Very good one. Thanks 🙏🏻

[@MikeTholfsen]

Glad you liked it!

[@peterpengkai7163]

Dear Mike, a quick question. I normally work as moderator for MS meetings, so I don't have all the features, right? How can I do Polls ? Thank you for taking the time to answer my request.

[@kiesperto]

That's awesome, thank you. You showed at 3:57 the little side panel when you hit "..." more Actions, which I have only 4 options on mine. How can I have more options there, like 'Edit', 'Copy link', 'share to outlook', 'translate' and so on, please????? 🙏

[@AndaSukanda99]

Wowww amazing

[@kirstyhepworth7343]

Love it amazing

[@MikeTholfsen]

I'm glad you like it

[@kirstyhepworth7343]

@@MikeTholfsen 😀😀

[@tanthiennguyen713]

Vielen Dank....Es macht mich auch Kopfschmerzen......

[@olayemiaderonmu162]

Very educational

[@MikeTholfsen]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Kev_Manus]

great tips. If someone sends you the long link for a teams meeting, instead of via an email/calendar link. How can I add that to my outlook/Teams calendar, so to join meeting when its on?

[@DonGrinful]

Thanks for the video. But I have a question. When you showed us your saved messages, I'm assuming those are pretty recent messages. When you saved a message that dates back a couple months back, it will just show the exact message and nothing else. Is there a way I can see the message plus the conversations after/before it?

[@florak1087]

Great video, Mike. I have been following along. One question. While you are in a video meeting and people are pinging you with posts, how to you gracefully get out of that meeting to access the message that just came in. Thanks.

[@uae4211]

thxxx

[@JeffSheinNY]

Great tips!! Thanks for this video You were in Cara’s profile in the beginning of the video, a bit confusing at first since you kept saying “my profile”

[@MikeTholfsen]

Cara is my favorite demo account 😄

[@SuperFerz]

Thank you so much for preparing this wonderful clip. May I ask, how to open [Announcement], because within my Teams App on both Linux and Mac, I look above the B I U format buttons and cannot see New conversation / announcement dropdown list.

[@MikeTholfsen]

Not sure about Linux, but should be there on Mac

[@petegentile353]

Mike - The Microsoft Teams tips are great and I would like to share them company wide, but I would like to share them one at a time or in small groups - is there a way I can get the videos and break it down into smaller clips?

[@MikeTholfsen]

Check out me TikTok account, I have 50 mini tips tiktok.com/@mtholfsen

[@robertkantor3060]

Great presentation! May I ask you how can we disable the notification to all the participants if a meeting has been started by the host? For instance the host would like to prepare (upload files) for the meeting in advance and he does not want to post the meeting has been started pop up for everybody.

[@microsoftsarker]

nice install video

[@MichealFourie31]

Hi Mike, quick question. I was using a meeting chat all the time to reference things that was shared in the meeting. At first I could see the meeting in teams on the left, but as time when by it went down down and I had to start using the filter and/or the find functions. Now after several months I cannot find it anymore more. I expect that my company has auto archiving enabled. So the question is how do I find a chat that was archived?

[@dagimtadele6848]

thanks

[@learnersseries1167]

Immersive reader is awesome

[@MikeTholfsen]

Agree, I'm a big fan!

[@andrewsauter8749]

Thanks excellent work! Do you do any consulting for Teams setup and best practices? If you do, or know of someone that can do that please let know. Thanks Andrew

[@MikeTholfsen]

Unfortunately I don’t

[@joelavery1087]

remind us that keyboard shortcuts in the web app might be different [add +shift] than in the native app

[@pennymanzo5648]

Do you have tips and tricks for the new Teams update - I notice I can not use Saving Messages, is there a substitute or replacement?

[@technologymansworld957]

The timestamp didn’t appear in 0:14 because it was 0: 14 not 0:14 , But anyways really helpful Tips and Tricks !!

[@MikeTholfsen]

Thanks for catching that, I just fixed it!

[@ihelpcafe4555]

Feature suggestion. In our school we add principals and APs as members, but it messes with the data because they do not do the assignments. Can we get an "observer" designation. so they are a part of the team but do not have any impact on anything, just view it?

[@kashifsaeed5525]

I am first time using the team for an interview would you have been through to me some tips and tools to get well my interview. just now received only

[@sbIvanov]

Another hack: Use immersive reader for the time when you are sending important text, an announcement or when asking for a promotion. You can't believe the power of reading the text out load with someone else's voice. It will show you how the text sounds and where are the problems that need to be adressed.

[@MikeTholfsen]

Great suggestion!

[@kmortensen]

3:42 - shift command X to open Teams conversation on a Mac.

[@MikeTholfsen]

Good call out

[@paconro]

Thanks for the video! About file sharing... Is it currently available or do we need to wait for the update a little bit?

[@MikeTholfsen]

It has rolled out to many data centers, but not 100%. I think it completes in the next week or so

[@paconro]

@@MikeTholfsen Thank you! We have not received this update yet. I also hope that we will receive soon, because I was waiting for this update to be able to share OneDrive file links in different Teams groups (the same file for several groups and always updated)

[@ulo1968]

Great Tips and Well presented. Solar System Presentation is also awsome!!!.. Can you also share it? Thanks

[@MikeTholfsen]

Sure - here is the link to the Solar System deck: 1drv.ms/p/s!AlVTv8H6F8ZTiY0YTLxf9vqQy5g5Tw?e=8T32sa

[@vikasraibhatnagar8243]

Hi Mike, when I upload my PowerPoint presentation from the browser, it shows up in the "Files" section of the Teams and is downloadable. If I do not want my presentation to be available for download, what can I do to prevent it? Kind regards, Vikas.

[@Kate98755]

I have recently added more project channels, I loaded some documents into files and notice those files were visible on all my channels. So it’s one file area accessed through different channels, not a separate file for each channel ? I have a channel set up at least a year ago and those files aren’t accessible through the new channels….did i select something that made the channels share one file cabinet.

[@placirodrigues168]

Thanks for the amazing video. My question is how to check papers sent by students in the Assignments in the Pdf form

[@MikeTholfsen]

We don't yet support this but hope to in the near future

[@DavidPowellAU]

While you wait for this, a workaround suggested in our area is to find the file where it's placed under SharePoint. If your annotations (using any PDF editor) are saved directly to the same location, the student will see these when the submission is returned in the Teams Assignment (and you will see your markup there before you return it). In our context, the parent folder (or maybe view) is called "Student Work" beneath the folder assigned to the Team. Beneath this are subfolders "Submitted Files" and "Working Files". "Submitted Files" I believe contains student work that has been turned in/handed in. I think the easiest way to locate this is in your context is to find a submission using a Microsoft 365 document that *can* be directly edited (e.g., Word). Select "Open in Desktop App" (most recently located under a pencil (edit options) icon in the Word ribbon). Go to File|Info to see where the file is located on SharePoint. You will find your PDF in a similar position.

[@kittykimbit]

Is there a way to add an assignments tab into various channels? I share my teams with another teacher and we both have to post assignments in the same place, creating lots of clutter for kids have to navigate through to find an assignment.

[@MikeTholfsen]

Assignments is currently only available in the General tab

[@masterdorbus]

Sir why I cant join in the meeting using the link they sent to me using microsoft teams? What should i suppose to do? Thanks in advance

[@vikasraibhatnagar8243]

Hi Mike, thank you for sharing this. On the first tip, will the students be able to download the presentation if they want to?

[@MikeTholfsen]

Only if you post the link

[@vikasraibhatnagar8243]

@@MikeTholfsen My question is if I share the PowerPoint presentation by making use of the 'browser' option (as suggested in Tip One), will the students be able to download the presentation? I guess, they will be able to copy the slides if they want, but not download the presentation. Is my understanding correct?

[@MikeTholfsen]

@@vikasraibhatnagar8243 that is correct

[@briankgarland]

Is there any way to default the compose box to always be open when you want to type?

[@maggiesanchez6286]

It would be nice to have easy access to background it was so hard to get a background when I had my interview..;(

[@MikeTholfsen]

Do you main the Tams video background choice?

[@WasabiDoobie]

TIP 15 is wrong... The get email address allows users to email the channel. The example described is the copy link to channel, which is the one that takes the recipient to the channel if they click on the link.

[@hayden0006]

For the *meeting options* , do you have to have the paid Teams service? Or can you use it with the free version. Im currently using the free version and every-time I click on meeting options, it just takes me to my browser (Edge) and says "Sorry, there was a problem"

[@MikeTholfsen]

Should be available in all versions. That sounds like a bug. Although make sure your browser Teams is signed in to the same account as your Desktop Teams

[@maryjanepalattao5438]

Good day, Mike is there a possibility to include the annotations and white board activity in the recorded file in MS teams. In my experienced, all the annotations and white board writings are not seen in the recorded lesson. Is there other way to make it visible? Thank you

[@MikeTholfsen]

Not yet, but soon

[@maryjanepalattao5438]

How about the selected screen portion and side by side view with the students when sharing a screen just like in a zoom meeting? Thank you!

[@MikeTholfsen]

@@maryjanepalattao5438 This will be rolling out in early September

[@maryjanepalattao5438]

@@MikeTholfsen thanks 🙏

[@evolution2001]

@13:35 File Sharing Updates Any chance your tenant is on an early release ring? Our tenant is current and we're all E5 license (or whatever the new equivalent is). I wasn't able to get those sharing options under any circumstances: Single chat, group chat, meeting chat, new conversation, reply to a conversation... And for each of those, I tried "OneDrive" and "Upload from my computer". From within a conversation, from "OneDrive", I don't have the [Share a Link] button; only [Cancel] and [Upload a copy] 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@MikeTholfsen]

Should be doing full scale rollout now and the next week or two

[@evolution2001]

@@MikeTholfsen Yup! I found it... 😉 www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=51230

[@Tommie_Rogers]

Hi Mike, I have a BIG problem with Teams. Most of the things you talk about I DO NOT have in my version of teams. I have a fully paid up Microsoft 365 account and these features DO NOT work in either my personal or my work account. I am trying to set up a quiz for an Excel class, but find the following features are not available. I cannot select or mark the correct answer as I only see the "Delete" icon on the right of the answers, no tick mark or speech bubble. I also cannot score the questions at all. Microsoft constantly add new features instead of making sure the existing one actually work. I also find that when I answer the questions in preview mode it indicates that all my responses are from "Anonymous", how will I be able to see who submitted which answers if their names and E-mail addresses are not shown. Please help, I need an answer by Thursday, PLEASE!

[@lika1595]

Why I don't see virtual background or background effect on my laptop? Because it is old version like I use it six years already? Because of windows?

[@MikeTholfsen]

You need a more modern PC. Are you on the web app?

[@Ridgebacks]

CNTL Shift X doesnt seem to work - it brings up snag it instead - any idea how to fix this

[@evolution2001]

You can go into your SnagIt "Preferences" --> [Hotkeys] CTRL+SHIFT+X is the default key combo for displaying the SnagIt app. 😉

[@gardenmenuuu]

please help,how do i remove bg noise of my family in teams call?I know that fans,other sounds can be removed,what about people>

[@MikeTholfsen]

Have you set noise reduction to High?

[@gardenmenuuu]

@@MikeTholfsen I havent done anything,but as per i understood,setting noise reduction to high is gonna trouble me,as it cancels other noises like fans and just focuses on people's voice,and my family voice is heard more,am i right?

[@LooksInteractive]

Can you show me how me and my team can look at an Excel file and zoom call at the same time, in a meeting?

[@LilouChupie]

Good question, would be good to know how to do this with a PDF file also

[@kartaviparikh3685]

How do you flip your camera on teams?

[@MikeTholfsen]

There is a brand new “mirror my camera” feature rolling out in a month or so

[@kensleylewis]

Forgot one - Shortcut keys to start and stop video recordings during team meetings. Got any?

[@MikeTholfsen]

Good question. Try + "." to see the mater list

[@pkaine]

When will we be able to pop out the chat app separately? I know you can pop out a single chat conversation, but all to often, I am buried in a doc inside teams and I get a chat. How do you respond to the chat? You can’t.

[@evolution2001]

As a work around, consider using the Back/Forward buttons [< > ] in the upper-left of the app. You can click on your chat, handle it, and then click the "Back" button to go back into the document you were working on. The Teams desktop app functions very much like the web app. In this case, it's the same back/forward buttons you'd find in any web browsing session. 👌

[@tmkkmt2895]

tak

[@091001jessie]

mine doesn't have a "mute" option

[@MikeTholfsen]

What platform are you on?

[@tmkkmt2895]

taktyczny

[@jamesarseneau4665]

Do YOU work for MSFT?

[@MikeTholfsen]

I do indeed. The info is in the "About" part of my channel

[@wgalloPT]

A few tips per video ...this is too long...thank you thou

[@MikeTholfsen]

Here are 100 to choose from kzbin.info/aero/PLdHjJccRYryNlNxlFJO7XiHVdr8ah5c_7

[@papayon42]

No hablo inglés, que dice?

[@tanthiennguyen713]

Es gibt schreckliches.....Chat......