How to access and change Microsoft Teams settings
Microsoft Teams is a complicated app to set up. The UI and its basic end-user controls are simple but managing a team, setting it up, creating and adding users, and managing user permissions and roles is a complicated process.
Microsoft Teams settings
Microsoft Teams has two different types of settings; app-based settings, and admin settings. The app-based settings control how the app looks, behaves, and works e.g., which notifications you get, which device will be used in a call, whether or not the app starts when you boot your system, and more.
The admin settings control which apps are added to a team, license allocation for users, policies and roles for users, and more. The admin settings are particularly complex and change based on what type of Microsoft Teams license has been purchased to create a team.
1. Access Microsoft Teams settings – App
Generally speaking, the Microsoft Teams app’s settings can be divided into three types; status settings, app related settings, and preview feature settings.
To access status settings in Microsoft Teams;
- Open Microsoft Teams.
- Click your profile picture at the top right.
- Click Set status to access the status settings.
To access app-specific settings in Microsoft Teams;
- Open Microsoft Teams.
- Click the more options button next to your profile picture at the top right.
- Select Settings.
- Go through the various tab; General, Notifications, Privacy etc. and customize how the app works.
To enable preview features in Microsoft Teams;
- Open Microsoft Teams.
- Click the more options button next to your profile picture at the top.
- Go to About in the menu.
- The sub-menu will show options for enabling preview features.
2. Access Microsoft Teams settings – Admin
To access Microsoft Teams admin settings, you need to have access to the admin account and you need a web browser. Admin settings cannot be accessed from within the Microsoft Teams app.
- Open your web browser.
- Visit this link to the Microsoft Teams admin center.
- Sign in with the admin account.
- Explore the various settings from the column on the left.
Note: The Microsoft Teams admin center is home to an extensive set of settings. If you’re unsure about a setting, consult the available documentation for it before you make any changes. The changes made will impact everyone in a team.
Conclusion
Microsoft Teams settings are fairly simple to manage if you’re only managing the app but when it comes to the structure, roles, permissions, and licenses for a team, you may quickly find yourself overwhelmed with the admin panel. Make sure you consult the documentation for the changes you’re making. If a particular setting isn’t available in the Microsoft Teams app, it can probably be enabled from the admin center.
