Get Started with Microsoft Teams

Overview

Microsoft Teams is the Microsoft 365 app for chat, meetings, calls, and file sharing. It brings together people, conversations, and files in one place, and works with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and other Microsoft 365 apps. This article explains what Teams can do, how to get it, and how to sign in with your University of Alaska account

What materials do I need?

  • An active University of Alaska employee or student account.
  • A Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer, or a Mac running a current version of macOS, or
  • An iPhone, iPad, or Android device with current updates, or
  • A current version of a supported web browser: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari

 

How do I use this technology?

The following core capabilities are included in Teams:

  • Chat: Have one-on-one and group conversations, and post in team channels where everyone in the team can follow along. Add emoji, GIFs, and stickers, react to messages, and @mention people to get their attention.
  • Audio and video calling: Call anyone at UA from a chat, or start a video call. In a meeting, attendees can share their screen and chat by text.
  • Schedule meetings: Schedule meetings from the Calendar in Teams. Meetings you create include a Teams link that attendees select to join.
  • Record a meeting: Record a meeting to capture audio, video, and screen sharing. Select More ( … ) > Record and transcribe > Start recording during the meeting. Recordings of regular meetings are saved to the OneDrive of the person who started the recording, in a folder named Recordings; recordings of channel meetings are saved to the channel's files. Recordings count against storage limits and may be deleted automatically after a set time, so download any recording you need to keep.
  • Manage schedules: With Shifts, the schedule management tool in Teams, managers can plan and create shift schedules, and team members can review schedules and request changes, all in real time.
  • Files: Each team has a SharePoint site that stores its files, and each standard channel has its own folder there, shown on the channel's Files tab. Private and shared channels have their own separate sites. You and your teammates can open and edit the same Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file at the same time, and leave comments in the document for each other.
  • Storage: Files you store in Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive all count against your Microsoft 365 storage limit: 20 GB for employees, 15 GB for emeritus, and 5 GB for students. For details, see Get Started with OneDrive for Business.
  • Work with other apps: Add Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Planner, Forms, SharePoint, Power BI, and other apps as tabs in a channel or chat, so your team can work in one place without switching between applications.
  • Praise: Send badges to people to recognize their efforts, either directly in a chat or in a channel for wider recognition.
  • Apps and automation: Select Apps to add apps and bots to Teams, such as Polls for quick polls in a chat or meeting. Use Workflows to post updates from other services into a channel or chat automatically.
  • Highly customizable: Every team works differently. You can tailor each team and its channels to fit the group's needs, with the tabs, apps, and notification settings that suit it.

How do I access Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams works in a web browser at https://teams.microsoft.com, and as a desktop app for Windows and Mac and a mobile app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. You may find yourself using one or more of these as you stay engaged with your team.

The best way to get familiar with teams and channels is to install the Teams app, sign in with your UA email address, pick a team and channel, and start explorin

Get Microsoft Teams on all your devices

The Microsoft Teams download page has the desktop apps for Windows and Mac and links to the mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android. On a phone or tablet, you can also install Microsoft Teams from the App Store or Google Play. If Microsoft 365 apps are installed on your UA computer, Teams may already be installed.

Start using Microsoft Teams

  1. Start Teams.
    • In Windows, select Start, type Teams, and select Microsoft Teams. If you also see Microsoft Teams (free), that is the personal version; don't use it for UA work. [Screenshot: Windows Start search for Teams]
    • On a Mac, go to the Applications folder and double-click Microsoft Teams.
    • On a phone or tablet, tap the Teams icon.
    • In a web browser, go to https://teams.microsoft.com.
  2. Sign in with your University of Alaska email address (e.g. UaUsername@alaska.edu).
  3. On the University of Alaska sign-in page, enter your UA password and select Sign in. Complete multi-factor authentication if prompted. 
  4. Teams opens. Select Teams in the left-hand menu to see the teams you belong to, or Chat to see your conversations. 

 

Additional Information

se the help resources listed below to learn how to use Microsoft Teams.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a Team and a Channel?

A team is a collection of people, conversations, files, and tools, all in one place. A channel is a discussion within a team dedicated to a department, project, or topic.

Where are my meeting recordings saved?

Recordings of regular meetings are saved in the Recordings folder of the OneDrive of the person who started the recording. Recordings of channel meetings are saved in the channel's Files tab. Either way, they count against your Microsoft 365 storage limit.

Need additional help or have issues

For additional assistance contact the IT Services Technical Support Center via phone at (907) 786-4646, email us at uaa.techsupport@alaska.edu.

Print Article

Related Articles (15)

Can Cloud Service Providers Read/Access Data Stored Within Their Service?
A question we frequently receive is whether the service providers offering a cloud storage solution are technically capable of reading files stored on that service. Read on to find out about cloud storage services supported by the University of Alaska.
Comparing Collaboration Tools
The University of Alaska provides a number of collaboration services to the university community. Students, staff, and faculty can take advantage of one, some, or all of these tools. If you are not sure which one to choose for a specific task, read on for a feature comparison.
Create a Shared Contacts List
Many organizations require a shared contact list that is accessible by authorized individuals, for example a list of customer email addresses and phone numbers. In this article we will create a Shared Contact list in an Office 365 SharePoint site that will be accessible through a web browser, as well as Microsoft Teams to individuals that are members of the group.
Microsoft Teams FAQ
Frequently asked questions and answers about the Microsoft Teams collaboration app.
Overview of SharePoint Online
SharePoint Online is one of the underpinning technologies of Office 365 and allows individuals and groups to easily create a wide variety of ways to share information as well as tracking and collaborating on projects. SharePoint Online offers many out of the box features to help individuals share, organize and discover information which is relevant to a department, team or project.
Where Should I Save Files
There are many considerations you should take into account when you're saving the file you've been working on for hours. Most of the time we simply hit save, and call it a day. However, every file you create is different. Read on to find out more regarding storage options for individual, and group access, and a quick comparison between various storage services available to the university community.

Related Services / Offerings (4)

Chat
Assistance, and requests related to university chat services for students, staff, faculty, and departmental use.
Enterprise File Storage/Shared Drive
Assistance, and requests related to file storage, data archiving, and other related services and collaboration solutions.
Microsoft 365 @ UA
Microsoft 365 (aka Office 365) combines the familiar Microsoft Office desktop suite with cloud-based versions of Microsoft's communications and collaboration services - including Office Web Apps, Office desktop applications, SharePoint, and Teams to help individuals be productive from virtually anywhere through the Internet.
Video Conferencing
UAA’s video conferencing services enables communication and collaboration with conferencing hardware and software systems throughout the world.