Microsoft Teams is part of the Microsoft 365 family, which offers productivity software, and collaboration and cloud-based services from Microsoft. At its core, Microsoft Teams is a collaborative workspace where you can communicate with your colleagues via text or chat or voice call, share files and apps, and host video conferences. The collaboration platform is a good tool to have for those businesses that have a hybrid or work-from-home setup.
Its free version is suitable for individuals and small organizations, while the paid version, with its more comprehensive set of features, is more suitable for larger businesses and organizations. Microsoft Teams is available as a web browser, a desktop app, and a mobile app on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices.
What is a Microsoft Teams Channel?
In Microsoft Teams, you can organize your employees into teams or groups, such as according to their departments. Under these teams, there are individual channels that focus on a certain project or topic. Think of it this way: Teams is like your office building where everyone gathers, but a channel is like the Finance Department or HR or other part of your organization that focuses on a specific topic or project and where the actual work happens. In other words, channels are where the real action happens or where work gets done.
In each channel, you’ll see tabs where you can find shared files and apps relevant to your work. The apps can be accessed without switching screens, so this feature is a real time saver. According to a Forrester report, you can save an estimated 15 to 25 minutes every day thanks to the reduction or elimination of the need to switch apps. There’s also a direct messaging feature, so you can communicate with your colleagues in private. Or, you can add other people in the group chat to join the conversation.
When you create an account or join Microsoft Teams, you won’t see many channels. In fact, there’s only one channel – a “general” channel, which is created automatically. This default channel is the first channel to be created but you can add one or more easily. You can also delete any channels that your team uses infrequently or doesn’t use at all anymore. When you delete a channel, your chats will be removed but any shared documents will live on in the modern SharePoint team site. The number of channels you can create for your team is limited to only 200 and this includes any deleted channels.
What are the Types of Channels?
In addition to the default “general” channel, Microsoft Teams features three other types of channels: standard, private, and shared. Once you’ve created a channel – whether that’s a standard channel, private, or shared – it will remain to be that type and you can’t change it. For instance, a standard channel can’t be changed to become a private channel, or a shared channel can’t become a standard channel, etc.
Standard channels are like public forums – all team members are included and anyone can post or share there. The default setting is anyone in the team can create a standard channel, and everything posted there can be searched or is searchable. But, you can easily change this setting by putting restrictions on who can create a standard channel.
Unlike standard channels, private channels aren’t open to everyone. Access is limited to the private channel’s owner and the other people that they add. This includes those with guest access provided that they are already a member of your Microsoft Teams. A private channel allows the group to keep their communication and sharing of files all in one space. You can use a private channel to keep project members focused and organized, or to keep sensitive information, such as legal info, budgets and other financial data, within those who need to know them.
Meanwhile, a shared channel is useful when collaborators or team members are composed of people from different teams or even with those outside your organization. For instance, when a project entails the participation or input from different teams, such as sales and engineering. Only team owners can create a shared channel and add members or share the channel. And, only those they add will have access to the channel.
How to Use Microsoft Teams Channels
Channels in Microsoft Teams can be useful in many different ways. Here are some of the features you can take advantage of.
Tabs
In addition to the features mentioned above, channels in Microsoft Teams also have tabs and can also be used to create links, respond to emails, and more. By default, channels have the following tabs: Posts and Files, located right after the General tab. The Posts tab functions like a group chat where all the messages live. A great feature of this tab is that replies are attached to the original message, so it’s easier to keep track of conversations because they’re all in a thread.
The Files tab, on the other hand, stores all the files that members of the channel have shared or collaborated on. You can go to the Files tab, highlight the file you want to share, click on “More options” and then “Copy link,” and then paste the link in your message. Or, you can also click “Attach” in your message toolbar and upload a document or other file.
Other than the Posts and Files tabs, you can add many more. You can add your favorite app or files, or other items you want, including a Wiki tab. The Wiki tab is a smart-text editor and it allows you to create a draft, edit and chat. To add a new tab, simply click on the plus + sign.
Organizing channels
Channels are organized alphabetically by default and there’s no way (as of this writing) that you can change that order. However, you can show or hide them, and that’s how you can keep them organized. To hide or show a channel, select “More options” and then “Hide” or “Show.”
