How to join a team in Microsoft Teams

Are you unsure how to join a team in Microsoft Teams? When we start using new programs it can be a bit daunting. One of the first things you may want to do with Microsoft Teams is to join a team. Maybe a colleague has suggested you need to join a specific team, but how?

There are two main types of teams available: public and private. As the names imply, a public team is accessible by anyone within your own organisation. A private team will need a team owner to approve your request to join. Some private teams may even be invisble, so unless you are added as an existing member, you won’t know it exists.

When it comes to joining a team, there are three methods available: 

1. Have an existing member add you to the team,
2. Join a team using a code,
3. Join a team by browsing public teams.

Whether or not you can use option 1 above will depend on the permission set within the specific Team. Each Team has two main permission levels: Team Owner and Team Member. By default, only Team Owners can add new members to a Team. As a Team Member you can submit a request to add a member but the Team Owner can either accept or deny the request.

Have an existing member add you to a team

The first and easiest way to join a Team is to have an existing member add you. This means the Team will show automatically in your Teams list, without you having to do anything.

By default, you will need to be a Team Owner to be able to add members.

To add a member to an existing Team:

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Select Teams from the sidebar.
3. Locate the Team you wish to add the member to and click the ellipsis (…) button next to the Team name:

4. Select Add member.
5. The Add members to window will appear.
6. Start typing the member’s name until you see the full name appear:

7. Select their name and click Add.
8. You can now change their membership role between: Member or Owner.
9. Click Add.
10. The member will now receive an email notification that they have been added to a Team:

How to send the code for a Microsoft Team

If you are part of a large Microsoft 365 organisation there may be a large number of teams available to join. Sometimes finding the right one can be a little time consuming, so it can be more efficient and easier if an existing Team owner directly sends you the join code for the exact team you wish to join.

If you wish to send a join code to a colleague, follow these steps:

1. Locate the Team you wish to get the code for and click the ellipsis (…) button next to the Team name.
2. Choose Manage team.
3. From the options, select Settings.
4. Expand the Team code option:

5. Click the Generate button to generate a code.
6. Click the Copy button to copy the unique code.
7. Send the code using your preferred method to the person who wishes to join the Team.

Use a code to join a team

 If you have received a code to join a Team, follow these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Select Teams from the side navbar.
3. Click Join or create a team button located in the top right corner of the panel:

4. Select Join team.
5. Click in the Enter join code field and paste the code:

5. Click Add team.
6. You will be added to the Team and it will be displayed in your list of Teams.

Join a team by browsing public teams

If you are interested to see what public teams have been created within your Microsoft 365 organisation you can browse these and join any teams as you wish. 

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Select Teams from the side navbar.
3. Click Join or create a team then choose Join team:

4. Browse through any teams which are set to Public. Private teams will not be visible.
5. When you find the team you wish to join, hover over the team name and click Join Team.
6. You will be added to the Team and it will be displayed in your list of Teams.

I hope this has shown you how to join a team in Microsoft Teams. If you are interested in learning how to create your own team, see my article here. Comment below with any questions or comments.