Microsoft Teams Tutorial: Meetings, Chat and Status

This Microsoft Teams tutorial starts with the split that confuses most beginners: chats are for quick conversations with people, while teams and channels hold ongoing work for a group. Microsoft says a group chat can include up to 250 people. Learn the Calendar for meetings next, then use the step-by-step Teams guides below.

I've watched plenty of small businesses switch to Microsoft Teams and then use it like a slightly awkward email inbox. It's much easier once you know the three building blocks: chats, teams with their channels, and the Calendar for meetings. Here's how they fit together, using what Microsoft's own support pages say, followed by every Teams guide I've written, grouped by task.

Chats, teams and channels in Microsoft Teams: which to use

A chat is a conversation with one person or a small group. Microsoft says you can include up to 250 people in a group chat, and everyone with access can send messages. Use chats for quick questions and day-to-day back and forth.

A team is a bigger, longer-lasting space for a group, organised into channels by topic. When you create a team you choose Private, to limit content to a set group, or Public, for a topic anyone in the organisation can join. Microsoft says the first channel can be renamed but can't be archived or deleted, so give it a sensible name from the start. It also says you can own up to 250 teams per account, and that your organisation can restrict who creates teams. If the option's missing, that's an IT admin setting, not a fault.

Working with people outside your organisation has its own limits. Microsoft says external participants in a Teams chat can't share or attach files or use tabs or apps, so for client projects that need shared documents, plan where those files will live.

Use this	When	What Microsoft says to know
Group chat	Quick conversations with a few people	Up to 250 people
Team and channels	Ongoing work for a group or project	The first channel can't be archived or deleted
Calendar	Meetings with a time and an invite	Turn on the Teams meeting toggle before saving

Scheduling, joining and recording calls in Microsoft Teams

Meetings live in the Calendar. Microsoft's scheduling guide says to select a timeslot or New, add details and attendees, turn on the Teams meeting toggle, and select Save. It also gives the size limits: up to 1,000 invitees can join and take part, and up to 10,000 can join as view-only attendees in meetings that already have 1,000 attendees.

Guests don't need to struggle to get in. Microsoft says that if you don't have an account and the organiser allows it, you can enter your name to join, and you may wait in the lobby until an organiser admits you.

Recording is where people get caught out. Microsoft says one person can record at a time, everyone is notified when recording starts, and the file is saved to the meeting organiser's OneDrive for Business. A guest or someone from another organisation can't start a recording. And here's the detail most guides miss: Microsoft says recordings won't capture more than four people's video streams at once, or whiteboards, annotations and shared notes. If those matter, save them separately.

Teams status, out of office and backgrounds

Status is the little coloured dot everyone watches. Microsoft says Teams switches you from Available to Away when you lock your computer or it goes idle or to sleep, and on mobile when the app is in the background. So an Away dot often just means your laptop dozed off.

Out of office is better set in Teams than people expect. Microsoft says your Teams out of office status syncs with Outlook automatic replies, so you only need to set it once.

Notifications and mentions are the other habit worth building early. In a busy team, a message posted to a channel can easily scroll past, so get people used to mentioning the person they need an answer from, and keep quick one-to-one questions in chat rather than the channel. It keeps channels readable for everyone who joins later.

Backgrounds come with one platform limit worth knowing. Microsoft says Linux users can't use background effects, and that your chosen background stays on for all meetings and calls until you change it, which is worth remembering before a client call.

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A Microsoft Teams setup checklist for beginners

Decide what belongs in chats and what belongs in a team with channels.
Name your first channel carefully, because Microsoft says it can't be archived or deleted.
Schedule meetings from the Calendar and check the Teams meeting toggle is on before you save.
Tell guests they can join by entering their name if the organiser allows it, then wait in the lobby.
Before recording, remember only one person can record at a time and everyone is notified.
Set out of office once in Teams, since Microsoft says it syncs with Outlook.
If Copilot is part of your plan, note that Microsoft says it doesn't work in meetings hosted outside your organisation.

Microsoft Teams guides, grouped by what you're trying to do

Each guide below covers one Teams task step by step, with the desktop and mobile routes where they differ.

Meetings and calls

Scheduling, joining, recording and sharing your screen, plus breakout rooms, backgrounds and webinars. Start here if you run or attend calls.

Chat, channels and files

Group chats, status, out of office and Copilot in meetings, for anyone who uses Teams day to day.

Where I'd start with Teams

If you're new, learn the chat versus team split first, then the Calendar. Those two decide whether Teams feels calm or chaotic. After that, read the recording rules before your first important meeting, because what Teams won't capture is the bit that surprises people.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a chat and a team in Microsoft Teams?

A chat is a conversation with one person or a group, up to 250 people according to Microsoft. A team is a longer-lasting space organised into channels, set as Private or Public.

How many people can join a Teams meeting?

Microsoft says up to 1,000 invitees can join and take part, and up to 10,000 can join as view-only attendees in meetings that already have 1,000 attendees.

Can a guest record a Teams meeting?

No. Microsoft says a guest or a person from another organisation can't start a recording, and only one person can record at a time.

Why does Teams show me as Away?

Microsoft says Teams sets your status to Away when you lock your computer or it goes idle or to sleep, and on mobile when the app is in the background.

Does Teams out of office update Outlook?

Yes. Microsoft says your Teams out of office status syncs with Outlook automatic replies.

Published and maintained by the Lilach Bullock team, covering marketing, AI and business growth.