During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become more common, leading to an increased interest in various tools that can be helpful for remote work. One such tool is Microsoft Teams, which allows for messaging, file sharing, and video conferences within a team. This article explains the features, usage, and integration of Microsoft Teams for work purposes, with a focus on Windows 10 compatibility. The tool offers both free and paid plans, catering to different communication and storage needs. Basic functions like starting a chat, editing messages, starting video conferences, and scheduling meetings are also covered in detail.
During the pandemic, remote work has become more popular, and various tools to support remote work are gaining attention. While you can normally talk to someone sitting nearby, in the case of remote work, this barrier needs to be overcome.
One of these tools is “Microsoft Teams” provided by Microsoft. This tool offers various features such as exchanging messages within the team, sharing files, and holding video conferences.
This article explains in detail the features, usage, and how to utilize Microsoft Teams for work. The operating environment is assumed to be Windows 10.
Table of Contents
What is Microsoft Teams?
Basic Usage of Microsoft Teams
Finally
What is Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams is a communication tool provided by Microsoft. With this tool, team members can communicate with each other through chat, video calls, and file sharing. There is also a calendar function, allowing you to schedule your own events.
Microsoft Teams has both a free plan and a paid plan, which can be chosen based on the needs of the company or organization. The free version provides basic communication and file sharing features, while the paid version offers more advanced and convenient features as well as large cloud storage space. The users can choose between the web browser version and the desktop app version (download and install) of Microsoft Teams, offering flexibility in usage based on preferences and situations.
It was announced that the old “Microsoft Teams Free Version (Classic)” will no longer be available after April 12, 2023 (please note that automatic migration of data to Teams will not be possible).
Basic Usage of Microsoft Teams
Next, let’s explain the basic usage of Microsoft Teams. This article uses the web browser version (Google Chrome) and the operating environment is Windows 10.
How to Start a Chat
With Microsoft Teams, you can easily start a chat with team members.
First, select “Chat” from the left navigation bar. By selecting the blue icon, you can start a new chat.
If there is someone you want to chat with, select “Find and invite a participant.” You can share the invitation link to invite others to join.
If you want to enter a message, type the text in the message field at the bottom of the screen, and click the arrow icon to communicate in the chat.
You can also change the text to a different style. Press the alphabet and pencil icon below the text input field to see options like bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, highlight, heading, horizontal line, etc. This allows you to convey various content to the recipient. Additionally, you can use a variety of emojis.
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If you want to edit a message you have already sent, hover over the message you want to edit, and a pen icon will appear. Select it to edit. Edited messages will be marked as “Edited.”
How to Start a Video Call
There are various ways to join a meeting, but to start a video conference, go to “Chat” and click on the video camera icon labeled “New Meeting.”
After tapping the icon, you will be prompted to enter a meeting name. Once you enter the name, tap “Start Meeting.” Then you will be asked if you want to join the video conference. Select “Join Now.” The video conference screen will appear, and options to invite users will be displayed.
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You can perform actions during the meeting (e.g., raising your hand or reacting) at the top right of the screen. There are several functions available.
For instance, by navigating to “More”>”Language and Audio” and selecting “Turn on Live Captioning,” the spoken content will be displayed as text below the video.
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You can also schedule a video conference through the calendar. Select “Calendar” from the left navigation, choose the desired slot to schedule a meeting. Then, click on the displayed meeting in the calendar to “Join,” allowing you to participate in the video conference. Displaying the video conference link in the scheduled meeting on the calendar makes it easier for participants to conduct meetings online.
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A maximum of 60 minutes group call is possible in the free plan.
Scheduling a Meeting through the Calendar
You can manage meeting times using Microsoft Teams’ calendar feature. As mentioned, click on “Calendar” in the navigation. The calendar will then be displayed.
By clicking on any location on the calendar, an event configuration screen will appear. Fill in the necessary details such as title, participants, date, time, location, and meeting details. Once done, press “Save” at the top right of the screen to save the settings.
After setting up, the schedule will be displayed on the calendar. Click on the event to see details like title, date, time, etc. Click “Join” to jump into the video conference. Click “Edit” to switch to the editing screen of the meeting calendar. Click “Open Meeting Chat” to create a chat thread related to the meeting, allowing interaction. This can be used to organize information and meetings before and after the video conference.
Attaching Files
In addition to text, you can also send files such as PDFs or Word documents via chat. You can open, download, or share the sent documents in the browser.
In the “Files” tab, you can view all documents sent in the thread.
Finally
Microsoft Teams is a tool for fluid team communication. It is useful for group communication and sharing team information through features like chat, video calls, calendar, file attachment, etc. Refer to this article and try using Microsoft Teams.
●Written by Re Miitaka (Kyoto Media Line)