Use Microsoft Teams with Friends and Family

Microsoft Teams isn't just for work anymore. Stay connected with everyone across your life in the Teams app, with new features available for preview.

Get more out of your chats

You can do more than just chat with Microsoft Teams. Start a video call, assign tasks to people, edit calendars, send a GIF, start a group chat with friends who haven’t downloaded the app yet¹, and access cloud storage right from your group chats.²

Create group events and add them to your personal calendar in Teams or on your device.
Start group chats with friends, even if they don’t have Teams installed on their phone.
Create and assign tasks to people and easily track their progress.
Turn any one-on-one or group chat into an instant video or voice call.

A GIF of a tablet displaying a text chat in Teams, next to a mobile phone showing a separate Teams chat starting a call.

Stay on the same page

Access group calendars, activities, and shared tasks all in one place with Microsoft Teams². With this centralized view, events, photos, and videos are always available within your group chat, so everyone stays in sync.

Use the dashboard in every group chat to easily access everything shared within a group such as tasks, upcoming events, photos, and files so you can access everything in one place.

A GIF showing the ease of switching between functions and conversations in Teams on mobile.

Collaborate more efficiently

Share documents, tackle projects together, build a family budget, or help with homework using Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Everything saves securely in the cloud and is available from any device.

Share Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files within any chat.
Upload files in chats directly from your phone or PC or choose from files saved in your personal OneDrive cloud storage.²

An animation of a mobile device displaying the Microsoft Teams app. The animation shows how to change between personal and work accounts.

Share location and information

Help your family rest easy when you’re running late with location sharing³. Plus, with Safe you can securely store confidential information and share it with others in Microsoft Teams.²

Share your live location in any group or one-on-one chat.
Get alerts when loved ones leave or arrive at designated locations.
Store confidential information like passwords, or login information in a secure place that requires authentication to open.

Two mobile devices displaying the Microsoft Teams app, one shows the locations of various team members, one shows options for protecting items in a Safe. There is also a cup of coffee and a set of keys.

Microsoft Teams is more than just a chat app

Person using Teams on a mobile device while at a yoga studio.

One app for work and life

Already use Microsoft Teams at work? Add your personal account in the Teams app and easily switch between your work and personal accounts to stay on top of calendars, chats, and tasks in and outside of work.

Person checking Teams on their mobile device while walking with luggage.

Trip planning made easy

Organize your group’s itineraries, share packing lists, assign tasks, and more in Microsoft Teams. Everyone has access to all the details in one centralized hub, making your trip planning easier than ever.

Adult looks at a phone while holding a baby and following a young child through the front door of a house.

Family organization on the go

Family life is busy! Share grocery lists, book appointments, plan a celebration, and more in Microsoft Teams. It’s your hub to chat, coordinate, delegate tasks, and stay on top of all the details.

A parent and child wrapping gifts and using a mobile phone together.

Celebrate together wherever you are

Make every moment count this holiday season, even while apart. Create group chats to keep everyone on the same page, collect and exchange recipes, share recent photos, or organize a virtual dinner party.

Get the free Microsoft Teams mobile app

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Frequently asked questions

To get access to personal features in Teams, follow the following steps:

On desktop:

If you currently use the Teams desktop app at work, click on your profile picture on the top-right corner and select ‘Add personal account’. If you don't see the option to add your personal account, you may have to wait for your app to get updated or for your IT admin to enable it in your organization. Upon successful login, Teams will launch a new window containing your personal chats and groups so that it’s easy to switch between your work and personal accounts.
If you don’t use the Teams desktop app, download the app for your PC or Mac and sign in with a personal Microsoft account or create a new one to get started.

On web:

To use the personal features in Teams in your web browser, go to this link and sign in or create a new personal Microsoft account to get started.

On mobile:

If you currently use the Teams mobile app at work, simply click on the menu (three bars) on the top left of your screen and select ‘Add account’. You can then sign in with your personal Microsoft account, or create a new one. Once logged in, you will be able to toggle between your personal and work accounts under menu.
If you don’t use Teams yet, visit the app store on your iOS or Android phone to download the mobile app and sign in with a personal Microsoft account or create a new one to get started.

All the features listed above are available in preview on the Teams iOS and Android mobile apps when you sign in with your personal account. On desktop (PC and Mac) and web, the following features are available in preview: one-on-one and group chats, video calling, local file sharing, and online meeting scheduling. Dashboard, sending and receiving chat messages via SMS, location sharing, tasks, cloud file sharing, and group calendars are not currently available on desktop and web.

You can invite and start a group chat with your contacts, even if they don’t have the Microsoft Teams app installed on their phones. You can add someone to a group chat using their phone number, and if they don’t have Teams installed, they can continue sending and receiving group chats via SMS. This feature is only available in group chats with at least two or more participants and is currently available only in the US and Canada. SMS participants will only be able to see text conversations and will not be able to see rich media such as photos, videos, and locations. Learn more about this feature.

The new features in preview on all platforms are available everywhere except China. Sending and receiving chat messages via SMS is available only in the US and Canada.

To access the new features, you'll need iOS version 2.0.13 or newer or Android version 1416/1.0.0.2020061702 or newer. For desktop, you will need to download the latest build or update your Microsoft Teams app to the latest version.

To sign up, all you need is a Microsoft account. If you’re using Skype, OneDrive, Outlook.com, or Xbox Live, then you already have a Microsoft account. If you don’t have a Microsoft account, you can sign up with your phone number. Learn more.

At this time, a Microsoft 365 subscription isn’t required to use the features in Teams.

The new features for your personal life in the Microsoft Teams app are free.

To learn more about these new features in Teams, visit our support site.

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^{1. This feature is currently available in preview only in the US and Canada and is currently available only in group chats with two or more participants. Standard SMS data charges apply.

2. Features differ between the mobile and the desktop apps. Refer to frequently asked questions for more details.

3. Location sharing must be enabled and active.}