Navigating the New Microsoft Teams Interface: A Comprehensive Guide

Microsoft Teams has a fresh new look! In this guide, we’ll explore the updated Teams interface and help you get comfortable with all the changes.

Let’s talk about the new teams version.

Welcome to the New Teams

You might notice some big changes in Teams, like wondering where the Teams button went. Don’t worry! We’ll show you how to:

Find your way around the new layout
Get the Teams button back if you want it
Make the most of the new features

The new Teams version brings helpful updates that make working together easier. As we walk through these changes, you’ll see how they can make your daily work smoother and more efficient.

Navigating the Combined Chat and Teams View

The new Teams brings all your communication tools together in one handy spot. Let’s explore how to find everything you need.

Finding Your Way Around

On the left side of your screen, you’ll now find all your communication tools under the chat button:

Chats
Teams
Channels

So in addition to us having our Teams in our chats, we can now create a section.

At first, the combined view might seem busy. Here’s how to keep things tidy:

Use the minimize buttons to collapse chats and Teams you’re not using
Scroll through your chats and Teams easily in one place
Group similar items together for quick access

New Feature: Creating Sections

Teams now lets you organize your workspace better than ever. You can:

Create custom sections to group related items
Put teams and chats that go together in the same section
Keep your work organized in a way that makes sense to you

This new layout helps you work smarter by keeping everything you need just a click away. As you use these features, you’ll find it easier to stay on top of all your conversations and teamwork.

Working with Favorites and Sections

The new Teams version brings a fresh way to organize your chats and teams using Favorites. Let’s explore how this helpful feature works.

Understanding Favorites

The new Teams version has replaced the old pinning system with Favorites. This change makes it easier to keep your important chats and teams close at hand.

Microsoft already put those chats into my favorites. So it converted my pinned chats into my favorite chat, which is great.

How Favorites Work

When you switched to the new Teams version, you might have noticed that:

Your previously pinned chats moved to Favorites automatically
Teams and chats can both be added to Favorites
Everything is organized in one convenient place

Adding Items to Favorites

Here’s how to add a team or chat to your Favorites:

Find the team or chat you want to favorite
Click the three dots next to it
Select “Show in favorites”

Managing Your Favorites

To keep your Favorites list tidy:

Remove items you don’t need by clicking the three dots
Choose “Remove from section” to take something off your Favorites
Organize your most-used items for quick access

Training Examples Section

Teams now lets you create special sections like “Training Examples” where you can group:

Training-related teams
Practice chats
Learning resources

This new organization system helps you find what you need faster and keeps your workspace neat and efficient.

The new Teams interface offers simple ways to find what you need. Let’s explore how to move around quickly and make your view just right.

At the top of your Teams window, you’ll find handy buttons to control what you see:

So if I only wanna see my teams and channels, I can just click on channels.

Channels View: Click this to see only your teams and channels
Chats View: Switch to this for just your chat conversations
Meeting Chats: Find chats from your Teams meetings here

Managing Your View

You can make your Teams workspace neater by:

Opening and closing sections with the arrow buttons
Keeping your favorite items in easy reach
Collapsing sections you’re not using

Meeting Chats and Recordings

When you click on Meeting Chats, you can:

See chats from your Teams meetings
Find meeting recordings if they were saved
Access all meeting-related content in one place

Organizing Your Workspace

Remember that you can:

Create multiple sections to organize your items
Keep your most-used channels and chats handy
Switch between views quickly using the top buttons

This new layout gives you more control over how you see your Teams content. You can switch views with just one click, making it easier to focus on what you need right now.

Creating and Managing Custom Sections

Teams lets you create custom sections to organize your workspace just the way you like it. Let’s learn how to set up and manage these personal sections.

So it’s kind of a personal way of organizing this left panel.

Creating a New Section

Making a new section is easy:

Look for the arrow at the top of your left panel
Click it to open the drop-down menu
Choose “New section”
Type a name for your section
Click to create it

Adding Channels to Sections

You can add channels to your sections one at a time:

Find the channel you want to add
Click the three dots next to it
Select “Show in section”
Pick which section you want it to appear in

Remember: You’ll need to add each channel separately – you can’t move entire teams at once.

Managing Chats in Sections

You can also organize your chats into sections:

Go to your chats list
Find the chat you want to move
Click the three dots beside the chat
Select “Move to”
Choose which section you want the chat in

Important Things to Know

Here are some key points about sections:

Sections are private – only you can see them
You can add the same item to multiple sections
Items in sections are shortcuts to the original
You can organize both teams and chats in sections

Tips for Organizing

Make the most of sections by:

Creating sections for different projects or departments
Grouping related chats and channels together
Using names that make sense to you
Regularly updating your sections as needs change

Remember, sections are all about making Teams work better for you. Organize them in a way that helps you find things quickly and work more efficiently.

Customizing Your Teams Experience

Let’s wrap up by looking at how you can make Teams work best for you. There are lots of ways to customize your experience to match your work style.

Organizing Your Sections

You can easily arrange items within sections:

Drag and drop items to put them in order
Group similar items together (like chats or teams)
Alphabetize items if that helps you find things faster
Minimize sections you’re not using to keep things tidy

Getting the Teams Button Back

So if you really want your Teams button back, you can have it back.

If you prefer the classic Teams layout, you can bring back the separate Teams button:

Click Settings in the top right corner
Go to “Chats and Channels”
Change the view from “combined” to “separate”
The Teams button will appear on the left side

Customizing Your View

You can adjust other settings to make Teams work better for you:

Choose between combined or separate views for chats and teams
Turn timestamps on or off
Organize sections in a way that makes sense to you
Keep your most-used items easily accessible

Final Tips

Remember that Teams is flexible – you can:

Create sections that match your workflow
Arrange items in any order you like
Switch between views as needed
Adjust settings anytime to suit your needs

The new Teams experience gives you more control over how you organize and view your workspace. Try different settings until you find what works best for you.