If you don't have an existing Microsoft 365 group or team, you're starting from scratch. That means, you get to choose how your team is organized and set up.

When your team is created, you'll get a corresponding SharePoint site and OneNote.

Note: Some features are available as part of the public preview program and might undergo further changes before being released publicly. To get access to this and other upcoming features, switch to Teams public preview.

Create a team from scratch:

  1. On the left side of the app, Select Chat Teams Chat Tab icon​​​​​​​. If using the separate view, select Teams Teams button. 

  2. Select New items from above your list of chats and channels. 

    Screen shot of the option to select new items from the combined view. It's on the right, above the list of chats and channels.

    Screen shot of the option to select new items from the separate view. It's on the right, above the list of teams and channels.

  3. Select New team.                            

    Screenshot of the option to create a new team. It reveals after selecting the new items option.

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  4. Name your team and add an optional description.Screenshot of the Create a team window. It includes an area to add a team name, description and type. You can also create your first channel's name. 

  5. Decide what kind of team you want this to be. To limit content and talk to a certain group of people, choose Private. For a community or topic that anyone in the org can join, choose Public. If your organization uses data classification, select your team's sensitivity label as well. 

    Note: Teams are automatically private (if the organization allows it). Default sensitivity, if set by the organization, will appear automatically.

    Screenshot of a window for creating a new team in Microsoft Teams with options to set sensitivity as "Secure" and privacy as either "Private" or "Public."​​​​​​​       

  6. Name your first channel. 

  7. When you're done, select Create.

Your team's first channel

Every team has at least one channel. We create the first one for you; however, you must provide a name to get started. Its description is the same as your team's description.

Note: Your first channel used to be called the general channel, but you can rename it. Learn more at Edit a channel in Microsoft Teams. 

If needed, you can add more channels but you'll always have this channel. Your first channel can't be archived or deleted. 

What to do next 

As the creator of the team, you're the owner. Invite people to your team and create more channels. For a deeper look at roles and permissions, see Team owner, member, and guest capabilities in Teams.

Feel free to create more teams—you can own up to 250 teams per account.

Note: Your org can restrict who can create teams. If you can't create a team or need to turn off team creation, check with your IT admin

Related topics:

Create a team from an existing team or group​​​​​​​

Create a team from a template

Manage team settings and permissions

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