How to use search in Microsoft Teams (free)

In Microsoft Teams (free), you can use the search box to search for people, chats, files, communities, and more.

Search by phone number or email address

1. Open Microsoft Teams (free). 

2. Enter the phone number or email address into the search box .​​​​

3. If the phone number or email address matches someone already using Microsoft Teams (free), they will appear in the search results, and you can select them to start or continue a one-to-one chat with that person.

   • If the phone number or email address doesn't match someone already on Microsoft Teams (free), you can invite that person to use Microsoft Teams (free).

Search for people already using Microsoft Teams (free)

1. Open Microsoft Teams (free).

2. Start typing the person's name in the search box .

3. As you type, Microsoft Teams (free) will suggest results, and you can select the one you want to start or continue a one-to-one chat with that person. You can also hit enter to see all related search results under People. 

   Note: Only people in your contacts in Microsoft Teams (free) will be displayed.

Search for chat conversations

1. Open Microsoft Teams (free).​​​​​​​

2. Start typing the names of people in the conversations into the search box . You can type in as many names as you want, and the results will filter to include only group chats with all those names.

3. When the chat you want displays, select it to go to that chat. You can also view all related search results under Messages. 

Search for files​​​​​​​

1. Open Microsoft Teams (free).

   Tip: Want to search for files in your Communities? Go to your community and choose the Files tab. Community members can download the file. You can also use the steps below to search for files. 

2. Start typing the file name into the search box . 

3. When the file name appears, select it to go to that file. You can also view all related search results under Files. 

Search for communities

1. Open Microsoft Teams (free).​​​​​​​

2. Start typing the community name into the search box . 

3. When the community name appears, select it to show the community. You can view all related search results under Communities.