Microsoft Teams Quick Start Guide – Phase 1: Chat & Basics

Welcome to Microsoft Teams! This guide will help you log in, set up the application to open automatically, learn your way around, and customize your settings so your workspace works best for you.

Step 1: Logging In & Automatic Startup

Open the Microsoft Teams app on your computer.
Log in using your company email address and your standard password.
Tip: If prompted to "Stay signed in to all your apps," check the box and click OK so you remain logged in for your daily shifts.

How to make Teams start automatically:

To make sure you never miss important updates or messages from your team, you should ensure Teams launches automatically when you log into your computer each morning:

Click the three dots (...) at the top right corner of the screen (next to your initials/profile picture).
Click Settings.
On the General tab (usually the first option), look for the Application section.
Check the box next to "Auto-start Teams" (or "Auto-start application").

Once checked, you can close the settings window. Teams will now open quietly in the background every time you turn on your PC.

Step 2: Finding Your Way Around (The Sidebar)

On the far left side of your Teams window, you will see a navigation sidebar. This is how you move around the app:

🔔 Activity: This is your central notification center. If someone sends you a direct message, replies to you, or mentions you, a red badge will pop up here.
💬 Chat: This is where all your one-on-one and small group conversations live. It is also where you will find your teams, larger, department-wide communication and collaborative hubs (which we will build out and use more heavily in future phases).

Step 3: Mastering 1:1 and Group Chats

Teams is built for quick questions and fast updates, helping us significantly cut down on internal email chains.

Start a New Chat: Click the New Chat icon (the square with a pen) at the very top of your chat list.
Find a Coworker: In the "To:" field, start typing a coworker's name. The system will automatically pull up their name from the company directory—just click on it to select them.
Create a Named Group Chat: If you need to message multiple people at once, type all their names into the "To:" field. Then, click the small down arrow on the far right of that same line. This allows you to give the group chat a specific name (like Dispatch Coordination or Logistics Sync) so it's easy to find later.

Step 4: Message Typing, Formatting & Files

When you are ready to type a message at the bottom of a chat window, keep these quick tips in mind:

Sending vs. New Lines: Pressing Enter sends your message immediately. If you want to drop down to a clean new line to start a new paragraph, press Shift + Enter.
Get Someone’s Attention (@mentions): In a group chat, type the @ symbol followed immediately by a coworker's name, then select them from the list. This sends them a direct notification so they know the message is a priority for them.
Sharing Files: You can quickly share a file by clicking the paperclip icon below the text box, or by simply dragging and dropping a file directly from your computer desktop into the chat window. Once shared, that file stays safely pinned in the chat history forever.

Step 5: Controlling Your Notifications

To make sure Teams doesn't interrupt your concentration or buzz constantly throughout the day, we highly recommend tweaking your alert settings:

Click the three dots (...) at the top right corner of the screen.
Click Settings.
Select Notifications from the left-hand menu.
From here, you can turn off sound alerts for every individual message or change your preferences so you only get pop-up banners when someone messages or mentions you directly.

💡 Next Steps:

Please log in today, make sure your app is running smoothly, and try sending a quick chat to a teammate to get a feel for it. We will be hosting our brief 15-minute online walkthrough sessions within the next couple of weeks to show you these features live and answer any questions you have!