The fastest way to invite someone to Microsoft Teams

To send a Teams invite, open Microsoft Teams, select People in the left sidebar, click the Add people button (the plus sign), type the person's email address, and click Add. They will receive a notification that you have invited them to Teams, and once they accept, they can see your profile and start messaging you.

The person you invite does not need to already have a Teams account — if they use a work or school email address that your organization manages, Teams will create an account for them automatically. If they use a personal email address, they may need to create a Microsoft account first, but Teams will walk them through that step.

Key Takeaways

  • You can invite someone to Teams by going to People, clicking Add people, typing their email, and clicking Add.
  • The person will receive a notification and can start chatting with you once they accept the invite.
  • You can also invite someone directly to a specific team or channel instead of just to your personal chat.
  • If the person's email is not recognized, they may need to create a Microsoft account or your organization may not have permission to add them.

Inviting someone to a specific team or channel

If you want to invite someone to a team rather than just to your personal chat, open the team, click the three dots next to the team name, and select Add member. Type the person's email address and click Add. They will then see that team in their Teams sidebar and can view all the channels and conversations in it.

To invite someone to a specific channel within a team, open that channel, click the three dots at the top, select Add member, and type their email. This is useful if you want them to see only one channel rather than the entire team.

What happens after you send the invite

Once you send an invite, the person will see a notification in Teams (if they already have an account) or receive an email asking them to join. They do not have to do anything right away — the invite will stay in their notifications until they accept or decline it.

If they accept, you will be able to see them in your chat or team, and they can see you. If they decline, the invite disappears and you can send another one later. Some organizations set up Teams so that invites are automatic for certain groups of people, but most of the time you are sending them one at a time.

Troubleshooting: when an invite does not go through

If you type an email address and nothing happens, or you get an error message, the most common reason is that the email address is not part of your organization's directory. This happens when someone uses a personal email instead of a work or school email, or when they work for a different company.

If the person has a work or school email but Teams still will not recognize it, ask your IT department or team admin whether that person's account has been set up in your organization's system. Sometimes new employees or contractors need to be added to the directory before they can be invited to Teams.

Inviting people from outside your organization

If you need to invite someone from a different company or someone with a personal email address, your organization may allow guest access. This is a separate feature that your IT department controls — it is not turned on by default.

If guest access is turned on, you can invite external people the same way you invite internal ones, but they will have limited permissions. They might not be able to see all channels or files, depending on how your admin set it up. If you try to invite someone external and get an error, guest access is probably turned off, and you will need to ask your IT department to turn it on or to add that person as a guest manually.

Sending a Teams invite link instead of typing an email

You can also create a shareable link that lets someone join a team without you typing their email address. Open the team, click the three dots next to the team name, select Get link to team, and copy the link. You can paste this link in an email, Slack message, or anywhere else, and anyone who clicks it can join the team.

This method is useful when you are inviting many people at once or when you are not sure of someone's exact email address. However, anyone with the link can join, so only share it with people you actually want in the team. If you need to revoke the link later, go back to the three-dot menu and select Manage team, then Settings, and look for the option to disable the link.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I invite someone who does not have a Microsoft account?

Yes. If they have a work or school email, Teams will create an account for them. If they have a personal email, they will need to create a free Microsoft account, but Teams will show them how. Either way, you can send the invite and they will receive instructions.

What if I invite someone by mistake?

You cannot unsend an invite, but the person can decline it, and it will disappear from both of your views. If they have already accepted and joined, you can remove them from the team or channel by clicking their name and selecting Remove.

Do I need special permission to invite people to Teams?

Usually no — most people can invite others to chat with them or to teams they are part of. However, your organization may restrict who can create new teams or invite external guests. If you cannot find the Add button, ask your team admin or IT department.

Can I invite someone to Teams if they do not work at my company?

Only if your organization has turned on guest access. If it has, you can invite them the same way you invite internal people. If it has not, your IT department can add them as a guest manually, or you can ask them to turn on guest access.