Activity, Profile, Settings and Help in Microsoft Teams

Activity

1. Filtering Activity
2. Notification Settings
3. Responding to a Chat within the Activity Section

Profile

1. Accessing Your Profile
2. Setting Your Status, Work Location, and Status Message
3. Managing Profile Settings and Details

Settings

1. Accessing Settings
2. General Settings
3. Privacy Settings
4. Appearance and Accessibility
5. Files and Links Settings
6. Calls Settings
7. Captions and Transcripts
8. Devices Settings

Help

1. Accessing the Help Section

Additional Links

Activity

The Activity section in Microsoft Teams is a feed that keeps you up to date on all your unread notifications and @mentions. It provides a summary of everything that has occurred in the channels you follow, including new messages, replies, and reactions. You can filter your activity feed to display specific types of notifications such as @mentions, replies, reactions, missed calls, or voicemails. Additionally, you can mark notifications as read or unread and set your status to "Do not disturb" to temporarily pause notifications.​

Filtering Activity

1. Access the Activity Section: Click on the Activity icon in the left-hand navigation menu.​

2. Filter Your Activity Feed:

   • Click on the magnifying glass icon at the top of the feed.​

   • In the search bar that appears, enter keywords or select filters to refine the notifications you wish to view.​

Notification Settings

1. Access the Activity Section: Click on the Activity icon in the left-hand navigation menu.​

2. Access Notification Settings:

   • Click on the ellipsis (…) icon at the top of the feed.​

   • From the dropdown, select Notification settings.​

3. Select Notification Preferences: In the notification settings window, choose your preferred notification options.​

Alternatively:

• Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of the Teams window.​

• Select Settings.​

• In the left-hand menu, choose Notifications.​

Responding to a Chat within the Activity Section

1. Navigate to the Activity Tab: Click on the Activity bell icon on the left-hand side menu of the Teams interface. This tab consolidates all your notifications, including chat mentions, replies, and other alerts.​

2. Identify the Chat Notification: Browse through your activity feed to find the chat notification you want to respond to. Notifications can include direct mentions (@your name), replies in conversations you're part of, or messages in channels you follow.​

3. Select the Notification: Click on the notification related to the chat message you wish to respond to. Doing so will automatically redirect you to the specific chat or channel where the message is located.​

4. Write Your Response: Once you're in the chat or channel, find the message you were notified about. You can respond directly by typing your message in the reply box at the bottom of the screen. If it's a channel conversation, you may need to click on Reply beneath the specific message to ensure your response is threaded correctly.​

5. Use Message Formatting and Attachments (Optional): If needed, you can use the formatting options (A icon for text formatting, paperclip icon for attachments, etc.) below the reply box to enhance your message or add relevant files.​

6. Send Your Response: After composing your message, press the Send button (or hit Enter on your keyboard) to post your reply. Your response will now be visible to other participants in the chat or channel conversation.​

7. Return to the Activity Tab: After responding, you can return to the Activity tab by clicking the Activity bell icon again on the left-hand side menu. This allows you to continue reviewing and responding to other notifications as needed.​

Profile

The Profile section in Microsoft Teams allows you to manage your personal information and account settings. You can view your profile details, such as your name, profile picture, and contact information. Additionally, the Profile section provides options to set your status, manage privacy settings, and configure devices.​

Accessing Your Profile

1. Open Profile Menu: Click on your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner of the Teams window.​

2. View Profile: From the dropdown menu, select your name or "View profile" to access your profile information, including your name, email address, phone number, and organization details.​

Setting Your Status, Work Location, and Status Message

1. Set Your Status:

   • Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the Teams window.​

   • Select your desired status from the options:​

     • Available

     • Busy

     • Do not disturb

     • Be right back

     • Appear away

     • Appear offline

2. Set Your Work Location:

   • Click on your profile picture.​

   • Next to your status, select your work location from the dropdown menu:​

     • Office

     • Remote

   • To add a specific building location, select "Add a building".​

3. Set a Status Message:

   • Click on your profile picture.​

   • Select "Set status message".​

   • Enter your custom message in the text box.​

   • Optionally, check "Show when people message me" to display the message to others when they contact you.​

   • Choose the duration for the status message from the "Clear after" dropdown menu.​

   • Click "Done" to save the status message.​

Managing Profile Settings and Details

1. Access Profile Settings:

   • Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the Teams window.​

   • Select "Settings" from the dropdown menu.​

2. Configure Settings:

   • In the Settings window, navigate through the tabs to adjust various preferences:​

     • General: Theme, application, and language settings.

     • Privacy: Manage read receipts and priority access.

     • Notifications: Customize notification settings.

     • Devices: Set up audio and video devices.

     • Permissions: Control app permissions.

     • Calls: Configure voicemail and call answering rules.

Settings

The Settings section in Microsoft Teams allows you to customize and configure various aspects of the application to suit your needs. Within Settings, you can manage general preferences, privacy settings, appearance and accessibility options, files and links behavior, calls settings, captions and transcripts, and devices configurations.​

Accessing Settings

1. Open Settings Menu:

   • Click on the ellipsis (…) next to your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner of the Teams window.​

   • From the dropdown menu, select "Settings". This action will open the Settings window, where you can adjust various preferences related to Teams.​

General Settings

• Customize General Preferences:

  • In the Settings window, select the "General" tab to access general settings options.​

  • Adjust preferences such as:​

    • Theme: Choose between Default, Dark, or High Contrast modes.

    • Chat Density: Select between Comfy or Compact layouts.

    • Language: Set your preferred language for the Teams interface.

    • Application: Configure application settings like auto-start behavior.

Privacy Settings

• Manage Privacy Preferences:

  • In the Settings window, select the "Privacy" tab to view and adjust your privacy settings.​

  • Options include:​

    • Manage Priority Access: Control who can interrupt when your status is set to Do Not Disturb.

    • Read Receipts: Enable or disable sending read receipts for messages.

    • Blocked Contacts: View and manage your list of blocked contacts.

    • Manage How People Can Find You: Control who can find you by your phone number or email address.

Appearance and Accessibility

• Adjust Appearance and Accessibility Settings:

  • In the Settings window, select the "Appearance and accessibility" tab.​

  • Customize options such as:​

    • Theme: Choose between Default, Dark, or High Contrast themes.

    • Chat Density: Select Comfy or Compact view for message spacing.

    • Animations: Enable or disable animations within the app.

    • Keyboard Shortcuts: View and customize keyboard shortcuts for accessibility.

Files and Links Settings

• Manage Files and Links Preferences:

  • In the Settings window, select the "Files and links" tab.​

  • Configure how files and links are opened:​

    • File Open Preference: Choose to open files within Teams, in the browser, or using the desktop app.

    • Download Location: Set the default location for downloaded files.

Calls Settings

• Configure Call Preferences:

  • In the Settings window, select the "Calls" tab.​

  • Adjust settings including:​

    • Voicemail: Record a greeting, set call answering rules, and configure voicemail options.

    • Ringtones: Choose ringtones for incoming calls.

    • Call Forwarding: Set up call forwarding and simultaneous ring options.

Captions and Transcripts

• Manage Captions and Transcripts Settings:

  • In the Settings window, select the "Captions and transcripts" tab.​

  • Options include:​

    • Live Captions: Enable or disable live captions during meetings.

    • Speaker Attribution: Show speaker names alongside captions.

    • Profanity Filtering: Enable or disable filtering of profane language in captions.

Devices Settings

• Configure Audio and Video Devices:

  • In the Settings window, select the "Devices" tab.​

  • Set up and test devices such as:​

    • Audio Devices: Choose and test your speaker and microphone.

    • Camera: Select and preview your camera.

    • Secondary Ringer: Set a secondary ringer for incoming calls.

    • Noise Suppression: Adjust noise suppression levels for meetings and calls.

Help

The Help section in Microsoft Teams provides users with resources and support to enhance their experience with the application. Within this section, you can access articles, videos, tutorials, and training materials on various topics related to using Teams. Additionally, it offers options to contact support or provide feedback.​

Accessing the Help Section

1. Open the Help Menu:

   • Click on the ellipsis (…) located in the top-right corner of the Teams window, next to your profile picture or initials.​

   • From the dropdown menu, select "Help".​

2. Explore Help Options:

   • Upon selecting "Help", a submenu will appear with the following options:​

     • Topics: Access general help topics and guides.

     • Training: Access tutorials and training materials.

     • What's New: View recent updates and new features in Teams.

     • Suggest a Feature: Provide suggestions for new features or improvements.

     • Give Feedback: Submit feedback about your experience with Teams.

3. Utilize the Search Function:

   • Within the "Topics" or "Training" sections, use the search bar to find specific information or answers to particular questions.​

4. Contact Support or Provide Feedback:

   • To contact support or provide feedback, select the relevant option within the Help menu to reach out to support or submit feedback.​

Additional Links

Microsoft Teams Help & Learning

                 Start here with the first things to know about the essential Microsoft Teams features. High level step by step for chat, teams, etc

Get started with Microsoft Teams

                  Get started micro videos for chat, teams, etc

Quick Links: | Teams and Channels | Chat, Calls, Calendar, and Meet | OneDrive | TOP |