Adding somebody to a Microsoft Team gives them its conversations, files and channels. Removing them takes all of that away.

Start by confirming the name really is a Team. Asking Avvi what Teams exist settles it in one request, and it is worth doing because distribution lists and Teams routinely share a name.

Somebody can be added as a member or as an owner, and that choice is worth making deliberately rather than by default.

Before you begin

Confirm the name belongs to a Team rather than a distribution list.

Decide whether the person should be a member or an owner. An owner can add and remove others.

Have their email address.

Ask Avvi

1. Open chat and check the client.
2. Ask what Teams exist, if you are not certain of the name.
3. Say what you want, naming the Team and the person. For example: add sam@example.com to the Marketing team as a member.
4. Read the confirmation, checking the Team, the person and whether they are being made an owner, then confirm.

Avvi reports the change once it is done.

Good to know

Adding somebody to a Team gives them access to everything already in it, including past conversations and files. That is normal and is worth remembering before adding somebody to a Team with sensitive content.

Removing somebody takes their access away and leaves what they contributed in place.

Verify it worked

Ask Avvi who is in the Team and confirm the person appears with the right role.

Ask the person to open the Team. Access can take a few minutes to appear.

If something doesn’t look right

If Avvi acted on a distribution list instead, the name belonged to one. Ask again naming the Team explicitly.

If the request is refused, the Teams permissions may not be granted for that client. Consent has its own page.

If the person cannot see the Team after several minutes, have them sign out and back in.

To report a failure, open a support conversation from the Help drawer with the client, the Team and the person.

FAQ

Q: Member or owner?

A: A member takes part. An owner can also add and remove people. Choose deliberately.

Q: Do they see past conversations?

A: Yes. A new member gets access to what is already there.

Q: Is a Team the same as a distribution list?

A: No, and they often share a name. Check first.