After April 12, 2023, Microsoft Teams Free (classic), the legacy free Teams app for business, will no longer be available. Upgrade to a paid subscription using these instructionsor follow the guide below to switch over to Microsoft Teams (free).
How to get started with Microsoft Teams (free)
It’s easy to get started with the new Teams (free) app. The account you use to sign in to the legacy Microsoft Teams Free (classic) app can be used to sign in to the new Microsoft Teams (free) app. Even if you use the same Microsoft account both for the legacy and new versions of Teams, these are two separate tenants, and will not share any data.
Windows 11
Microsoft Teams (free) comes pre-installed in Windows 11. To get started, simplytap the Chat icon in the Windows 11 task bar to sign in with your Microsoft account. Alternatively, you can search for ‘Microsoft Teams’ in Windows and then sign in with your Microsoft account.
Windows 10 & Mac OS
Get the latest version of Microsoft Teams on Windows 10 or macOS, and sign in using your Microsoft account. Tap on your profile picture in the top right hand corner to see the new Personaltenant appear under your account name. Switching to this tenant will switch you over to the new Microsoft Teams (free) experience. You can also open Manage accounts to see and switch to the new Teams.
Android & iOS
Get the latest version of Microsoft Teams on Android or iOS, and sign in using your Microsoft account. Tap on your profile picture in the top left hand corner to see a new tenant with your name alongside your previous legacy Microsoft Teams Free (classic) account. Select this new tenant to switch to the new Microsoft Teams (free) experience on mobile.
How to use Microsoft Teams (free)
Chats
As the legacy and new version of Teams (free) are separate from each other, you'll need to manually recreate one-to-one and group chats from Microsoft Teams Free (classic). However, the new Teams (free) app lets youreach out to anyone, even if they're not on Teams, as long as you have their phone number or email. Also, if you previously had chats withpeople using Microsoft Teams for work or school, you'll still be able to create these chatsin Microsoft Teams (free)
Learn more about chat and messagingin Microsoft Teams (free)
Teams & channels
In the new Microsoft Teams (free) app, you'll no longer see teams and channels. Instead, these have been replaced with a simplifiedcommunities experience that allows people to collaborate in threaded conversations. You'll still enjoy many of the teams features from the legacy Teams app such as scheduling events and sharing files. Plus you'll also gain new content moderation tools and member management capabilities.
Learn moreabout communities in MicrosoftTeams (free)
Meetings
Meetings in the newTeams (free) app work just like meetings in the legacy Teams Free (classic) app. Create instant meetings and share a meeting link for people to join, or you can schedule a meeting in your Teams calendar and invite people to it. You can also schedule meetings with people who use Microsoft Teamsfor work or school,but they will need to join these meetings as guests.
Learn more about calls and meetings in Microsoft Teams (free)
Files
If you used teams and channels in the legacy Teams (free) app tostorefiles, you'll beable to use communities in the newTeams (free) app in much the same way. To get started, create a new community and then upload your files to the community. Files uploaded to a community will be stored in OneDrive.
Learn more about files in Microsoft Teams (free)
Inviting people
The new Microsoft Teams (free) app gives you many more ways to invite people to Teams. Add people directly in one to one or group chats using their phone number or email address. People can also use QR codes and invite links to join communities. The only thing that people need to accept your invite is their Microsoft account, which can be the same account they used to sign in to the legacy Teams app.
Learn more about inviting people in Microsoft Teams (free)
Subscriptions for Microsoft Teams (free)
The new Microsoft Teams (free) app lets youchat, schedule meetings, and so much more. Some features require a Microsoft subscription to unlock even more capabilities and remove limits. For example, meetingsare capped to 60 minutes without a subscription but extended to 30 hours when you get a subscription.
Learn more about plans and subscriptions inMicrosoft Teams (free)
Frequently asked questions
Why are there two different free versions of Microsoft Teams?
The new free version of Microsoft Teams (free) was released in 2020 to bring the collaboration capabilities of Microsoft Teams toyou and your friends and family. After the initial release of Microsoft Teams (free) we have added features to not only help people connect with othersin their personal lifebut also collaboration tools for small businesses. Therefore Microsoft is now making this change to invest in a single free Teams experience across personal and small business.
Is there any migration process for moving data from Microsoft Teams Free (classic) to Microsoft Teams (free)?
There’s no automated process to move any content or data from Microsoft Teams Free (classic) to Microsoft Teams (free). You will need to manually create chats andmeetings, andcommunities to replace teams.
Can I move the users on thelegacy Microsoft Teams Free (classic)to the new Microsoft Teams (free)?
Yes, you can invite anyone to Microsoft Teams (free). Once you have the new app all set up the way you like, just add people who were using the legacy app to the new one. Learn more about inviting people in Microsoft Teams (free)
How do I preserve my files?
You have until April 12, 2023 to view and export your files. After that date, you’ll lose access to Microsoft Teams Free (classic) and your data will be deleted.
