Tips for using the Teams application to include pop-out windows, out of office messages and status, work locations, communication preference, using the Search, managing notifications, quiet times for mobile devices, and a brief introduction on using CoPilot and Apps in Teams.

Jump to a section in this article: 

• Multi-task with pop-out windows

• Set your “Out Of Office” 
• Status indicators
• Set your work location
• User/department communication preferences
• Using the Search 
• Managing notifications and best practice
• Quiet times for mobile devices
• Apps and CoPilot

Multi-task with pop-out windows

Important for multitasking! Use the pop-out icon to open your chat, file, etc. in a new Teams window in case you need to navigate to another item in Teams without losing your place.

Pop-out a new window using this icon:

Set your “Out of Office” 

Select your profile picture at the top of Teams and choose Set status message

Select Schedule out of office at the bottom of the options:

Turn on the toggle next to Turn on automatic replies. 

• Note: An out of office message is required in order to set your status and sync with your Outlook calendar.

If you'd like to send an automatic message to people outside of your organization, select the check box next to Send replies outside my organization and choose between your contacts or all external senders. You can tailor your out of office message to this audience, or use the same message you typed above by copy/pasting it into the text box.

Based on when you'll be out of the office, choose the dates and times that your out of office message and status will start and stop displaying by selecting the check box next to Send replies only during a time period. 

Type an out of office message in the text box. This message will appear when people contact you in Teams or open your profile. It'll also be sent as an automatic reply in Outlook. 

Select the Save button. 

Status indicators

Here are more details about each status indicator:

• Available is when you’re active in Teams and don’t have anything on your calendar (no meetings or calls, for example). Note that Teams will automatically set your status from Available to Away when you lock your computer or when it enters idle or sleep mode. On mobile, this will happen when the Teams app is in the background.

• Busy is when you want to focus on something, and you still want to receive notifications. If you’re in a meeting or call, Teams will automatically change your status to In a meeting or In a call (Busy) when not set to Do not disturb.
• Do not disturb is when you want to focus or present your screen and don’t want to receive notifications.
• Be right back is when you want to say you’re temporarily away. It’s never set automatically.
• Appear away is when you need to work without responding right away.
• Appear offline is when you want to indicate that you're not signed in to Teams, so won't be responding until you're back online. You'll still receive notifications if anyone messages you.

Set a duration for your status

When you want to change your status for a specific period of time—for example, to set Do not disturb for an hour of concentrated work—you can set a duration so that Teams will automatically reset your status at the end of the allotted time.

You can set durations for any status except Available. However, a more available status (like Busy) will not override a less available status (like Away) even if its duration is set. 

1. Select your profile picture > current status > Duration  
   
2. Under Status, select the status you want to show going forward. 
3. Under Reset status after, select the amount of time you want that status to last.
   
   
   Or, if none of the suggested time frames work for you, select Custom under Reset status after and enter the date and time.
   
4. Select Done.

At the end of the period you entered, Teams will automatically reset your status based on your activity, your calendar, and the state of your computer.

 

Undo a status duration

Simply select a new status. Alternatively, you can select your profile picture, select your current status, and then select Reset status.

 

Set your work location

To set your work location for the day in Teams:  

1. Select the account manager (your profile icon) at the top right of Teams.

2. Select Set work location  
   If you are working in the office and you want to set your building location, select Add a building. Only buildings in your organization can be added. Your changes will be applied to your work hours for the remainder of the day and will be reflected in both Teams and Outlook. 
   
    

Update your work location

When your schedule changes, it's easy to update your work location or clear it, right from Teams.

Select the account manager at the top right of Teams, and change or clear your work location. The new location will be applied to your work hours for the remainder of the day and reflected in both Teams and Outlook.

 

Set your work hours (in Outlook)

Use Outlook to specify more details about your work schedule: from where you’re working (remotely or in the office) and whether you work different hours on different days. 

 

User/department communication preferences

Microsoft Teams is a valuable collaboration and communication platform; however, it is not always an appropriate channel for official or auditable communications.

When using Teams, classified staff should confirm and respect each department’s preferred method of communication, particularly when the communication involves official decisions, approvals, records, or actions that may be subject to retention, auditing, or compliance requirements. Some departments cannot conduct official business through chat, and may require communication to occur via email, service ticket systems, forms, or scheduled meetings instead.

Using the correct communication channel:

• Protects the institution and employees during audits or reviews
• Ensures records are properly retained and retrievable
• Respects departmental workflows and compliance obligations
• Reduces miscommunication and follow‑up delays

Using the Search 

There are many ways to find messages, people, files, and other information shared in Teams. Simply type a word or name to view related results. Search a specific area or start your search in the search box at the top. Then, filter your results for greater detail. 

Press Ctrl+F (cmd+F on macOS) to search messages within a particular chat or channel in Teams.

 

Search for files (in the Search bar)

1. Locate a file by typing its name or a keyword.

2. To filter results further, select Files.

3. If your search doesn’t produce what you’re looking for, select View all messages to see more results. The top results appear.
4. To search in more detail, select the following:
   • Team: Type in a team name.
   • File Type: Choose the file type from the list.
   • Modified by: Type the name of the person who edited or changed the file.
   • Date: Choose when the message was sent or add a date range to search.

 

Search for messages (in the Search bar)

• “From:” then enter the person’s name
• “In:” then enter the channel or group chat name
• “Subject:” the keyword from a message or a subject line
• “Sent:” the date the message was sent

 

Pro search tips

• Use an asterisk * to get results for any words with a matching prefix. Type the first few letters of a word followed immediately by an asterisk. For example, type "serv*" into the search box, and you'll get results for all words that start with those four letters (for example, server and service).
• Use quotation marks to search for an exact match on a word or phrase. Example: “annual budget”.
• The search box also supports certain spell corrections and nickname matches when searching for people.

Managing notifications and best practices

Only follow chats and channels that are relevant to you.

• Change your status when you need to focus.

• Adjust your settings to get notified when and how you want.
• Change Teams notifications to receive reminders for messages, meetings, and other activity that are most helpful to you.

To change general notification settings:

1.  Settings and more Select 

   
    then Settings  
2. Go to Notifications and activity  
3. In the General section, customize sounds and change when you want notifications to display. Your options include:

• Mute all notifications (except for calls and meetings): Turn this setting on or off. Available on Windows only.
• Play sounds with notifications: Every notification will include a system sound to alert you.
• Play sounds with urgent and priority contact notifications: Differentiate messages market Urgent and notifications from priority contacts.
• Play sound with incoming calls, requests to join, and meeting start notifications: Only incoming calls, requests to join meetings, and meeting start notifications will include a system sound to alert you.
• Show message and content previews in notifications: A short preview of the message or content will be included in the notification.
• Show notifications during calls and meetings: Notifications will be shown even if you're in a call or meeting.

Manage activity emails

Set the frequency of summary emails that detail your missed activity or turn them off altogether.

To manage activity emails:

1. Select Settings and more 
    then Settings  
2. Go to Notifications and activity  
    then Missed activity emails  
3. Choose the frequency you want to receive activity emails from the dropdown menu.

Quiet times for mobile devices

Quiet time is a scheduled setting that silences Teams notifications on your mobile device(s) during certain times or days. Set a quiet time schedule to stay focused while you work or unplug while you’re away.

1. Open the Teams app on your mobile device and tap your profile picture in the top left corner.

2. Select Notifications, and under Block notifications select Block during quiet hours.
3. Set specific times and days to mute notifications on your device.
   1. To mute notifications during certain hours, turn on the Certain hours toggle and select which hours of the day you want notifications muted.
   2. To mute notifications during select days, turn on the All Day toggle and select which days of the week you want notifications muted.
4. To sync your quiet time schedule across all your mobile devices, switch on the Set on Teams and Outlook toggle. Schedules will sync across all Teams and Outlook mobile apps that are signed into the same Microsoft account.

Apps and CoPilot

CoPilot (web version)

You can use the restricted version of Copilot in Teams, which AI-powered chat and web data reasoning via the Copilot app icon, but lacks deep access to work data (emails, chats, meetings) and advanced agents. The chat uses enterprise-grade protection (shield icon), meaning your data is not used to train the underlying models.

Apps

You can add other apps to Microsoft Teams in either the web, desktop, or mobile versions. You can also add apps directly from wherever in Teams you're working, whether you're in a chat, channel, or meeting. 

Add from Apps

1. From the left side of Teams, select Apps. Search for your favorite app or browse the app categories to discover new ones.
2. Select the app you want, and a description screen opens. The Overview, Reviews, and Details tabs explain the capabilities of the app, and where it appears in Teams.
3. To add the app, select Add.

Add an app to a chat or channel tab

1. Go to the channel, group chat, or one-on-one conversation of your choosing, and select Add a tab 
2. Select the app you want. For some apps, you might be prompted to add a file.
3. Select whether to Post about this app in the chat or post. 
4. Select Save.

Add an app to a meeting

Meeting organizers and presenters can add apps before or during meetings. 

• To add an app before a meeting, first send the meeting invite then open the meeting. Select Add a tab 
   and choose an app.

• To add an app during a meeting, after the meeting starts select More actions 
   then Get more apps and agents