This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use Teams for personal and small business use with your keyboard and a screen reader to download, set up, sign in to, and get started with the app on Windows. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn about the layout of Teams for personal and small business use and how to sync your Google contacts with Teams for personal and small business use.
For instructions on how to send invites to and create groups for your friends and family, go to Use a screen reader to organize your life with Teams for personal and small business use.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
-
When you sign in to Microsoft Teams with your personal account, you might find that there are fewer functions than on your work or school account and some additional features.
In this topic
Download the Teams for personal and small business use app
If you're new to Microsoft Teams and don't have the app on your computer, you can download the Teams for personal and small business use app to get started.
Tip: If you're already using Microsoft Teams for work or school, you can launch Teams for personal and small business use from there. For instructions, go to Sign in with a personal Microsoft account if you've already been using Microsoft Teams for work or school.
-
In your browser, go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/teams-for-home.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Download the free app," and then press Spacebar.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Download the free Microsoft Teams app for Windows 11," and then press Enter. The app is installed to your computer. You're now ready to sign in to the app.
For instructions on how to sign in to the app with your Microsoft account, go to Sign in for the first time with a personal Microsoft account. If you don't have a Microsoft account, go to Sign up for a personal Microsoft account for instructions on how to create an account.
Sign up for a personal Microsoft account
To sign in and start using Microsoft Teams with family and friends, all you need is a personal Microsoft account. You can easily create a new account and get connected with your loved ones.
If you’re using Skype, OneDrive, Outlook.com, or Xbox Live, then you already have a Microsoft account, and you can proceed to signing in to Teams for personal and small business use. For instructions, go to Sign in to Microsoft Teams with your personal account.
-
In your browser, go to https://account.microsoft.com/account.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Sign in to your Microsoft account," and then press Enter.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Create one," and then press Enter. You hear: "Create account, new email."
-
Type the username you want to use with the account. Use the format "someone@example.com." When you're ready, press Enter. You hear: "Create a password."
-
Type the password for the new account, and then press Enter. A new setup window opens. The focus is on the Country/region menu and you hear the name of the country or region that has been selected by default.
-
To change the default country or region for your account, press Alt+Down arrow key to expand the menu, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the country or region you want, and then press Enter. With Narrator, you might have to switch off scan mode.
-
To set your birth month, press the Tab key until you hear "Birth month," and then press Alt+Down arrow key to expand the menu. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the correct month, and then press Enter. To set the day of your birth, press the Tab key once, and then press Alt+Down arrow key. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the correct day, and then press Enter. To set your birth year, press the Tab key once, and then type the year of your birth. When you're ready, press Enter.
-
You hear: "Please, solve the puzzle so we know you're not a robot." Press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear the method you want to use to authenticate yourself as a person, press Enter, and then follow the screen reader's prompts. When you're done, press Enter. Your new Microsoft account is now ready.
Sign in to Microsoft Teams with your personal account
Use your personal Microsoft account, such as a Skype, OneDrive, Outlook.com, or Xbox Live account to sign in to Teams for personal and small business use. To learn how to create a new account, go to Sign up for a personal Microsoft account.
Sign in for the first time with a personal Microsoft account
It only takes a few steps to sign in to Microsoft Teams for the very first time.
-
Open the Teams for personal and small business use app.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Enter email, phone, or Skype," type the email address, phone number, or Skype username you used to create your personal Microsoft account, and then press Enter.
-
You hear: "Password." Type your password, and then press Enter.
-
The Welcome to Teams page opens showing your account details. If you hear an alert prompting you to enter your phone number or other details, press the Tab key or the Down arrow key to navigate the fields, and where necessary, type your details.
-
When you're ready, press the Tab key until you hear "Continue," and then press Enter.
Sign in with a personal Microsoft account if you've already been using Microsoft Teams for work or school
If you've already been using Microsoft Teams with a work or school account, sign in with your personal Microsoft account to use the new features for personal use.
Tip: For a smooth user experience, consider using Narrator or JAWS with the steps in this section.
-
In Microsoft Teams for work or school, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Look for messages, files, and more," press the Tab key until you hear "Profile," and then press Enter.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Teams for personal use," and then press Enter. A welcome window opens. The focus is on the Sign in button. To sign in, press Enter.
-
Press the SR key+Right arrow key until you hear "Email, phone, or Skype, edit," and then press the SR key+Enter.
-
Type your Microsoft account username, and then press Enter. You hear "Enter the password," followed by your username.
-
Type the Microsoft account password, and then press Enter.
-
The Use this account everywhere on your device dialog box opens. If you want Windows to remember your account on your device, press Enter. If you want to use your account with Microsoft apps only, press the Tab key until you hear "Microsoft apps only," and then press Enter.
-
The Welcome to Teams page opens showing your account details. If you hear an alert prompting you to enter your phone number or other details, press the Tab key or the Down arrow key to navigate the fields, and where necessary, type your details.
-
When you're ready, press the Tab key until you hear "Continue," and then press Enter. The app opens to a new window. The Microsoft Teams app where you're signed in with your work or school account remains open in the background.
Switch between your work and personal accounts
After you've signed in with your personal account to Teams for personal and small business use, you can easily switch between the different accounts without having to sign in and out.
-
To switch from your work or school account to your personal account, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "Look for messages, files, and more." Press the Tab key until you hear "Profile," and then press Enter. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Teams for personal use," and then press Enter.
-
To switch from Teams for personal and small business use to your work or school account, make sure the Microsoft Teams app where you're signed in with your work or school account is running in the background. Press and hold Alt, and then press the Tab key until you reach the Microsoft Teams app for work or school, and then release the keys.
Sync your Google contacts
In Teams for personal and small business use, you can sync the contacts from your Google account to make it easier to find your friends and family. You can even invite your Google contacts that are not Microsoft Teams users to Teams for personal and small business use for a chat or meeting.
-
When signed in to Teams for personal and small business use, press Ctrl+Comma (,) to open the app settings.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "People," and then press Enter.
-
Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "From Google," and then press Enter. The Google sign-in page opens.
-
To select your Google account, press the Tab key until you hear the username of the account you want, and then press Enter.
-
Type the password for the account, and then press Enter. You hear: "Microsoft apps and services want to access your Google account."
-
To grant Microsoft access to the account, press the Tab key until you hear "Allow," and then press Enter. You hear: "This site is trying to open Microsoft Teams." Press the Tab key until you hear "Open," and then press Enter.
Stop syncing and remove Google data from all Microsoft apps
-
When signed in to Teams for personal and small business use, press Ctrl+Comma (,) to open the app settings.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Privacy," and then press Enter.
-
Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "From Google," followed by your Google username, and "Remove."
-
Press Enter. You hear: "Remove from Microsoft apps and services." To confirm the removal, press the Tab key until you hear "Remove," and then press Enter.
Explore Teams for personal and small business use
Learn what you can do in Teams for personal and small business use and where to find things in the app.
The app contains three major areas:
-
The app horizontal navigation bar at the top of the screen contains:
-
The Search text field to start a search for chats or people
-
The Settings and more menu button to access the app settings, zoom, keyboard shortcuts, and app help, for example
-
The profile button to access the account settings
-
-
The vertical navigation bar on the left of the screen contains the buttons for selecting tabs such as Activity, Chat, and Calendar.
-
The main content area to the right of the navigation bar shows the tab-specific content.
-
If you've selected the Chat or Activity tab, your chats or activity are shown.
-
If you've selected the Meet tab, your next meetings are shown.
-
If you've selected the Calendar tab, the calendar grid is shown.
-
Chat tab
When you open the app, you land on the Chat tab. This is where all your chats are listed. This tab is divided into two panes. The first one on the left shows your chats as a list. When you select a chat item in the list, its contents are shown in the content pane on the right where you can read and respond to the chat messages. Both panes have a horizontal toolbar at the top with buttons to start a new private or group chat or call, for example.
Activity tab
On the Activity tab, you can keep up with your notifications. This tab is divided into two panes. The first one on the left shows your activity as a list. When you select an item in the list, its contents are shown in the content pane on the right where you can read and respond to the activity. Both panes have a horizontal toolbar at the top with buttons to filter the activity items, access notifications settings, and start a call with a contact, for example.
Meet tab
On the Meet tab, you can set up an instant call with family and friends without a calendar invitation or you can schedule a call for later. This tab is divided into two panes. In the left pane, you'll find the Meet now and Meet later buttons. The right pane shows your scheduled meetings and buttons to join a meeting, share a meeting invitation, and edit meeting details.
Selecting the Meet now button launches a Microsoft Teams meeting window where you can invite people to join the call. Selecting the Meet later button opens the Schedule a meeting dialog box where you can set up a date and time for a meeting and choose how to share the meeting invitation with others.
Calendar tab
Got a date or appointment? On the Calendar tab, you can find your important events in a calendar grid. This tab has a horizontal toolbar at the top from where you can create new events or start an instant meeting.
See also
Use a screen reader to organize your life with Teams for personal and small business use
Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams for personal and small business use
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to set up and get started with Teams for personal and small business use. You'll learn how to download the app, and sign in and connect with you friends and family. You'll also learn about the layout of Teams for personal and small business use.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
-
When you sign in to Microsoft Teams with your personal account, you might find that there are fewer functions than on your business account and some additional features.
In this topic
Download and install the Microsoft Teams for iOS app
If you haven't got the Microsoft Teams app on your iPhone yet, it only takes a few minutes to download and install the app from the App Store.
If you already have the app on your phone, you don't need to download a new app. The new features for personal use are available in the same app you use for work or school. Just sign in with your personal Microsoft account to use the new features for personal use.
-
On your phone, open the App Store app. You hear: "Search."
-
Swipe right until you hear "Games, apps, stories, and more," and double-tap the screen.
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to start typing Microsoft Teams. The search results are updated as you type.
-
To move to the search results, tap at the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "Microsoft Teams," and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear "Microsoft Teams," then swipe right once more to move to the Download button, and double-tap the screen.
-
VoiceOver tells you when the download and installation are completed. The focus is on the Open button. Double-tap the screen to open the app.
Sign up for a personal Microsoft account
To sign in and start using Microsoft Teams with family and friends, all you need is a personal Microsoft account. If you’re using Skype, OneDrive, Outlook.com, or Xbox Live, then you already have a Microsoft account. If you don’t have a Microsoft account, you can sign up with your mobile phone number.
-
Open the Microsoft Teams app on your phone.
-
Do one of the following:
-
If you've already been using Microsoft Teams with your work or school account, swipe left until you hear "More menu," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Add account," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear “Microsoft corporation, Sign up for free,” and double-tap the screen. You hear: “Choose your account type.”
-
If you haven't been using Microsoft Teams before, swipe right until you hear "Add account," and double-tap the screen. You hear: “Choose your account type.”
-
-
Swipe right until you hear “Personal,” and double-tap the screen. The Create account page opens.
-
Swipe right until you hear “Phone number,” and double-tap the screen.
-
Use the on-screen keypad to enter your phone number, and swipe left until you hear “Next,” and double-tap the screen.
-
You hear: “Create password.” The focus is on the text field for a new password. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the password you’d like to use with your Microsoft account.
-
Swipe left until you hear “Next,” and double-tap the screen. The What’s your name page opens. The focus is on the First name text field. Use the on-screen keyboard to type your first name, swipe left until you hear “Next,” and then double-tap the screen.
-
The focus moves to the Last name text field. Use the on-screen keyboard to type your last name. Swipe left until you hear “Next,” and double-tap the screen.
-
The What’s your birth date page opens.The focus is on the Country/Region list. If necessary, to change the region or country, double-tap the screen, swipe right of left until you find the one you want, and double-tap the screen.
To select the month of your birth, swipe right until you hear “Collapsed, Month, pop-up button,” and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear the right month, and double-tap the screen.
To select the day of your birth, swipe right once, and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you find the right day, and double-tap the screen.
To select your birth year, swipe right once, and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear the right year, and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear “Next,” and double-tap the screen.
-
The Verify phone number page opens. A verification code is sent as a text message to the phone number you entered in step 5. Go to your text messages, open the message from Microsoft, and listen to the security code.
Return to the Microsoft Teams app and use the on-screen keypad to enter the code. Swipe left until you hear “Next," and double-tap the screen. Your new Microsoft account is now ready.
Sign in to Microsoft Teams with your personal account
Use your personal Microsoft account, such as a Skype, OneDrive, Outlook.com, or Xbox Live account to sign in to Microsoft Teams for life.
Sign in for the first time with a personal Microsoft account
It only takes a few steps to sign in to Microsoft Teams for the very first time.
-
Open the Microsoft Teams for iOS app. You hear: "Enter email, phone, or Skype."
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to type your email address, phone number, or Skype username.
-
Swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
-
You hear: "Password." Use the on-screen keyboard to type your password for the selected account.
-
Swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
Sign in with a personal Microsoft account if you've already been using Microsoft Teams for work or school
If you've already been using Microsoft Teams with a work or school account, sign in with your personal Microsoft account to use the new features for personal use.
-
Open the Microsoft Teams app, swipe right until you hear "Sign in with another account," and double-tap the screen.
-
You hear: "Enter email, phone, or Skype." Use the on-screen keyboard to type your email address, phone number, or Skype username.
-
Swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
-
You hear: "Password." Use the on-screen keyboard to type your password for the selected account.
-
Swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
Switch between your work and personal accounts
You can add your account for Teams for personal and small business use to the Microsoft Teams app. Then you can easily switch between the different accounts without having to sign in and out.
Add the personal account to the app
-
Open the Microsoft Teams app and sign in using your work or school account.
-
Tap at the top of the screen with four fingers. You hear "More menu," followed by the number of current notifications. Double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear "Add an account," and double-tap the screen. The list of available accounts opens.
-
Swipe right or left until you find the personal account you want to add, and double-tap the screen.
-
You're are prompted to enter the password or other credentials for the selected account. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the credentials, then swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
Switch between the accounts
Once you've added a personal account to the app, you can switch between the accounts and keep up with what's going on your professional and personal feeds.
-
In the Microsoft Teams app, tap at the top of the screen with four fingers. You hear "More menu," followed by the number of current notifications. Double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear the account you want to switch to, and double-tap the screen. Wait a few seconds and you will be connected to the other account.
Send invites to your friends and family
After you've signed in to Microsoft Teams with your personal account, invite your friends and family members to join in and stay connected.
-
While signed in with your Teams for personal and small business use account, tap at the top of the screen with four fingers. You hear "More menu," followed by the number of current notifications. Double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you reach the Invite friends button, and double-tap the screen.
-
You hear the default welcome message that's sent to the people you invite to Microsoft Teams. Swipe right until you hear the app you want to use to invite your friends or family members, and double-tap the screen.
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the names or email addresses of the people you want to invite, swipe left or right until you hear "Send button," and double-tap the screen to send the invite.
Create groups for friends and family
Do you share a hobby with some of your friends? Are you organizing a surprise birthday party for a family member and want to keep it a secret? Create a dedicated chat group to easily communicate with the group members.
-
While signed in with your Teams for personal and small business use account, tap at the bottom of the screen with four fingers, swipe right or left until you hear "Chat tab," and double-tap the screen.
-
Tap at the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "New chat," and double-tap the screen.
-
The New chat view opens. Swipe right until you hear "New group chat," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "Group name."
-
The focus is in the text field for the new group name. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name for the group. Swipe left until you hear "Next," and double-tap the screen.
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name, email address, or phone number of the first person you want to add to the new group chat. The search results are updated as you type. To move to the results, swipe right. When you find the name you want, double-tap the screen. Repeat this step for each person you want to add to the group.
-
To type a message to the group, swipe right until you hear "Type a message," and double-tap the screen. Use the on-screen keyboard to type a message to the group. Once you're done, swipe left until you hear "Send," and double-tap the screen.
Explore Teams for personal and small business use
Learn what you can do in Teams for personal and small business use and where to find things in the app.
The app contains three major areas:
-
The navigation bar at the top of the screen: Contains the Search button to start a search for chats, files, or people and the More menu button to access the account settings. Depending on the selected tab, you can also start a new chat, call, or create an event.
-
The navigation bar at the bottom of the screen: Contains the buttons for selecting a tab such as Activity, Chat, Calendar, or Files. The More button on the far right opens a menu with additional tabs such as Calls, Safe, and Tasks. From the menu, you can also reorder the tab buttons on the navigation bar. This way you can select tab buttons you use the most and show them on the bottom navigation bar.
-
The main content area between the navigation bars: Shows the tab-specific content. For example, if the Files tab is selected, this area shows files you've uploaded.
When you open the app, you land on the Chat tab. This is where all your chats are listed. From the top navigation bar you can start a new private or group chat and search for chats. To read and respond to the chat messages, select a chat in the list. From an opened chat, you can also create a dashboard that contains all the chat-specific stuff such as events, photos, files, and task list. You can even access the chat details where you can rename the chat to give it a more descriptive title and keep yourself organized.
On the Activity tab, you can keep up with your notifications. You're alerted when you've received a message, if someone has @mentioned you, liked your message, or updated a shared task.
Got a date or appointment? On the Calendar tab, you can find your important events in a calendar grid. You can also create new events from the top navigation bar.
To keep track of and access your most recent files and files stored in OneDrive, select the Files tab.
See also
Use a screen reader to organize your life with Teams for personal and small business use
Use a screen reader with Safe in Teams for personal life
Use a screen reader to share your location with Teams for your personal life
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to set up and get started with Teams for personal and small business use. You'll learn how to install and sign in to the app and connect with you friends and family. You'll also learn about the layout of Teams for personal and small business use.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
-
When you sign in to Microsoft Teams with your personal account, you might find that there are fewer functions than on your business account and some additional features.
In this topic
Download and install the Microsoft Teams for Android app
If you haven't got the Microsoft Teams app on your Android phone yet, it only takes a few minutes to download and install the app from the Play Store.
If you already have the app on your phone, you don't need to download a new app. The new features for personal use are available in the same app you use for work or school. Just sign in with your personal Microsoft account to use the new features for personal use.
-
On your phone, open the Play Store app. You hear: "Selected for you."
-
Swipe left until you hear "Search for apps and games," and double-tap the screen.
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to start typing Microsoft Teams. The search results are updated as you type.
-
To move to the search results, tap at the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "Microsoft Teams," and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear "Install," and double-tap the screen.
-
TalkBack tells you when the download and installation are completed. The focus is on the Open button. Double-tap the screen to open the app.
Sign up for a personal Microsoft account
To sign in and start using Microsoft Teams with family and friends, all you need is a personal Microsoft account. If you’re using Skype, OneDrive, Outlook.com, or Xbox Live, then you already have a Microsoft account. If you don’t have a Microsoft account, you can sign up with your mobile phone number.
-
Open the Microsoft Teams app on your phone.
-
Do one of the following:
-
If you've already been using Microsoft Teams with your work or school account, swipe up-then-down. Swipe right until you hear "Navigation button," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Add account," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear “Microsoft corporation, Sign up for free,” and double-tap the screen. You hear: “Choose your account type.”
-
If you haven't been using Microsoft Teams before, swipe right until you hear "Add account," and double-tap the screen. You hear: “Choose your account type.”
-
-
Swipe right until you hear “Personal,” and double-tap the screen. The Create account page opens.
-
Swipe right until you hear “Phone number,” and double-tap the screen.
-
Use the on-screen keypad to enter your phone number. To close the keypad, swipe down-then-left. Swipe right until you hear “Next,” and double-tap the screen.
-
You hear: “Create password.” The focus is on the text field for a new password. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the password you’d like to use with your Microsoft account. To close the keyboard, swipe down-then-left.
-
Swipe right until you hear “Next,” and double-tap the screen. The What’s your name page opens. The focus is on the First name text field. Use the on-screen keyboard to type your first name, and then swipe down-then-up. You hear: “Next.” Double-tap the screen.
-
The focus moves to the Last name text field. Use the on-screen keyboard to type your last name. To close the keyboard, swipe down-then-left. Swipe right until you hear “Next,” and double-tap the screen.
-
The What’s your birth date page opens.The focus is on the Country/Region list. If necessary, to change the region or country, double-tap the screen, swipe right of left until you find the one you want, and double-tap the screen.
To select the month of your birth, swipe right until you hear “Collapsed, Month, pop-up button,” and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear the right month, and double-tap the screen.
To select the day of your birth, swipe right once, and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you find the right day, and double-tap the screen.
To select your birth year, swipe right once, and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear the right year, and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear “Next,” and double-tap the screen.
-
The Verify phone number page opens. A verification code is sent as a text message to the phone number you entered in step 5. Go to your text messages, open the message from Microsoft, and listen to the security code.
Return to the Microsoft Teams app and use the on-screen keypad to enter the code. To close the keypad, swipe down-then-left. Swipe right to until you hear “Next," and double-tap the screen. Your new Microsoft account is now ready.
Sign in to Microsoft Teams with your personal account
Use your personal Microsoft account, such as a Skype, OneDrive, Outlook.com, or Xbox Live account to sign in to Teams for personal and small business use.
Sign in for the first time with a personal Microsoft account
It only takes a few steps to sign in to Microsoft Teams for the very first time.
-
Open the Microsoft Teams for Android app. You hear: "Enter email, phone, or Skype."
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to type your email address, phone number, or Skype username.
-
Swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
-
You hear: "Password." Use the on-screen keyboard to type your password for the selected account.
-
Swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
Sign in with a personal Microsoft account if you've already been using Microsoft Teams for work or school
If you've already been using Microsoft Teams with a work or school account, sign in with your personal Microsoft account to use the new features for personal use.
-
Open the Microsoft Teams app, swipe right until you hear "Sign in with another account," and double-tap the screen.
-
You hear: "Enter email, phone, or Skype." Use the on-screen keyboard to type your email address, phone number, or Skype username.
-
Swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
-
You hear: "Password." Use the on-screen keyboard to type your password for the selected account.
-
Swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
Switch between your work and personal accounts
You can add your account for Teams for personal and small business use to the Microsoft Teams app. Then you can easily switch between the different accounts without having to sign in and out.
Add the personal account to the app
-
Open the Microsoft Teams app and sign in using your work or school account.
-
Swipe left until you hear "Navigation button," and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear "Add account," and double-tap the screen. The list of available accounts opens.
-
Swipe right or left until you find the personal account you want to add, and double-tap the screen.
-
You're are prompted to enter the password or other credentials for the selected account. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the credentials, then swipe left until you hear "Sign in," and double-tap the screen.
Switch between the accounts
Once you've added a personal account to the app, you can switch between the accounts and keep up with what's going on your professional and personal feeds.
-
In the Microsoft Teams app, swipe left until you hear "Navigation button," and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear the account you want to switch to, and double-tap the screen. Wait a few seconds and you will be connected to the other account.
Send invites to your friends and family
After you've signed in to Microsoft Teams with your personal account, invite your friends and family members to join in and stay connected.
-
While signed in with your Teams for personal and small business use account, swipe left until you hear "Navigation button," and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear "Invite someone to your team," and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear the app you want to use to invite your friends or family members, and double-tap the screen.
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the names or email addresses of the people you want to invite. Swipe right to until you reach the app's message body and double-tap the screen. Type a message you want to send to your new team members. Swipe left or right until you reach the Send button, and double-tap the screen to send the invite.
Create groups for friends and family
Do you share a hobby with some of your friends? Are you organizing a surprise birthday party for a family member and want to keep it a secret? Create a dedicated chat group to easily communicate with the group members.
-
While signed in with your Teams for personal and small business use account, swipe down-then-up, swipe right or left until you hear "Chat tab," and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe left until you hear "New chat," and double-tap the screen.
-
The New chat view opens. Swipe right until you hear "New group chat," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "Editing, Group chat name."
-
The focus is in the text field for the new group name. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name for the group. Swipe left until you hear "Next," and double-tap the screen.
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name, email address, or phone number of the first person you want to add to the new group chat. The search results are updated as you type. To move to the results, swipe right. When you find the name you want, double-tap the screen. Repeat this step for each person you want to add to the group.
-
To type a message to the group, swipe right until you hear "Type a message," and double-tap the screen. Use the on-screen keyboard to type a message to the group. Once you're done, swipe right until you hear "Send message," and double-tap the screen.
Explore Teams for personal and small business use
Learn what you can do in Teams for personal and small business use and where to find things in the app.
The app contains three major areas:
-
The navigation bar at the top of the screen: Contains the Search button to start a search for chats, files, or people and the More menu button to access the account settings. Depending on the selected tab, you can also start a new chat, call, or create an event.
-
The navigation bar at the bottom of the screen: Contains the buttons for selecting a tab such as Activity, Chat, Calendar, or Files. The More button on the far right opens a menu with additional tabs such as Calls, Safe, and Tasks. From the menu, you can also reorder the tab buttons on the navigation bar. This way you can select tab buttons you use the most and show them on the bottom navigation bar.
-
The main content area between the navigation bars: Shows the tab-specific content. For example, if the Files tab is selected, this area shows files you've uploaded.
When you open the app, you land on the Chat tab. This is where all your chats are listed. From the top navigation bar you can start a new private or group chat and search for chats. To read and respond to the chat messages, select a chat in the list. From an opened chat, you can also create a dashboard that contains all the chat-specific stuff such as events, photos, files, and task list. You can even access the chat details where you can rename the chat to give it a more descriptive title and keep yourself organized.
On the Activity tab, you can keep up with your notifications. You're alerted when you've received a message, if someone has @mentioned you, liked your message, or updated a shared task.
Got a date or appointment? On the Calendar tab, you can find your important events in a calendar grid. You can also create new events from the top navigation bar.
To keep track of and access your most recent files and files stored in OneDrive, select the Files tab.
See also
Use a screen reader to organize your life with Teams for personal and small business use
Use a screen reader with Safe in Teams for personal life
Use a screen reader to share your location with Teams for your personal life
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
