Manage Team Membership

Learn about managing access and membership in Microsoft Teams.

Public versus Private Teams

In Microsoft Teams, public Teams are visible and accessible to everyone in the organization, while private Teams require explicit invitation and permission to join.

• Private Teams can only be joined if the team owner adds someone to them. All Team members can request a user be added but only the Team owner can approve membership. Private Teams are used for more sensitive or focused discussions
• Public Teams are visible to the entire campus (fac/staff/students) from the Teams gallery and people can join them without getting approval from the Team owner. Public teams are suitable for general communication and collaboration.

Warning: IT strongly recommends that all Teams be set to "Private" and require an invitation to join.

Public Teams:

• Visibility: Anyone in the organization can see and join a public team.
• Discovery: Public teams are discoverable through search, making them easy for users to find and participate in.
• Use Cases: Suitable for general announcements, org-wide information sharing, and projects involving a broad audience.

Private Teams:

• Visibility: Only members invited by the team owner can see and join a private team.
• Access Control: Requires explicit invitation and permission from the team owner to join.
• Use Cases: Best for sensitive information, confidential discussions, or projects with a specific set of participants.
• Examples: Project teams with limited access, confidential information sharing, or discussions involving sensitive data.

Key Differences:

• Access: Public Teams are open, while private Teams are restricted.
• Visibility: Public Teams are visible to all, while private Teams are hidden.
• Discovery: Public Teams are easily discoverable, while private Teams are not.

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Resources:

• Make a public Team private
• Overview of Sharing Files in Teams
• Add a member to a Team
• Where to manage Teams and Sharepoint settings