Chatting
Start a new conversation with a person or group
- At the top of the app, click "New Chat".
- Enter the name of the person (s) you want to chat with in the field To.
- Enter what you want to say in the message box and click "Send".
In the To field you can add anyone with a UGent account. If the colleague has never worked with Teams, he/she will be notified by email that you are trying to contact him / her.
@Mention someone
An @mention is similar to a tap on the shoulder, a way of getting someone's attention in a chat conversation.
- Type @ in the box where you type the message and type the first few letters of the person's name.
- Select the person. Repeat this for anyone you want to mention via an @mention.
Any person you mention this way will receive a notification in the activity feed.
Check if you see a red circle next to your Activity to see if someone @mentioned you.
Naming chat conversations (with multiple people)
View/add people in chat
Pin chat to top (for frequently used groups, can also be for 1-on-1 chats)
Mark as unread
With "Mark as unread" you place a time marker in your chat conversation: from here it is unread.
Mute/Unmute
When you mute a chat, you will remain part of the conversation, but you will no longer be notified.
Read more?
Share files
If you share a file in Microsoft Teams Chat, via a private conversation or group conversation, it will be saved in your own OneDrive for Business.
You can easily navigate to your own files from Teams: click on Files in the app bar, the vertical toolbar on the far left of the screen.
Audio and Video call
A quick conversation is sometimes more efficient than chat. You can start an instant "ad hoc" online meeting, where you can choose between an audio call
and a video call
Ad hoc meetings: you start a meeting without prior invitation.
Start audio or video call via "new chat"
- Go to your chat list and click (at the top of the app / window) on "new chat".
- Type the name or names of your contacts in the field at the top of your new chat.
- Then click Audio call OR Video call.
Start audio or video call via "recent chat"
- Go to your Recent Chats list and click on a chat
- Then click Audio call OR Video call.
Start audio or video call via "contacts"
- Go to your Contacts and click on a name in the list
- Then click Audio call OR Video call.
Start audio call via command box: /call
- Type / call in the command box at the top of Teams
- Type part of your contact's name
- Select your Teams contact
- Then click Audio call OR Video call.
While calling
While calling your correspondent, a menu will appear (below) with the following options
- Camera: turn on/off
- Microphone: turn on/off
- Show conversation: shows chat conversation with that person(s) in separate part of screen
- End a call: replace the handset
During the conversation
During the conversation with your correspondent(s) you can
- Show participants: shows a list of the participants of the Audio call OR Video call
- via the menu ... "More actions" including the "Blur background"
Install the Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in for Microsoft Office (= add-in)
To schedule meetings through the Outlook calendar, the "Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in for Microsoft Office" add-in is required. If the add-in in the Outlook calendar does not appear to you, then you must add that yourself.
Installing the Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in on Windows Microsoft Office
Note: this is only possible with the local Outlook (app) on your device. You start it via the Windows Start button.
Method 1: Install the add-in on your laptop.
- Start Outlook and Teams locally on device, log in with UGent account
- Close Outlook and Teams: Teams bottom right, right mouse button, close
- Restart teams
- Restart Outlook
Method 2: Add add-in via add-ons
- In Outlook > Options > Add-ins
- Manage: COM add-ins
- Click Start (button)
- List of add-ins appears: select Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in for Microsoft Office
- Click OK
Installing the Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in on Mac for Microsoft Office
Note: this is only possible with the local Outlook (app) on your device. You start it via Dock or Launchpad on Apple devices.
Note: you need at least the following versions:
- macOSX 10.15
- Office 16.24
(See: How to update the software on your Mac
and install Office 2019)
Note: Make sure that the timeserver on your device is on ntp.ugent.be. If not, you may not see the plugin.
Method: Install the add-in on your Mac.
- Start Outlook and Teams locally on your device, log in with UGent account
- Close Outlook and Teams: Teams bottom right, right mouse button, close
- Restart teams
- Restart Outlook
If the above method does NOT work (the add-on does NOT appear), you can try to install it by performing the following steps.
- Check whether you have entered your e-mail address in settings under "username"
- Update the MacOS software on your device
- Update the Outlook software on your device
- Remove the Microsoft license with the "License removal tool"
Below you will find every step in detail.
-
Check whether you have entered your e-mail address in settings under "username". Adjust if necessary.
-
Update the MacOS software on your device
- From the Apple menu, choose "System Preferences" and then click "Software Update" to check for updates.
- If updates are available, click the "Update now" button to install them.
Or click on 'More info' to view details about all updates and to select certain updates to be installed.
-
Update Outlook for Mac on your device
- Open an Office app, such as Word, then click Help > Check for Updates in the top menu.
If you don't see Check for Updates, run the latest version of the Microsoft AutoUpdate utility, and then check for updates again.

- Select the "Keep Microsoft apps automatically up-to-date" check box to receive the latest security and feature enhancements as they become available, keeping your Mac protected and up-to-date.
- Click Update to download and install all available updates.

To learn more about the details of each update before installing, click the arrow next to the Update button and review the apps, versions and installation date. Then click Update All or Update next to the individual apps.
-
Remove the Microsoft license with the "License removal tool"
Schedule meetings
Organized meetings: unlike "ad hoc" meetings, you place this meeting in the agenda and invite the participants. Important: this way you can invite externals who do not have a UGent account (or have not been added as a guest to a Team).
Scheduling meetings can be done using the
Teams calendar (which is the easiest way) or using the Outlook calendar.
Schedule meetings using the Teams calendar
Follow the step by step description by Microsoft:
Schedule a meeting in Teams
Schedule meetings using the Outlook calendar
To schedule meetings using the Outlook calendar, the "Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in for Microsoft Office" add-in is required. If the add-in does not appear for you in the Outlook calendar, you must first add it yourself.
Team meetings are online meetings; the procedure for scheduling them in Outlook is the same as for a meeting with a room; you can also use the planning assistant.
Inviting externals
You can invite external parties to your meeting with their e-mail address.
Set "Meeting options"
The meeting organizer can set "Meeting options" in meeting request/agenda
- Choose who should NOT wait in the virtual lobby, where attendees can wait before a meeting starts. Having someone wait in the lobby is ideal if you need to prepare some things.
- Choose who can present.
"Phone Calls"
Teams is not intended as a substitute for internal telephony at UGent. No link to the telephone network has been established. "Calling" is the term used to make audio and video calls.