Body
Summary
Microsoft Teams is designed to support collaboration through a structure of Teams and Channels. Understanding the difference between a Team and a Channel — and knowing when to use each — helps your group or department organize workspaces effectively, improve collaboration, and avoid confusion or duplication.
Content
What is a Team?
A Team in Microsoft Teams is a top-level container for a group of people working together. Each Team gets its own M365 Group, which includes:
- SharePoint site (for file storage)
- Group email (Outlook)
- Planner board
- OneNote notebook
- Shared calendar
Create a New Team when:
- You are starting a distinct project, department, or group with its own members, goals, and content.
- You need independent access control (e.g., only certain users should see and access this workspace).
- The content and conversations will be completely separate from other areas of the team's work.
- You need independent apps/dedicated resources (SharePoint site, Planner, shared Email)
What is a Channel?
A Channel is a sub-space within a Team. It’s used to organize conversations, files, and work by topic or focus area. Every Team starts with a General channel, and you can create additional Standard, Private, or Shared channels.
Types of Channels:
- Standard – Open to all members of the Team
- Private – Visible only to a subset of Team members. Use Private Channels WISELY – creates a separate SharePoint site (try private chat or group chat instead)
- Shared – Can include people from other Teams or tenant approved/configured B2B external organizations (requires governance)
Create a new Channel when:
- You want to organize content within an existing Team (e.g., by project, topic, semester, or function).
- The members are largely the same, but you want to segment conversations or files.
- You want to reduce sprawl and centralize work.
- You want to leverage existing shared file storage and context.
Key Distinctions
FEATURE
|
TEAM
|
CHANNEL
|
| Purpose |
Broad collaboration group |
Organized by topic or focus |
| Membership |
Controls access to the whole Team |
Follows Team membership (except Private or Shared) |
| File Storage |
Own SharePoint site |
Folder within the Team's SharePoint site |
| Use Case |
Departments, standalone projects, unique permissions |
Meetings, events, sub-projects, workstreams |
Decision Chart - New Team or New Channel?
SCENARIO
|
IF YES CONSIDER...
|
IF NO CONSIDER...
|
Is this group working on a completely separate long-term initiative or function?
|
New Microsoft Team
|
Channel in an existing Team
|
Does the group require separate security and membership?
|
New Microsoft Team
|
Channel
|
Will this require dedicated resources (Document library, Planner, Mailbox, etc.)?
|
New Microsoft Team
|
Channel
|
Are the members already collaborating in an existing Team?
|
Channel
|
New Microsoft Team
|
Will this work benefit from shared context with ongoing current team efforts?
|
Channel
|
New Microsoft Team
|
Is there a compliance or governance requirement for data separation?
|
New Microsoft Team
|
Channel
|
Further Readings
MS Teams: USNH Teams Usage Guidelines and Governance
MS Teams: Delete or Restore a Teams Channel
MS Teams: Uploading/Sharing Files or Folders in Microsoft Teams
Need additional help?
For assistance concerning site creation, content sharing, file synchronization, or other common SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, or Office app activities, we recommend our Microsoft 365 Learning sites:
Learn more about the great tools our Microsoft 365 Learning sites offer!
Visit the Technology Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request. For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.