How to Send a Microsoft Teams Invite by Email or Link

To send a Microsoft Teams invite to join a team, open the team’s More options (...) menu, choose Add member, select a coworker or enter a guest’s email address, and click Add. Outside guests receive an invitation email. You can also share a channel link, but that link does not grant membership by itself.

Before you invite someone

These instructions cover work or school teams in the desktop or web app. You normally need team owner permissions; you do not need to be a Microsoft 365 administrator. Members who are not owners can submit a request for an owner to approve.

Teams supports combined or separate views. Find your team under Chat in the combined layout or Teams in the separate layout. The examples below use sample names and the separate layout; your screen may differ.

Invite a member or guest by email

1. Open the team’s member menu

Locate the correct team, hover over its name, and select the three-dot menu. Choose Add member. Use the menu beside the team name, rather than a channel name.

2. Find someone inside your organization

Type the person’s name and select the matching directory result. Check the displayed email address, especially when several people have similar names. You can also search supported groups when adding multiple coworkers. If you are inviting an outside guest, use the next step instead.

3. Enter an outside guest’s full email address

For someone outside your organization, enter their complete email address and select the guest suggestion to confirm it. Business and consumer email accounts can be used. Review the guest’s display name before completing the addition.

4. Add the selected person

Check the selected identity, then click Add. Keep ordinary collaborators as members; give owner permissions only when they need to manage the team. See Microsoft’s member instructions and guest invitation instructions for the documented workflows.

5. Have the guest accept the invitation

The guest receives a welcome email and must accept the invitation. They should use the invited identity, complete any sign-in or verification prompts, and select your organization’s guest account in Teams if necessary. Internal members are added through the directory workflow; guest acceptance is a separate requirement.

Share a Microsoft Teams link

For a shortcut to a team’s conversation, Microsoft’s current link-sharing instructions use a channel’s Copy link command. If your menu differs from older instructions mentioning “Get link to team,” use this channel-link method. Add outside guests by email first.

6. Locate the channel

Expand the team and find the channel you want to share, such as General. Check that you are sharing the intended team’s channel before copying anything.

7. Copy its link

Hover over the channel, open its three-dot menu, and choose Copy link. Teams copies the link to your clipboard automatically.

8. Send the link with context

Paste it into an email or chat, explain which team and channel it opens, and send it to the intended recipient. A channel link is a navigation shortcut, not an invitation to a scheduled call.

If someone receives a team join link for a private team, the owner must approve their access request. Public teams do not require that approval. Microsoft’s guidance on joining with a team link also states that guests cannot join a team through a link or code.

Why a Teams invitation may not work

• You cannot add members: Confirm your owner role or ask an owner to approve the addition.
• An external email is not accepted: Ask your administrator to check guest access and organization restrictions. External chat access alone does not provide team membership.
• A guest cannot open the team yet: Confirm invitation acceptance and the selected account. Access can take up to 12 hours to become available, according to Microsoft’s guest-access documentation.

Need a meeting invite instead?

A meeting invitation is separate from team membership. A scheduled call uses a calendar event and meeting join link, rather than the team membership workflow above. Microsoft’s meeting invitation instructions cover adding attendees and sharing the meeting link when your goal is a call.