Configuring Microsoft Teams Privacy Settings: Updated Guide

Last Updated on April 30, 2023

Confused about the different privacy settings in Teams?

In this article, let’s talk about the three types of privacy settings when creating a new team, the use cases, and the limitations of each one.

Let’s get started.

What are the different privacy settings in Microsoft Teams?

There are three main privacy settings in Microsoft Teams:

• Private
• Public
• Org-wide

You will see all three of them as options when you create a new team in Teams:

Private teams are only visible and accessible to team members. On the other hand, everyone in the organization can see and join public teams.

Org-wide teams are automatically created for the entire organization —  and everyone is added as a member by default.

Related: How to Create a Team in Microsoft Teams

Within each team, there are additional privacy settings that can be customized by the team owner.

For example, a private team can be further restricted so that only certain members have permission to create new channels or invite new members.

Similarly, a public team can be set up so that only team owners or designated members can post messages.

Now let’s dive deeper into each one and what their uses cases and limitations are.

Private team: Use cases and limitations

Private teams are only visible to invited members.

This setting can be used to ensure that only the right people have access to sensitive or confidential information.

When creating a private team, the owner of the team can choose who can join the team and what actions members can do within it.

Some key characteristics of private teams include:

1. Membership control: Private teams give the team owner complete control over who can join the team. The owner can invite people to join the team or allow people to request to join the team. The owner can also remove members from the team at any time.
2. Content control: Private teams allow the owner to control who can view and access the content within the team. Members of the team can only access the content if they have been explicitly granted access by the team owner.
3. Increased privacy: Private teams help ensure that sensitive or confidential information is kept within the appropriate group of people. Only those who have been invited or approved to join the team can view or access the team’s content.

Related: Guide: How to Create a Private Channel in Microsoft Teams

When to create a private team?

A private team in Microsoft Teams can be useful in various use cases where confidentiality and privacy are important.

Here are some common use cases for private teams:

1. Project teams: They can be created for projects that require collaboration between a specific group of people. For example, a marketing team working on a new campaign may create a private team to discuss and share sensitive information related to the campaign.
2. HR teams: A private team can be created for HR-related discussions that require confidentiality. For example, an HR team may create a private team to discuss employee performance reviews or salary negotiations.
3. Legal teams: Legal teams require confidentiality when discussing sensitive legal matters. For example, a legal team may create a private team to discuss a pending lawsuit or a merger or acquisition.
4. Executive teams: Executive teams may require confidential communication and collaboration. For example, a CEO may create a private team to discuss sensitive financial information or strategic planning.
5. Support teams: Support teams may require access to sensitive customer information. For example, a customer support team may create a private team to discuss customer issues or complaints.

What are the limitations of private teams?

While private teams in Microsoft Teams can be a powerful tool for collaboration and communication, they do have some limitations.

Here are some common limitations of private teams:

1. Limited visibility: Private teams are only visible to invited members. Others in the organization may not be aware of the team’s activities or have access to its content, which limits opportunities for cross-functional collaboration or knowledge sharing.
2. Limited membership: People outside of the team cannot contribute to its activities or access its content since only invited members can see the private team. This can limit opportunities for external collaboration or input.
3. Limited transparency: Private teams provide a high level of confidentiality and privacy. This can be particularly problematic in situations where transparency and accountability are important, such as in a legal or regulatory context.
4. Limited collaboration: Private teams are designed to be exclusive and selective, which can limit opportunities for open collaboration and communication. This can be particularly problematic in situations where cross-functional collaboration is necessary.
5. Potential for silos: Private teams can create silos within an organization, where information and knowledge are only accessible to a specific group of people. This can limit opportunities for knowledge sharing, innovation, and collaboration.

Public team: Use cases and limitations

Public teams are visible to everyone in your organization. Anyone can join without an invitation.

Some key characteristics of public teams include:

1. Open membership: Anyone in your organization can find and join a public team without an invitation. This can be useful for teams that require open communication and collaboration between members.
2. Content visibility: The content of public teams is visible to all members of the team, as well as anyone in your organization who can access Teams. This means that the conversations, files, and other content within a public team are open for everyone to see.
3. Limited membership control: Public teams do not give the owner complete control over membership. While the owner can control who can post and edit content within the team, anyone in your organization can still join the team.

It’s important to note that public teams may not be appropriate for all types of teams or projects.

While they allow for open communication and collaboration, they may not be the best choice for teams that require strict confidentiality or privacy.

When to create a public team?

Public teams in Microsoft Teams can be useful in various use cases where open collaboration and communication are important.

Here are some common use cases for public teams:

1. Cross-functional teams: Public teams are useful members from different departments that need to collaborate. For example, a product development team may create a public team to collaborate with members from marketing, sales, and engineering.
2. Departmental teams: Individual departments can also make use of such teams for communication and collaboration. For example, a marketing department may create a public team to discuss and share marketing initiatives and campaigns.
3. Interest-based teams: This kind of group needs to have some sort of internal communication and work together. For example, an employee-led book club may create a public team to discuss books and organize meetings.
4. Community teams: The same can be said for community teams. For example, a non-profit organization may create a public team to collaborate with volunteers or donors.
5. Training teams: Public teams can be created for training and education purposes. For example, a sales training team may create a public team to share training materials and allow sales representatives to ask questions and share best practices.

Related: Microsoft Teams Best Practices Guide: Focus and Management

What are the limitations of public teams?

Here are some common limitations of private teams:

1. Lack of privacy: The openness in public teams can be problematic when sensitive or confidential information is being shared, as there is a risk that unauthorized individuals may be able to view the content.
2. Potential for spam or misuse: Public teams are more susceptible to spam or misuse than private teams. This can result in a decrease in productivity and efficiency, as well as a potential loss of focus on the team’s objectives.
3. Limited control: Anyone in the organization can join a public team as the owner doesn’t have complete control over the membership. This can make it difficult to manage the team’s content and ensure that the team is meeting its objectives.
4. Potential for distractions: Since public teams can be open to everyone in the organization, team members may receive notifications and messages that are not relevant to their work. This can lead to distractions and a decrease in productivity.
5. Potential for misunderstandings: Team members may have different perspectives and interpretations of the content being shared. This can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts within the team.

Related: Microsoft Teams Security Best Practices: Compliance & Governance

Org-wide team: Use cases and limitations

Org-wide teams are a special type of team in Microsoft Teams that are created to allow for organization-wide communication and collaboration.

They are designed to allow anyone in the organization to participate and access the team’s content, regardless of whether they were explicitly added as a member.

Some key characteristics of org-wide teams include:

1. Organization-wide membership: These teams are open to anyone in the organization by default. This allows for wide-scale communication and collaboration across departments, locations, and roles.
2. Automatic membership: When an org-wide team is created, all current and future employees are automatically added as members. This ensures that everyone in the organization can participate in the team’s activities and access its content.
3. Content visibility: The content of org-wide teams is visible to everyone in the organization by default. This means that conversations, files, and other content within the team are open for everyone to see.
4. Limited membership control: Org-wide teams, like public teams, do not give the owner complete control over membership. While the owner can control who can post and edit content within the team, anyone in the organization can still join the team.

When to create an org-wide team?

Here are some common use cases for Org-wide teams:

1. Announcements: Org-wide teams can be used to make important announcements to the entire organization, such as company-wide updates, new initiatives, or policy changes.
2. Knowledge sharing: They are the best kind of team to share knowledge and expertise across the organization, such as sharing best practices, resources, or training materials.
3. Social engagement: Org-wide teams can be used to facilitate social engagement and connection across the organization, such as sharing social events, community involvement, or employee recognition.
4. Crisis management: They are perfect for managing crises or emergencies that affect the entire organization, such as a natural disaster, cyber attack, or health crisis.
5. Organizational governance: Org-wide teams can be used to facilitate communication and collaboration among senior leadership, board members, or other governance groups within the organization.

What are the limitations of org-wide teams?

As you can see, org-wide teams and public teams share a lot of key characteristics.

It follows that both types also share similar limitations:

• Lack of privacy
• Potential for spam or misuse
• Limited control
• Potential for distractions
• Potential for misunderstandings

How to change the privacy settings of a team

Did you realize that you may need different privacy settings than the one you set up?

Fortunately, it’s quite easy to change the privacy settings of a team. Unfortunately, you’re only limited to two choices:

1. Private
2. Public

For this, you need to navigate to the admin center of MS Teams.

If you’re coming from a SharePoint site or anywhere in Microsoft 365, click the app launcher icon > admin option:

That will bring you to the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Click the show all button on the left pane and select Teams:

I assume you’re now at the dashboard of the Microsoft Teams admin center.

Expand the Teams menu from the left pane and go to the manage teams page:

You will then see a list of all the MS Teams that you have.

Click on the name of the specific MS Team that you want to manage:

What you will see is somewhat like the profile of that specific team.

Click the edit button on the upper-right side of the page:

That will then open a right panel where you can edit the basic information of the team.

Simply change the privacy settings from there and click the apply button below:

Related: Microsoft Teams Tutorial: Become a Teams Expert Quickly

Selecting the right privacy settings

Microsoft Teams offers various privacy settings that can be customized to suit the needs of your team or organization.

But even if you can indeed change them from the admin center, it’s still important to carefully consider which type to use.

Remember:

• Private teams are useful in situations where confidentiality and privacy are important, such as project teams, HR teams, and legal teams.
• Public teams are useful for open collaboration and communication, such as cross-functional teams, interest-based groups, and training teams.
• Org-wide teams are useful for organization-wide communication and collaboration, such as announcements, knowledge sharing, and social engagement.

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