How-To

How to Create Custom Tabs in Microsoft Teams

By Sandy Writtenhouse

Updated November 21, 2022

You can create new Microsoft Teams tabs for helpful apps your team can use or useful files you want them to access. It’s easy!

If you and your coworkers use Microsoft Teams, then you know it has some terrific features. You can schedule meetings, create recordings of video calls, and much more.

Another great perk of using Microsoft Teams is the ability to create tabs in the application. Tabs can provide quick and easy access to things like apps and files. Then with a click, any team member can use these types of items. Here’s how to set up custom tabs in Teams.

About Tabs in Microsoft Teams

Tabs are the spots at the top of the main window, whether you’re using the desktop or online application. And Teams starts you off with a few tabs like Posts, Files, and Wiki.

You can use apps or files as tabs in Teams. Apps can include services such as Trello and Box but also cover document management and a whiteboard. Files are those you upload, whether images or documents, and you can easily convert files to tabs.

Note: Microsoft Teams admins and team owners can limit who has the ability to add apps and which ones can be added.

How to Create an App Tab

You can add a tab in the desktop or online version of Microsoft Teams. Start by going to the channel or chat where you want the tab, and then do the following.

1. Click the plus sign on the right of the tab bar.
2. Select or search for the app you want to add.
3. If the app hasn’t been installed yet, click Add and follow any subsequent prompts to complete the process. If the app has already been installed, you may take an extra step. For example, if you installed Trello, you can select the board for that tab.

Once you have the app tab, click to access it. If you want to rename or remove the tab, click the arrow on it and pick your action.

How to Create a File Tab

Using a file as a tab is helpful for things like guidelines, instructions, or references. For instance, you may use your company policy document as a tab for quick access by team members.

1. Go to the channel where you want the file as a tab and click the existing Files tab.
2. Click Show Actions (three dots) for the file.
3. Select Make this a tab.

Your file will then pop into its own tab at the top with the file’s name as that of the tab. The file will also remain in the Files tab.

Like with the app tabs, you can click the tab arrow to rename or remove the tab.

Take Advantage of Tabs in Teams

The tabs in Microsoft Teams are useful tools that can provide easy access to apps and files for your entire team. It only takes a few minutes to create a custom tab in Teams, so will you take advantage of the feature?

For more, check out how to download and share your recordings or set up an out-of-office message in Teams.