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Microsoft Teams Essentials is a standalone Teams subscription that provides an all-in-one solution with meetings, chat, and collaboration for small businesses. As your business adapts to the increased need for remote working and virtual connections, you may be searching for a way to securely collaborate with employees, partners, suppliers, and customers. Whether you're a multi-city bakery, or a nine-person event agency, Microsoft Teams Essentials can bring your business together through one connected experience.
Before you continue
Microsoft Teams Essentials is available for purchase through Microsoft's direct website and Microsoft Cloud Partners. For more information about Teams Essentials, see How does Microsoft Teams Essentials compare to other Microsoft Teams plans?
Teams Essentials uses Microsoft Entra identity, which asks you to create a new login/identity. You can configure Teams Essentials to connect to your existing email address so you can sign in using your existing email address.
How does Microsoft Teams Essentials compare to other Microsoft Teams plans?
To purchase the right Teams subscription for your organization, compare Teams features between Teams Essentials, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, and Microsoft 365 Business Standard at Find the right Microsoft Teams for your needs - Business Plans.
To view Microsoft Teams (free) features, see Find the right Microsoft Teams for your needs - Home Plans.
Administration limits and specifications for Microsoft Teams Essentials
See Microsoft Teams limits and specifications to learn more about the limits, specifications, and other requirements that apply to Teams.
Get Microsoft Teams Essentials
Is your business new to Microsoft Teams? Thanks for choosing Microsoft!
To get started with Teams Essentials, follow these steps:
- Purchase the subscription. Go to Microsoft Teams Business Plans and select Buy now under Microsoft Teams Essentials.
- Sign up with your existing email address. Use an existing email address and follow the instructions to purchase user licenses.
- Review Teams service description. Visit Microsoft Teams service description to learn more about Microsoft Teams.
When you complete these tasks, you're ready to plan, deploy, and use the Teams app.
To do that, complete these three steps:
Install the Teams app. Install the Teams client on your PC or mobile device by going to Download Microsoft Teams.
Get Familiar with Teams. The best way to become familiar with Teams is to start using it right away. Take some time to explore the application so you have a better understanding of its capabilities.
Plan for adoption. For small businesses, planning for user adoption can be as simple as individually showing your users how to use Teams. Often, small business customers don't consider this step for new applications, which negatively affects the application's success and adoption.
Manage Microsoft Teams Essentials. Managing Microsoft Teams Essentials refers to assigning Microsoft Teams Essentials seats to other users - on whose behalf you purchased - in the intended proportions. You can manage Microsoft Teams Essentials through the Microsoft admin center.
Limitations
Keep the following limitations in mind:
- All users must be in the same domain. (All users get a sign-in email in the format username@domain.com.)
Can I purchase Teams Essentials using Microsoft Entra identity through Microsoft's website?
Yes. Teams Essentials with Microsoft Entra identity is available through Microsoft's direct website and Microsoft Cloud Partners.
To purchase Teams Essentials from Microsoft's direct website, visit Find the right Microsoft Teams for your needs.
If you're interested in working with a Microsoft Partner, visit Find a Microsoft Partner Cloud Solution Provider.
Can I use an existing email system with Microsoft Teams Essentials?
Yes. You can keep your existing email system and use Teams Essentials to meet, chat, and collaborate.
Can I connect my existing calendar solution with Teams Essentials?
Yes. You can sync existing calendars from Outlook.com and Google with Teams Essentials.
To connect an existing calendar solution with Teams Essentials, follow the instructions later in this article.
How do I connect my current email and calendar with Teams Essentials?
To get started, visit Connect Microsoft Teams Essentials to an existing email system with calendar. You can connect an existing email system like Google Workspace to Microsoft Teams Essentials to stay connected across platforms with integrated calendars and sign in.
More information
Visit Configuration Guide for configuration steps on connecting Microsoft Teams Essentials to an existing email system with calendar.
To find out more about Teams versions and their capabilities, visit Compare Teams plans.