• Microsoft Teams

  • Microsoft Teams is a cloud platform that combines chat, meetings, video conferencing, notes, collaborative file editing and sharing, and tasks. This supports teamwork and especially collaboration with colleagues in a hybrid work environment.

    Functionalities/possibilities offered by MS Teams in general are limited at KIT.

General Information

 

In addition to the service agreement for the introduction and operation of Microsoft 365, the service agreements on video conferencing systems and the data protection information for MS Teams must be observed when using Microsoft Teams.

KIT students must first acknowledge the data protection declaration for the use of Microsoft Teams so that their KIT account is recognized in the Microsoft Cloud. For employees, this consent requirement will no longer apply as of January 12, 2026.

The activation of the KIT account/M365 account usually takes a few minutes. Unfortunately, in rare cases, delays of up to one hour may occur.

Deployment

Microsoft Teams is supported on a variety of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux (via web browser), Android, and iOS (for mobile devices), as well as special versions for Teams Rooms on Windows and Android. Support applies to the current major versions of the operating systems, with web browsers requiring the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.

 

DesktopApp - Download & Installation

For Windows clients managed by SCC, MS Teams is automatically installed via OPSI if the device is connected to the KIT network.
If you are working from home, please refer to the instructions “Preparing OPSI outside the KIT network for automatic updates.”

On other client or mobile systems, MS Teams can be downloaded and installed from Microsoft.

Starting MS Teams

  • WebApp
    • Ensure that third-party cookies are not blocked in your browser.
    • Launch your web browser and enter the URL https://teams.microsoft.com.
    • Log in with your KIT account username.
  • DesktopApp
    • Launch the Microsoft Teams app.
    • Log in with your KIT account username.
  • MobileApp
    • Open the Teams app.
    • Log in with your KIT account username.

Login

Login via browser: URL: https://teams.microsoft.com 

Analogous to the client program, the login takes place via the KIT Web-SSO mechanism (Shibboleth) using the user's own login name:  KIT-ACCOUNT ∂does-not-exist.kit edu (find out your own KIT account)

  • for staff: ab1234@kit.edu
  • for students: uabcd@student.kit.edu
  • for partners: ab1234@partner.kit.edu

To facilitate the introduction to MS Teams, you may find answers to KIT specific questions in the FAQ.

Using MS Teams

 

Use of MS Teams in teaching

Guidance on using MS Teams in online teaching is provided by the Center for Media Learning (ZML): Use of MS Teams in teaching

Use for...

Participation of external persons

Option 1: Preparation / Invitation to an appointment

Requirements: Installed Outlook and MS Teams desktop application (client)

  • create an appointment in Outlook
  • click on New Teams Meeting in the menu bar
  • enter recipient - it is possible to enter external participants
  • send appointment
  • a participation link is included in the appointment ("Attend Microsoft Team Meeting")

Option 2: Just before the meeting

  • organizer opens Outlook appointment
  • click on "Join Teams Meeting" in the menu bar
  • a chat opens automatically in the desktop application
  • the participants open the Outlook appointment to participate and click on the link in the appointment request

Option 3: Via the personal calendar in MS Teams

This option has only been possible since the login names were changed in March 2024.
This allows you to schedule an online meeting in Teams without having to use Outlook.

  • Go to your "Calendar" in MS Teams
    • You can find this in the left-hand navigation bar under [...] 
      -> enter "Calendar" via the search function
  • You should then see your personal Exchange calendar 
  • Create a new Teams meeting there by clicking on the "+New meeting" button and specifying all meeting options
  • Save the meeting
  • Participants and organizers will receive an invitation with a corresponding meeting link and can use it to join the planned meeting.

 

Netiquette

  • dial in in time (in advance)
  • mute when not speaking (avoid noise)
  • use a headset (avoid reverberation)
  • provide longer contributions in advance

 

Client and operating system specifications

Linux - Chrome

If you use Chrome, you may get into an error that asks you to use third party cookies. This is how you get to this setting: 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner -> Settings -> Avanced -> Privacy and security -> Site Settings-> Cookies and site data -> block third-party cookies: off.

Linux - Client

In the Linux client, you cannot share individual windows, only the entire screen.

Windows client

In the Windows Client you can blur the background during an meeting: More options ... -> Blur my background.

The client starts automatically, after each Windows logon.

Mobile - Clients (iOS, Android)

There are some minor restrictions in the mobile phone clients that would go beyond the scope of this article. If we notice significant differences, we will share them here.