How to Connect to Microsoft Teams With PowerShell (+Cmdlets)

Last Updated on October 25, 2024

Want to use PowerShell with Teams?

In this guide, you will learn how to easily connect to Microsoft Teams using PowerShell and the cmdlets you can use.

Let’s get started!

Requirements and Permissions

First, make sure you’re running a PowerShell 5.1 or higher for best compatibility with Microsoft Teams cmdlets.

You can check the version using this command:

$PSVersionTable.PSVersion

For the permissions, you must have Teams administrator privileges within your organization (global or service).

Like this:

Related: The SharePoint Admin Role (Complete Guide for Beginners)

Some cmdlets in the Microsoft Teams module might also require additional permissions or roles assigned to your account.

For example, if you need to manage policies or user data, then a user management admin role is a must-have.

Connecting to Microsoft Teams Environment With PowerShell

There are three things here that you need to know:

1. Installation
2. Connection
3. Disconnection

1. Installation

Before you can connect to Teams, you need to have the Microsoft Teams PowerShell Module installed.

Open Windows PowerShell and run this script:

Install-Module -Name MicrosoftTeams -Force -AllowClobber

By the way, the -AllowClobber parameter allows the cmdlet to overwrite items even if they already exist.

In simple terms, you won’t have to worry about anything (like conflicts) when updating existing modules. 🙂

You can then verify the installation using this script:

Get-Module -Name MicrosoftTeams -ListAvailable

If it’s installed, that script will give you the module name, type, and version, along with the exported commands available.

2. Connection

Since the module is now installed, you can now connect to Microsoft Teams.

Simply enter this command:

Connect-MicrosoftTeams

Once connected, it will show you what account has connected, the environment, and the tenant ID.

Here’s what it looks like:

Naturally, if your organization requires multi-factor authentication, you need to follow the on-screen instructions.

3. Disconnection

You must always disconnect from the Microsoft Teams session once you’re done.

Here’s the script:

Disconnect-MicrosoftTeams

This avoids unnecessary risks with unauthorized access as well as frees up resources that active sessions consume.

Cmdlets for Managing Microsoft Teams

Now, there are a lot of cmdlets that become available to you after you’re connected to Microsoft Teams.

Below are important cmdlets you can use to manage Teams, channels, memberships, and advanced configurations.

1. Managing Teams

Create a New Team: Use New-Team to create a new team.

New-Team -DisplayName "Team Name" -Description "Team Description"

List All Teams: The Get-Team cmdlet retrieves a list of all teams you’re a member of or own.

Get-Team

Update Team Information: Modify an existing team’s details with Set-Team.

Set-Team -GroupId <GroupID> -DisplayName "New Team Name" -Description "Updated Description"

Delete a Team: Remove a team using Remove-Team.

Remove-Team -GroupId <GroupID>

2. Managing Channels

Create a Channel: Use New-TeamChannel to add a new channel to a team.

New-TeamChannel -GroupId <GroupID> -DisplayName "Channel Name" -Description "Channel Description"

List Channels in a Team: Retrieve all channels within a specific team using Get-TeamChannel.

Get-TeamChannel -GroupId <GroupID>

Update a Channel: Modify channel settings with Set-TeamChannel.

Set-TeamChannel -GroupId <GroupID> -Identity "Channel Name" -NewDisplayName "New Channel Name"

Delete a Channel: Remove a channel from a team with Remove-TeamChannel.

Remove-TeamChannel -GroupId <GroupID> -Identity "Channel Name"

3. Managing Memberships

Add a Member to a Team: To add a user to a team, use Add-TeamUser.

Add-TeamUser -GroupId <GroupID> -User <UserEmail>

List Members of a Team: Retrieve a list of all members and their roles within a team using Get-TeamUser.

Get-TeamUser -GroupId <GroupID>

Change a Member’s Role: Promote a member to an owner (or demote to a member) with Set-TeamUser.

Set-TeamUser -GroupId <GroupID> -User <UserEmail> -Role Owner

Remove a Member from a Team: Use Remove-TeamUser to delete a user from a team.

Remove-TeamUser -GroupId <GroupID> -User <UserEmail>

4. Advanced Cmdlets

You can easily adjust policies for meetings, messaging, and member settings.

Each policy type has its corresponding cmdlets like:

Get-TeamsMeetingPolicy

Or 

Set-TeamsMessagingPolicy

Both allow for granular control over team functionalities.

Another good example of using Windows Powershell is for bulk operations.

You can add multiple users to a team or update user roles by reading from a CSV file or by using an array.

Here’s an example of how it would look like:

$users = Import-Csv -Path "path\to\your\userlist.csv"
foreach ($user in $users) {
    Add-TeamUser -GroupId <GroupID> -User $user.email
}

Awesome, right? 😎

Anyway, got any questions about using PowerShell to connect with Microsoft Teams? Leave a comment below.

For any business-related queries or concerns, contact me through the contact form. I always reply. 🙂