Learn more about Microsoft Teams (free) Community Standards

Table of Contents

Our Shared Values

Conduct

Content 

Information for Parents 

Verification

Standards  

• i. Keep it legal

• ii. Do your part to keep everyone safe

• iii. Turn the spam into substance

• iv. Keep your content clean

• v. Fraud benefits no one

• vi. When there are limits, there’s a reason

• vii. Harmful behavior has no place on Microsoft Teams

• viii. Respect the rights of others

• ix. Always respect the privacy of others

• x. Be a force for good, even when others aren’t

Consequences

Our Shared Values

Microsoft Teams is built on the values of inclusivity and respect. These values are what allow Microsoft Teams to be a space for meaningful connections on shared interests across a diversity of users.    

• Respect others, even when you disagree

• Lead by example and be a steward of your community

• Helping others makes all of us stronger

• Hate has no place here

Conduct

Microsoft Teams belongs to you - but it also belongs to all our other users too. Each of you deserve a place to be yourself with confidence, free from bullying, hatred, and harassment.   
Remember:  

• Microsoft Teams offers users the opportunity to connect with others over shared interests. Celebrate what unites you with other users.

• Not everyone has the same likes or dislikes as you, so think twice about saying something hurtful about someone else’s content or choices.

• Stay alert to what goes on around you and be stewards of your Teams Communities. If you experience or witness inappropriate conduct or content, we encourage you to use the “Report a Concern” function to report content and chats that are inappropriate.

Content

Giving users spaces to share information, laughs, and support is why we created Microsoft Teams in the first place. We encourage users to share posts, photos, and videos that are meaningful to you and that you think will be meaningful to other users.

Remember:  

• Use your knowledge and creativity to share informative, helpful, supportive, funny, truthful, and interesting content with other users. When participating in a Microsoft Teams group chat or Teams Communities, make sure your content contributes positively to the stated purpose of chat space.

• Content you post needs to suit the audience that you are sharing it with, which, if you are participating in a Microsoft Teams group chat or Teams Communities, means the members in your group chat or Teams Communities.

• Context is important: keep in mind that mature content that makes sense in some spaces may not be appropriate for Microsoft Teams.

Information for Parents

Microsoft Teams offers features that parents can use to have greater transparency and control into how their children are sharing information with other users. 

We also believe that keeping online experiences safe and positive involves more than building in permission settings and controls. So we encourage parents to talk to their children about how they use Microsoft Teams. Talk to your children about what they’re seeing and sharing and who they are communicating with and let them know that behavior that is inappropriate in real life is just as inappropriate online.

Verification

When signing up for Microsoft Teams, we verify your contact information, such as your email address and telephone number.

Standards

If you’ve reviewed the Microsoft Services Agreement, the following rules probably seem familiar. They may sound a bit like legalese, but bear with us—upholding these standards is critical to maintaining a community that everyone can enjoy! People differ about what is appropriate and fun, and conflicts sometimes occur. But while plenty of conflicts can be worked out between users of Microsoft Teams, there are nevertheless some things we just can’t tolerate. 

In each section below, you will find examples showing how the Microsoft Services Agreement’s Code of Conduct relates to Microsoft Teams. Remember that the following are examples; they are in no way intended to be an exhaustive list of acceptable or unacceptable behavior. 

i. Keep it legal

Microsoft Teams is available in countries all over the world, and it’s important that people of all backgrounds feel safe and comfortable on our platform. To help ensure this, we must respect local laws and remove content or behavior that advocates or promotes illegal activities. 

For example, don’t: 

• Build Teams Communities or Microsoft Teams group chats around illegal drug use

• Promote or praise terrorists

• Organize violent gatherings or otherwise share content that glorifies or incites violence

• Offer sexual services

• Post links or videos allowing users to access unauthorized copies of copyrighted music or videos

• Advertise, coordinate, or otherwise facilitate the purchase or sale of firearms, ammunition, or other regulated products

ii. Do your part to keep everyone safe

To keep Microsoft Teams as a place for everyone, we can’t allow behavior or content designed to exploit, harm, or threaten anyone – children, adults, or otherwise. When threatening, abusive, or insulting language is used against another member of our community, or the community at large, it undermines every user’s ability to enjoy the community. 

For example, don’t: 

• Threaten violence against another user or their family

• Encourage other users to self-harm

• Share content or create Teams Communities dedicated to glorifying or promoting eating disorders

• Target vulnerable or sensitive users with inappropriate content or content designed specifically to offend them

• Create or operate a “hate group” aimed at a particular individual or group

• Coerce, harass, or blackmail users into paying you money

• Share content depicting abusive or violent behavior

• Share or encourage the sharing of any content featuring a minor which is sexual or suggestive in nature

iii. Turn that spam into substance

Microsoft Teams is about making meaningful connections. The best way to do this is by sharing content that is genuine to your interests. While you can connect on authentically shared business and commercial interests, don’t use Microsoft Teams for one-sided communications.

For example, don’t:  

• Regularly offer prizes for bringing new members to join your Microsoft Teams group chats or Teams Communities

• Repeatedly message other users without their consent

• Repeatedly post the same or similar content

• Send multiple invites to Teams users who haven’t shown an interest in joining your Microsoft Teams group chats or Teams Communities

iv. Keep your content clean

Users come to Microsoft Teams to connect on all manners of issues and interests.  Everyone’s tastes are different, and that’s great! However, that doesn’t mean that absolutely anything goes. To keep Microsoft Teams welcoming and inclusive for everyone, some content must be avoided.

Support a welcoming and inclusive community

Harassment and hate take many forms, but none have a home here. To make Microsoft Teams a place for everyone, and to prevent people from feeling uncomfortable or unwelcome, we all need to be stewards. This means more than just not harassing other users—it means embracing them. It means taking particular care to keep in mind how other users might interpret your content. 

For example, don’t:  

• Use intimidating or derogatory language directed at others

• Make fun of other people’s identities or personal traits

• Target individuals based on their connection to a particularly marginalized or vulnerable group

• Use language that operates to exclude or demean others or shut someone out of a conversation

• Turn what should be a comment about a user’s content into a personal attack

• Create Microsoft Teams group chats or Teams Communities dedicated to tearing down another individual or group

• Encourage anyone to do any of the above

Be respectful with your words

It’s okay to disagree with other users on Microsoft Teams; but keep your tone respectful and your language clean. Hate has no place here, and it’s not ok for your sharing of opinion to turn into harassment. Harassment includes any negative behavior that’s personalized, disruptive, or likely to make someone feel unwelcome or unsafe. To qualify as harassment, the behavior doesn’t have to be drawn-out or persistent. Even a single abusive message could harm someone’s experience. Know when to draw the line, when to back off. Know and respect other Microsoft Teams users. 

For example, acceptable sharing of a difference in opinion might include:  

• Not sure how you came to this conclusion. Try again.

• Thanks for sharing your opinion, but I don’t agree.

• This does not seem accurate. Could you please share your sources? Misinformation has no place here.

• This Teams Community is not for me; I am going to remove myself.

Harassment looks like:

• This is the [profanity] idea I’ve ever heard. Get a brain, [racial slur].

• How about we meet in person to settle this one? I know where you live.

• I cannot believe someone as [slur against those with disabilities] as you is allowed to be in this Teams Community. KYS.

• This [profanity] university is a joke. You will all be sorry soon.

• These [homophobic slur] are ruining this country. Anyone who agrees, come join my Teams Community; your “offensive” jokes will be safe there.

Be yourself, but not at the expense of others.

Microsoft Teams is yours, but it’s everyone else’s too. We encourage being genuine, but it’s not in our shared values to post something that keeps others from having positive experiences. We aspire to a community where everyone feels welcome. Problematic content just gets in the way. If you’re looking for a place on the internet to get a rise out of people or to share misinformation, Microsoft Teams isn’t the place for you. 

For example, don’t:  

• Share information that you know or suspect may be false or misleading

• Make provocative religious comments

• Post or send someone a picture that’s meant to shock or disgust

• Use your voice within your Microsoft Teams group chat or Teams Communities to promote controversial politics, particularly if that’s not the topic that the group has gathered around

• Continually press users to engage with you on policy issues, even if they have shown no interest

• Post content about a violent event, expressing an opinion that downplays the tragedy or that claims that violence did not actually occur

Share content that is suitable for all audiences

People from all over the world join Microsoft Teams, and we understand that people from different backgrounds have diverse perspectives about mature and adult topics. Because Microsoft Teams must be friendly and accessible to everyone, this isn't the appropriate place for sexual content. And sometimes something seemingly harmless can actually reference something inappropriate, when looked at a certain way. If your content or conduct is designed to trick others into thinking they’re reading or seeing something inappropriate, we’ll have to treat it that way. Keep your posts and messages suitable for all audiences to help keep this a welcoming place for all. Where your content, Microsoft Teams group chat or Teams Communities is best suited to a particular age group, make sure to include proper labeling to make this clear. 

For example, don’t:  

• Share graphic descriptions of violence or mature sexual content

• Name your one of your Teams Communities “Summer Fun” if the target audience is adults connecting on the best summer beer gardens. Instead, consider a name like “Summer Drink Spots”

• Post a link to a video featuring or promoting bestiality

• Post memes that contain nudity

• Send lewd messages to other users

• Use double entendre or phrases with inappropriate dual meanings in posts or comments

v. Fraud benefits no one

Fraud is any attempt to use deceit or misrepresentation for personal or financial gain. When you engage in fraud, it undermines the very idea of community. So don’t do it! 

For example, don’t:  

• Impersonate or falsely represent a brand, another user, or Microsoft

• Give other users the impression that you are a Microsoft employee

• Promote misleading or deceptive products, services or offers

• Perpetuate scams

• Try to access Microsoft Teams from anything other than your own Microsoft account

• Manipulate engagement on your own or other users’ posts

vi. When there are limits, there's a reason

When we put restrictions in place, we do so to help ensure everyone’s safety or improve an experience for everyone in Microsoft Teams. Attempting to circumvent restrictions can affect both user privacy and the integrity of Microsoft services. For the safety of all, it’s important to respect deliberate limitations.

For example, don’t: 

• Use other accounts to continue communicating with another user who has blocked you

• Create alternate Microsoft accounts to circumvent a suspension or restriction

• Attempt to use Microsoft Teams anonymously or from an account other than your own Microsoft account

vii. Harmful behavior has no place on Microsoft Teams

Harmful behavior on Microsoft Teams ruins the experience for everyone. Manipulation, exploitation, and abuse of Microsoft Teams services doesn’t just affect Microsoft. These actions also inhibit the ability of Microsoft to provide the best possible services to customers around the world. At Microsoft Teams, we’re dedicated to the safety and well-being of our community, and we’re committed to ensuring that the products and features our users enjoy are safe, secure, and fun for everyone. 

For example, don’t 

• Share links to malware

• Interfere with someone’s ability to access their network or device

• Interfere with another user’s experience on the service by using bots or other automations

• Take any part in DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks

• Abuse Microsoft staff (verbally or in text)

• Try to reverse-engineer or manipulate Microsoft Teams

• Encourage terrorism (such as by posting instructions for making bombs or other weapons)

viii. Respect the rights of others

Essentially, this means don’t use things that don’t belong to you and don’t do things you don’t have permission to do. People work hard to make content. If you’re not sure if it’s okay to use something, it’s better to be safe and assume that using someone’s content is not okay.

For example, don’t: 

• Use copyrighted logos or other material that you don’t have permission to use

• Share other users’ content without permission and without giving them proper attribution

• Attempt to pass off content created by others as content created by you

• Manipulate another person’s image and share that content with other users

ix. Always respect the privacy of others

Microsoft runs on trust, and it’s critical that we protect the privacy of Microsoft Teams users. We take this responsibility seriously, and we won’t tolerate behavior or content that puts the privacy or security of another Microsoft Teams user at risk.  

For example, don’t: 

• Share information about another user more broadly than they’ve agreed to

• Threaten to release personal or private information about another user, such as their residential address

If you collect information from other users directly, particularly at scale, make it clear that you and not Microsoft are collecting it (e.g., “everyone send me your addresses so I can mail you a sample of the next batch of cookies I bake using this recipe.”)

x. Be a force for good, even when others aren't

If you know that someone is engaging in behavior or dispersing content that violates these Community Standards, let them know that their behavior is not okay, and caution them rather than help them walk the road they’re on.

Consequences

Our priority is the safety of everyone in Microsoft Teams. Content and behavior that puts other users at risk or makes them feel unwelcome has no place here. So, sometimes we need to step in. We're not out to punish, but rather to protect everyone's experience. 

Every corrective action aims only to show what was wrong and what can be learned from a situation. We know people make mistakes, and we believe lapses in judgment can be significant opportunities for growth. 

However, there are scenarios where we may have to permanently remove a user or remove a community from the search functionality for the best interest of our broader community. Community owners can also remove or block members, and those blocked or removed members will no longer have access to the community chat history.

Inappropriate conduct 

If you violate these Community Standards, you may find restrictions placed on your account or on your access to features that are most closely associated with the problematic behavior.  

Inappropriate content 

Since content on Microsoft Teams must be appropriate for all audiences, sometimes we remove content to protect our users. Depending on the type of content violation, this can result in our restricting certain features for the user that created or shared the content.  

Repeat or severe offenses 

We may take permanently effective measures if we can no longer trust a user due to a severe violation, or if our attempts to correct repeated negative behaviors are unsuccessful. Such permanently effective measures may result in a user losing all access to Microsoft Teams and any content contained on their account.