Microsoft Teams Public vs Private; Compare & Contrast

Microsoft Teams is a communication and collaboration tool part of Office 365 (now Microsoft 365) that has quickly become an industry favourite. Released back in 2017, the pandemic helped it transform into the juggernaut that it is today. However, even though it has grown to accommodate more than 300 million users worldwide, there are still some questions that linger. One of them is the difference between Microsoft Teams public vs private counterparts.

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like much of a deal, as the names that Microsoft uses clear out all suspicion. And we are not arguing against it. We have this write-up to clear out the real reason for difference between private and public channel in teams. That is when to choose which visibility option for a Microsoft Team. Not only this, but we also give you tips on how to switch between the public and private modes. Before diving in, let’s take a quick look at Microsoft Teams’ journey and its core functionalities.

What is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft announced Teams to the public on November 2, 2016, and later launched it on March 14, 2017, worldwide. Initially, it was launched as a part of the Microsoft 365 productivity suite; later, Microsoft made it a stand-alone collaboration software. Microsoft Teams allows its users to communicate with each other seamlessly. It includes features like messaging, calling, video conferences, and file sharing.

Both local and remote users can stay connected by being a part of Teams using desktops, laptops as well and smartphones. This chat-based workspace allows voice and video meeting scheduling, real-time and near real-time content collaboration, threaded conversation, private messaging, etc. A question that always comes to a user’s mind is Microsoft Teams public vs private which one is good.

Related guide: How to Create a Team on Microsoft Teams

A Brief History of MS Teams:

• In 2016, Microsoft started developing a unified communication tool under the codename “Skype Teams.”
• It was revealed as a surprise during the 2017 edition of Microsoft Ignite. As an attempt to breach the internal business communication tools market, which was then dominated by the likes of Slack.
• Initially, Teams only had basic features like chat, meetings, and file sharing. The thing that made it different from the rest was its native integration with the Office 365 ecosystem and difference between private and public channel in teams.
• By 2018, the Teams that we know and love started to take shape. As features like channels and guest access alongside a mobile app were brought into the fray. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s other acquisitions, like GitHub and LinkedIn, meant that Teams had direct access to an even wider variety of platforms.
• As 2020 rolled in, global lockdowns and remote working added boosters to the already surging popularity of Teams. Microsoft cashed in on this opportunity with both hands by introducing specialised versions of Teams for educational institutions, but there is confusion about which one is better in Microsoft Teams, public vs private?
• Now, with a seemingly unsurpassable lead over the rest of the competitors, Microsoft still strives to make its product better. This is seen with the addition of AI-powered collaboration tools within MS Teams.

Roles and Permissions in Microsoft Teams

In a Microsoft Team, there are two types of roles: Owner and Member. When someone creates a Team, they are the owner. An Owner can elevate the status of any Member and turn them into an Owner too. Team Owners can downgrade their own status by becoming members. However, if a Microsoft Team derives from an Office 365 Group, it results in the replication of the same permissions that are in the existing Office 365 Group.

Difference Between Microsoft Teams Public vs Private

The most prominent difference between private and public channel in teams can be joined at any time, while private teams have more strict joining criteria. Other than this public and private teams vary based on.

• Creation: Any new Team is private by default. So users who want a public Team must make manual changes themselves.
• Availability: Public Teams are visible to all organization members, even Guests via the search bar. In contrast, private Teams are hidden from all except their members.
• Privacy: In the debate about Microsoft Teams Public vs Private, there is only one winner when it comes to privacy. Having superior security options private teams are better for discussing private matters.
• Search: Office 365 Users can search for public Teams from MS Outlook and Teams Interface. After a recent change in private Teams policy, it is also searchable from MS Teams and Microsoft Outlook. Earlier, private Teams were not searchable from Teams, so the only option for the users was Outlook.
• Workspace Access: All users of a public Team can access workspaces like SharePoint or OneNote to add, view, and edit files. In private teams,  access depends on the approval of the Team owner.

Note: For both public and private Teams, Owners have the power to decide how much access can an external user have over the files. This is where understanding difference between private and public channel in teams helps.

• File Sharing: One of the important features of the Microsoft Teams application is file sharing. All users of a public Team can share files inside or outside the Team. In the case of a private Team, only members can share files with other users within/ outside the Team. External users or Guest users are not allowed to share files outside the Team.

Also read: Manage Teams in Microsoft Teams

When to Choose MIcrosoft teams Public vs Private 

Which one you choose depends on how you plan to work with others. Here are some points that will help you in deciding which one to choose.

Choose a Public Team:

• When you want everyone in the company to work together easily and openly.
• When the information is not private and it includes things like general company news, interest-based groups, or training resources.
• When you need to share the information with everyone clearly and openly.
• When you set up teams in a way that different departments can join and work together.

Choose a Private Team:

• When you are handling sensitive and confidential information.
• When the right people who have the authority are allowed to access it Microsoft Teams public vs private.
• When people from outside of your company, like vendors or clients, are involved in the collaboration.
• When you require stronger permission settings.

How to Make A Public Team Private and Vice Versa

You are not making any structural changes with Teams, so don’t worry about data loss. If we go into further detail, it is nothing but a change in the Boolean parameter of a team. However, guest users who exist in a public team lose access after its transformation into a private team.

So inform the guest users before the change itself.
There are two known ways of interconverting the visibility of a Team. First up we have the PowerShell commands, where you get to know difference between private and public channel in teams

Method 1: By using PowerShell to Get the Job Done which One is Better Microsoft Teams Public vs Private:

Set-Team -GroupId <TeamGroupId> -Visibility Public/Private

Method 2: Using the Teams Interface (GUI)

If you’re not comfortable with scripting:

• Log in to your Microsoft Teams
• Go to the Team Name, and
• Click the More options ( … ) menu
• Select the Edit team
• Scroll down to the Privacy section
• Choose between Public or Private

Note: Only Team Owners and Admins are allowed to make these changes. Regular members and guests are not allowed to update the team’s visibility. 

Method 3. Using Cutting-edge Solution

Sometimes organisations need more than just changing the Team’s visibility. So, in this case, you may need to:

• Move your data and files from a public team into a new private team.
• Turn one large public team into a few smaller private teams.
• Combine multiple private teams into a single team, which is good to realise Microsoft Teams public vs private.
• Move data between tenants without losing any permissions.
• Managing in reconstruction of the teams when the company goes through an acquisition or a big restructuring.
• Keep your data accurate and safe while moving from open collaboration to limited access.

In all such scenarios, SysTools Teams Migration Tool becomes incredibly valuable. So download this now for free, and move the public to a private team.

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Best Practices for Managing Team Visibility

Here are some simple suggestions for managing things easily:

• Only use public teams for collaboration that is not sensitive.
• Keep in contact with your team regularly to make sure only the right person has access.
• Avoid creating too many public teams, because it can confuse the user.
• Make sure to clearly label private teams when they are working on confidential departments.
• Train team owners to learn how visibility and permission work once you get to know the differences in Microsoft Teams public vs private.
• Follow clear naming rules, like
  • PUB- for public teams
  • PRI- for private teams

Additional resource: How to Merge 2 Microsoft Teams Accounts

Wrapping Up

Teams is a helpful business application in Office 365 that brings efficiency to collaborative projects. In this post, we have tried to amalgamate all the difference between private and public channel in Teams. Users will be able to gather basic knowledge about Microsoft Teams Public vs Private from this writing.

FAQ’s 

Q. Is it possible to switch a team from pubic to private?

Yes, it is possible, but only the team’s owners and admins are allowed to change visibility.

Q. Can I search public teams in Teams and Outlook?

Yes, all the public teams are searchable in Teams and Outlook.

Q. Who is allowed to change a team’s visibility?

The Team owners and Admins are allowed to change the team’s visibility.

Q. Are teams helpful in remote collaboration?

Yes, it supports chat, calls, video meetings, and file sharing across devices.

Q. Are members allowed to share files outside a private team?

No, only the members who have the authority can share files.