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Switch from Microsoft Teams to Google Workspace

Learn the differences between Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace and get best practices for collaboration at work or school.

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What you'll need

15 minutes

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Note: The instructions in this guide are primarily web only. Get switching information for mobile devices.

Comparison at a glance


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In Teams... In Google Workspace...*
Have team conversations from a channel
Have team conversations in a chat space
You can chat with both people within your organization and with external guests.

You can also assign tasks from a chat space in Gmail. For details, visit Create and assign tasks in spaces.

Chat in a direct message (DM) by clicking New Chat
Send a DM from Google Chat or Gmail

Send a direct message to a person

  1. Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
  2. If the name isn’t already under "Chat," click Start a chat .
  3. Enter a name or email address. Suggestions appear as you enter text.
    • To send a 1:1 message to someone outside of your organization, enter their email address.
  4. Click the person you want to message.
  5. Enter a message, then click Send .

Send a direct message to a group

  1. Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
  2. Under "Chat," click on an existing group conversation, enter a message and then click Send .
  3. If the group conversation isn’t under "Chat,” click Start a chat and then Start group conversation.
  4. Enter a name or email address. Suggestions appear as you enter text.
  5. Click Done .
  6. Enter a message, then click Send .
Have video meetings with a team
Have video meetings with a team in Google Meet
  1. In a web browser, enter https://meet.google.com.
  2. Click New meetingand thenStart an instant meeting.
  3. To add someone to a meeting, in the pop-up window that appears, choose an option:
    • Click Add others and choose an option:
      • Under the Invite section, select a name or enter an email address and click Send email.
      • Under the Call section, enter a phone number and press Call Call.
    • Click Copy and paste the meeting details into an email or another app.

Note: You can send a meeting link to people outside of your organization, but someone from within your organization might need to give them access to the video meeting.

For details about how to join meetings from Calendar and Gmail, visit Join a video meeting.

Share files with a team
Share files with a team in a shared drive
  1. Open Google Drive.
  2. On the left, click Shared drives.

    Shared drives are available only if your organization supports them. For help, contact your administrator.

  3. At the top, click New.
  4. Enter a name and click Create.

For details, visit Get started with shared drives.

Collaborate on shared files in a meeting
Collaborate on shared files in a meeting in Google Meet
  1. Open Meet and join a video meeting.
  2. On the bottom, click Present now  and choose what to share:
    • Your entire screen
    • A window
    • A tab
  3. Click Share.
  4. When you’re done presenting, click Stop presenting.
See your schedule and create a meeting in Meetings
Schedule a video meeting in Google Calendar
  1. In Calendar, create an event.
  2. Click Add guests.
  3. Enter the names or email of the people you want to invite.
  4. Click Save.
  5. To notify guests, click Send.

Guests receive an email with the event information and a link to the video meeting.

For details, visit Start a new video meeting.

Add a wiki page for your team
Add a website for your team in Google Sites

Choose an option:

  • From the Sites homepage, at the top, click Blank, or to choose a template, click Template gallery and select a template.
  • From Google Drive, click New and thenMoreand thenGoogle Sites.

For details, visit Get started with Sites.

Search in the Command box
Search in Google Cloud Search
  1. Sign in to Cloud Search at cloudsearch.google.com.

    If you can't sign in, your account doesn't have Cloud Search. Learn more

  2. Do a search, such as slides audrey sent last month.
  3. If the interpretation isn't quite right, click the Show results for the original query link.

For details, visit Use everyday words to search.

Q&A during a live event
Audience Q&A during a meeting
  1. Open Meet .
  2. From a video meeting, at the bottom, click Activities and thenQ&A.
  3. Next to Allow questions, click Turn on .

For details, visit Ask questions in a video meeting.

Poll attendees during a meeting
Launch a poll during a meeting
  1. In a meeting, at the bottom right, click Activities  and then click Polls.
  2. Click Start a poll
  3. Enter a question and add options for the poll.
    • Tip: You can let users respond anonymously to Polls. Before you save or launch your poll, turn on Responses appear without names .
  4. Choose one:
    • To post your poll, click Launch.
    • To save your poll so you can launch it later, click Save.

    Tip: Polls you save remain listed under Polls for the duration of the meeting. After the call ends, all polls are permanently deleted. Meeting moderators are emailed a polling report at the end of the meeting.

  5. After a poll is launched, to vote on your own poll, select one of the optionsand thenclick Vote.

For details, visit Conduct a poll during a video meeting.

Share a whiteboard in a meeting
Use a whiteboard in a meeting
  1. Start or Join a meeting.
  2. At the bottom right, click Activities  and then Whiteboarding
  3. Select an option:
    • To create a new Jamboard: Click Start a new whiteboard.
    • To open an existing Jamboard from your drive, shared drives, or computer: Click Choose from Drive

      Tip: The Jamboard file will open in a new tab and a link is shared automatically via the in-call chat.

For details, visit Use a whiteboard in a video meeting.

Raise your hand in a meeting
Raise your hand in a meeting
  1. Open Meet.
  2. From a video meeting, at the bottom, click Raise hand or Lower hand .

For details, visit Raise your hand during a video meeting.

Use breakout rooms in meetings
Add breakout rooms to meetings
  1. Open Meet.
  2. From a video meeting, at the bottom, click Activities and thenBreakout rooms.
  3. Click Set up breakout rooms .
  4. Choose the number of breakout rooms. You can create up to 100.
  5. (Optional) To move people into different rooms, drag a participant's name to another room.
  6. Click Open rooms.

You can also create breakout rooms from a Calendar event. For details, visit Use breakout rooms in a video meeting.

Change your background in a meeting
Change your background in a meeting
  1. Open Meet.
  2. Depending on when you want to change your background, choose an option:
    • To change your background before you join a meeting, on the bottom right of your meeting image, click Change background .
    • To change your background after you join a meeting, at the bottom, click Moreand thenChange background.
  3. Choose a background option.

 Note: The instructions in this guide are primarily web only. Get switching information for mobile devices.

Related topics

If you're ready to start using Google Workspace, or want productivity tips, try these guides instead:


               

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Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

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