No, you do not need to download the Microsoft Teams app on the device.  You will not have access to install the app to this device.  Teams is available from 1Link portal which can be accessed by entering “launchpad.classlink.com/fbisd” in a web browser.  Once you log in, the Microsoft Teams icon is available.

You should already have Teams installed on your District machine. If you don't see it under the Start menu, please contact:

Customer Service Center

Email: SMTP.Help@fortbendisd.gov
Phone: (281) 634-1300​

If you are on a non-district provided device, access to Teams is available directly through the browser application. Or, you can visit office.com and choose "Get the Window App" to download it to your computer.

Start Microsoft Teams by doing one of the following:

In Windows, click Start button > Microsoft Corporation > Microsoft Teams.

​On the web, go to https://teams.microsoft.com.
Sign in with your Microsoft 365 username and password.​

Make sure your username is the correct format:

FirstName.K1@student.fortbendisd.com

Bandwidth requirements

Teams is designed to give the best audio, video, and content sharing experience regardless of your network conditions. That said, when bandwidth is insufficient, Teams prioritizes audio quality over video quality.

Where bandwidth isn't limited, Teams optimizes media quality, including up to 1080p video resolution, up to 30fps for video and 15fps for content, and high-fidelity audio.

This table describes how Teams uses bandwidth. Teams is always conservative on bandwidth utilization and can deliver HD video quality in under 1.2Mbps. The actual bandwidth consumption in each audio/video call or meeting will vary based on several factors, such as video layout, video resolution, and video frames per second. When more bandwidth is available, quality and usage will increase to deliver the best experience.

All of the requirements in the following sections apply to both the Microsoft Teams desktop app and the Teams Web app.

Hardware requirements for Teams on a Windows PC

Hardware requirements for Teams on a Mac

Hardware requirements for Teams on mobile devices

You can use Teams on these mobile platforms:

• Android: Compatible with Android phones and tablets.

  Support is limited to the last four major versions of Android. When a new major version of Android is released, the new version and the previous three versions are officially supported.

• iOS: Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

  Support is limited to the two most recent major versions of iOS. When a new major version of iOS is released, the new version of iOS and the previous version are officially supported. The optional Blur my background video effect on iOS requires an operating system of iOS 12 or later and is compatible with the following devices: iPhone 7 or later, iPad 2018 (6th generation) or later, and the iPod touch 2019 (7th generation).

For the best experience with Teams, use the latest version of iOS and Android.

​Looking to buy devices for use with Microsoft Teams?

Choose a Teams compatible device. Most USB headsets will let you speak and listen via Teams. However, the call controls (such as answer, volume up/down and mute) on the device may not work unless the device is Teams compatible.

Bluetooth (Wireless) Headsets for Teams

• Voyager 5200 UC
• Voyager Focus UC
• Jabra Evolve 65 MS Stereo

Wired Headsets for Teams

• Jabra Evolve 20
• Jabra Evolve 30
• Jabra Evolve 40
• Poly Blackwire 3215
• Poly Blackwire 5210
• Poly Blackwire 5220
• Poly Blackwire 7725

Speaker Phone for Teams

• Jabra Speak 510 MS

Webcams for Teams

• Logitech webcams

Figuring out the best headset, microphone, and camera to use in Teams calls can be a pain. Usually, dedicated hardware is best and delivers better results than the microphone and speakers built into workstations. Using a dedicated camera is a harder call because the quality of cameras available in workstations today is pretty good.

But even after you’ve settled on the hardware, you still don’t know how well it works from the perspective of other people on Teams calls. Which is where the ability to make a Test Call comes in. 

Making a Teams Test Call

To make a test call with the desktop client (the option doesn’t exist in the browser client), click your avatar (picture) in the top bar and select Settings, then Devices. Make sure that the right audio devices are selected for the test and then click Make a test call (Figure 1).

Teams makes the test call to a bot. Unlike human beings, bots are always ready to accept a call, even from annoying people. The bot answers and allows you to record some words before playing the words back to you to check if the quality is acceptable. Only English-language calls are supported currently. At the end of the call, you see some test results (Figure 2).

Microsoft removes the recording of the test call after you finish.

The test call verifies that you can connect to Teams to make a call in the same way as you’d call into a meeting. It tests the selected audio devices and it shows you what you see on the camera (and demonstrates why you should turn background blur on). It does nothing to improve your voice or looks, but aside from that, Test Call is a pretty useful function.

This issue is likely caused by your network connection.

To resolve this, you may need to refresh Teams if your connection is working as expected. If you are using the Teams desktop app, first try force quitting Teams then try sign out and signing back in. If you are using the browser app try signing out and back in to Teams.

If you suspect your connection is not working as expected, you may want to try restarting your router, or contacting your provider.

This issue is likely caused by your network connection.

To resolve this, you may need to refresh Teams if your connection is working as expected. If you are using the Teams desktop app, first try force quitting Teams then try sign out and signing back in. If you are using the browser app try signing out and back in to Teams.

If you suspect your connection is not working as expected, you may want to try restarting your router, or contacting your provider. 

There can be a number of reasons why your microphone and/or webcam aren't working during Teams meetings.

To resolve this, first make sure the webcam/microphone buttons on the meeting bar are turned on (if they are off they will have a strike through them).

Then, try clicking the more options button (icon of 3 dots) on the meeting bar, then clicking "Show device settings". Make sure that Teams is connecting to the correct microphone and camera.

If the above don't work, you may not have given Teams permission to use your microphone and/or webcam.

For Microsoft Teams on your Desktop - Access the privacy settings on your device, and make sure Teams has permission to use your camera and microphone.

For Microsoft Teams on your browser - Access the settings/preferences of your browser and find your site settings. Within camera and microphone make sure Teams has permission to use your camera and mic.

If none of these options work, there may hardware issues with your mic or webcam.

When someone calls you, you'll get a notification that lets you accept or decline the call.

• Click Accept with audio  to answer with audio only.

• Click Accept with video  to accept the call and enable video as well.

• Click Decline call  to decline the call and go on with your day.

This help document is designed to help you as a parent on the other end of the invitation to join a Microsoft Teams meeting with a teacher and enjoy the benefits that it brings.

Microsoft Teams meetings can be organized and run with external people that do not have Microsoft Teams. You can chat and collaborate on files as well.

We hope this brings you some value not only to yourself but the people that you are meeting with.

There are multiple ways to access and manage notifications. To further customize your notification settings, select your profile picture at the top, right corner of Teams, then select  Settings >  Notifications. From there you can fine-tune what notifications you receive and where those notifications show up. 

In Activity on the left side of Teams, select More options  on a notification. From the menu, you can mark a notification as read or unread. You can also turn on or off notifications for a specific channel if you want.

Check out The six things to know about notifications to learn more.

During a meeting, you can raise a virtual hand to let people know you want to contribute without interrupting the conversation. 

Just select Raise your hand  in the meeting controls.

Everyone in the meeting will see that you've got your hand up. 

Meeting presenters will also receive a notification that your hand is raised, and they can lower your hand once you've had a chance to talk. 

Select Show participants   to see a list of everyone in attendance. Anyone who's raised their hand will have an icon next to their name. When multiple people raise their hands, they'll be listed in the order in which they raised them. 

In Teams, you can find and resume a previous conversation. No matter how many times you've spoken to that person, it's all in one place.

Find an old message

All your old messages are saved, and you can search for them (and people, chats, and files) using the command box at the top of your screen. Click the conversation you want to resume.

To search for an attachment, look in the Files tab above your search results. You can click Filter  to narrow your results.

View saved messages

To view your saved messages, click your profile picture at the top of the app, then select Saved.

Students do not have access to the “Files” section of a Chat, therefore they have to scroll and search for the original chat that included an attached document in the chain of chats.

It is strongly advised that all documents are shared via Schoology and not Teams.

When you're chatting with one or more people in Teams, you can instantly share your screen. Go to the chat controls in the upper-right corner and select Share  .

Choose a window to share that specific program and its content, or select Desktop to share everything on your screen.

The other participants in the chat will receive a notification asking them to accept your screen share. Once they do, they'll be able to see your screen and continue the chat.

When you're done sharing, go to your meeting controls and select Stop sharing.

No, student permissions only allow them to chat within a meeting organized by an employee or teacher.

Step 1: While on a video call, click on the Ellipsis (vertical three-dot) icon. Then click on Show background effects. (There used to be a ‘Blur my background’ option right here before Microsoft introduced custom background feature. Now, Blur has been grouped with custom backgrounds only).

Step 2: You will get the ‘Background settings’ menu in the right pane. It has a list of custom backgrounds as well as the Blur option.

Step 3: Click on the Blur option (right on the top) to select it, and then click on the Preview button at the bottom of the right pane to get a preview of it on your video. Click Apply to get the blur effect on your video.

Your background will be blurred instantly.

Why background blur is not working for me on Microsoft Teams

Special note: Background blur is an AI-driven feature that uses AVX2 to recognize your facial outlines. So, if you have a decade-old PC or tablet, chances are, background blur won’t work as advertised.

View the guide for using Immersive Reader in MS Teams.