You can expand the capabilities of Teams by adding apps. There are several types of apps that can be added, some by regular Teams users and some only by Teams administrators. Teams includes an app store, allowing you to browse apps by different vendors to add more functionality.

There are four different types of ways you can interact with Teams apps, outlined in the table below. Many apps will include more than one of the methods, depending on what exactly the app does.

Interaction Style	Description
Bots	You interact with Bots by chatting with them, either one-on-one or in a team channel. You can ask a bot for information or tell a bot to perform a task.
Tabs	Tabs add extra content tabs to the top of a chat or team channel window. You can use these tabs to add quick access to certain files, websites, or other information.
Connectors	Connectors send notifications from other services, like project management software or RSS feeds, directly into chats and channel conversations.
Messaging	Messaging apps add extra functionality to chats and channel conversations, letting you send new types of content. For example, a messaging app may add the ability to conduct a poll or share a video.

Add an App for Yourself

You can browse the Teams app store to find an app that adds the functionality you need.

Click the Apps button on the App bar.
Browse the app store by type, by category, or by a search.
Click an app’s thumbnail.

That app’s page opens, showing more information about its features. Each page shows the ways you can interact with it and explains the permissions it requires.
Click the Add button.

The app is added and automatically opens to its own tab on the App bar. Depending on the app, you can interact with it via chat or through tabs at the top of the screen.

Add an App to a Team

You can also add an app for an entire team channel to use.

Click the Apps button on the App bar.
Browse the app store by type, by category, or by a search.
Click an app thumbnail.

You can install an app just for yourself by clicking the Add button, but you can also install some apps for your entire team to use.
Click the Add button’s list arrow.
Select Add to a team.

Now, you’re asked which team channel you want to install the app to.
Select a team channel to add the app to.
You can select a team channel by entering the team or channel name in the search field, then selecting the team or channel from the search results.
Click the Set up button.

All the app’s features are installed to the team channel.

If you wanted to install only one of an app’s features (for example, only an app’s bot), you could instead click the Set up button’s list arrow and select the feature you want to install.

Add an App Tab

You can add an app tab to a team channel to add a prominent link to important content, like a specific web page, document, or wiki page.

Click the Add a Tab button at the top of the Content pane.

A gallery of apps appears, showing a list of apps that can be added as a tab to the channel.
Select an app.

Depending on what kind of tab you're adding, you'll need to set some additional options. These options will vary based on what app you’re adding but will generally include specifying the content that the tab should display.
Set up that app's tab options.
Click Save.

The tab is added to the channel, and everyone in the team can click it to view the tab’s contents.

Use a Messaging App

Once a messaging app has been installed, you can use it in chats and channels to extend Teams’ messaging capabilities.

Click the New Conversation button.
Click the Messaging Extensions button below the chat field.
A list of apps appears, showing apps you’ve installed and other apps that are available.

You may have buttons for installed messaging apps below the chat field. You can click a button there to access it directly instead of through the Messaging Extensions menu.
Select a messaging app.

A window appears, where you can set up the message using the messaging app’s options. The options here will change, based on what the app can do.
Set up the message using the app's options.
Click Send.