How to install Microsoft Teams on Linux

By Richard Devine
published

If you need to get going with Microsoft Teams on Linux, you'll be pleased to know it's straightforward.

Microsoft Teams on Linux
Microsoft Teams on Linux (Image credit: Windows Central)

Linux is most commonly associated with FOSS (free open source software). While it still occupies a relatively small portion of the overall PC market, Microsoft has shown increasing appreciation and support for the platform in recent years.

The latest is an official desktop client for Microsoft Teams on Linux, which comes into a particular focus in 2020 with the rise in remote learning. There have been a few unofficial apps that simply wrapped the web app up in a container, but now there's an official one to use.

Getting going with it is a breeze, too.

How to install Microsoft Teams on Linux

Microsoft Teams

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

Microsoft offers a simple package to download from its website (opens in new tab) in two forms, .deb and .rpm for Debian and Red Hat based systems. In this case we're looking at the Debian package and installing it on Ubuntu 20.04.

So, the first stage is to download the package you need for your Linux Distro to your PC. Once it's saved, you have a couple of options to install it.

Using the Software installer

Microsoft Teams

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

Perhaps the easiest way to install the Teams package is with the GNOME Software installer. Once the package has downloaded to your PC, it's a breeze to setup.

  1. Locate the downloaded package on your PC.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Double click to open.
  2. The package will now open up the GNOME Software application.
  3. Click install.

That's all you need to do. The installer will now run, and when it's done, all you need to do is log in to Teams, and away you go.

Using the terminal

Microsoft Teams

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

If you spend your life inside the terminal and would rather use it to install the Teams package, of course, you can. Here we'll install the .deb package we downloaded above using the command line.

  1. Open a terminal window.
  2. Cd into the folder your download saved to, in our case, downloads with the command cd ~/Downloads
  3. To install the package type the command sudo dpkg -i teams*.deb

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Enter your password.

The installer will now run, and when it's done, you'll be able to launch it from your app drawer or through the terminal.

Installing Microsoft Teams on Linux is as easy as that. Again, this guide was specific to the Debian package installed on Ubuntu, so the steps may be a little different if you're using another Distro. But since Microsoft makes the packages available through its website, it's a pretty straightforward process to get going.

Team Chat

 (opens in new tab)
Microsoft Teams Preview

The official app for Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is now on Linux officially, and it's effortless to get up and running on your favorite distro.

Richard Devine
Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine

4 Comments
  • Isn't using Microsoft services and programs a bit against the whole point of doing the Linux dance? Also, conversely, if you're gonna use Teams your best bet is to do it on a Windows 10 PC.
  • No it is not. We are not in 1995 anymore and it is not the same Microsoft. Microsoft is one on the leading contributor to the open source community. Moreover, people need to use variety of apps to get their work done. If I can install an MS app on my Linux box to get my work done without installing Windows, then why not?
  • Why in the world do they have a linux version of teams before they release an ARM64 version for their surface prox ?
  • Think it's mostly because Chromium has had a Linux version for ages. Electron, a software package framework (I think, not really sure what it is) which is used to build the Teams application interface, is based on Chromium. So Electron has been on Linux for a while. Microsoft had to spend a bunch of time porting Chromium to ARM64 Windows before anyone could get Electron running or even think of Teams for ARM. But since all that's sorted out now, and VS Code has an WoA build (VSCode also built with Electron), hopefully should see Teams for WoA Soon™.