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Microsoft Teams: Setup & Recognition Guide

Learn how to setup Recognition in Assembly within Microsoft Teams.

Last Updated: May 20, 2026

In this article:

Overview

The Assembly app for Microsoft Teams lets your employees give and view recognition directly in Teams, receive notifications about recognition events, and access the full Assembly platform without leaving Teams.

Only admins can install and configure the app, but all employees in your Assembly can use it once it's set up. You can connect Assembly to Teams and Slack simultaneously.

Need a visual? Check out a demo video here!

Before You Begin

  • Only Assembly admins can install and connect Assembly to Microsoft Teams.
  • All employees in your Assembly can give recognition and use Assembly in Teams once it's installed.
  • Your organization can connect to all plan types (Free and paid plans).
  • You can connect to both MS Teams and Slack at the same time.
  • Only public channels can be connected. Private channels are not supported.
  • Public recognition posts will appear in the 'Posts' tab in connected channels; private recognition will appear as a direct message in the Assembly bot conversation.

Step 1: Create Your Designated Channel(s) in Teams

Create one or more channels in Microsoft Teams where Assembly recognition will be shared.

Option 1: Single Channel for All Assembly Posts

Create one channel for all post types (recognition, awards, birthdays, anniversaries, new hires, announcements).

Option 2: Separate Channels by Post Type

Create separate channels for:

  • Recognition
  • Awards
  • Birthday celebrations
  • Work anniversary celebrations
  • New hire celebrations
  • Announcements

To Create a New Channel in Teams:

  1. Select the team where you want to create the channel.
  2. Click the '…' menu next to the team name.
  3. Click 'Add channel'.
  4. Enter the channel name and description.
  5. Choose channel type: Standard (recommended).
  6. Choose layout: Posts (required—if you select 'Threads,' the Assembly app won't work properly).
  7. Click 'Create'.

Step 2: Connect Assembly to Your Team and Channels

This configuration happens in your Assembly admin panel.

Select Your Team

  1. Go to your Assembly admin panel.
  2. Select Account > Integrations (or Admin > Integrations, depending on your setup).
  3. Click on the Microsoft Teams integration.
  4. A Team settings prompt will appear asking: "Which team do you want Assembly to be in?"
  5. Select the same team where you created your channels in step 1. (If you select a different team, you must repeat step 1 for that team.)
  6. Once you select a team, the Channel settings section expands.

Choose Your Channel Configuration

Under Channel settings, you have two options:

Option 1: Single Channel

All Assembly post types (recognition, awards, birthdays, anniversaries, new hires, announcements) go to one Teams channel.

  1. Select the Single Channel tab.
  2. Select an existing channel from the dropdown, or type a new channel name to create one.
  3. Click Save.

Option 2: Separate Channels

Each post type goes to its own Teams channel (default for new connections).

  1. Select the Separate Channels tab.
  2. You'll see a list of post types enabled in your Assembly (marked with * are required).
  3. For each post type, select an existing channel from the dropdown, or type a new channel name to create one.
  4. For optional post types, you can select "No channel" to skip that post type.
  5. If a post type isn't yet activated in your Assembly, you'll see an "Activate" link. Click it to go to that feature's settings and turn it on.
  6. Click Save.

Creating New Channels from Assembly

If you didn't create channels in step 1, you can create them directly from Assembly:

  1. In the channel dropdown, type your new channel name.
  2. If no exact match exists, click "Create a new channel" from the dropdown list.
  3. Assembly will validate and create the public channel in your Teams team.
  4. All Assembly members will be automatically added (this may take 1-2 minutes in the background).
  5. If some members fail to add, you'll see a notification with the list of members who weren't added.
  6. Click "Refresh channels" to see the latest channels associated with your team.

Step 3: Install the Assembly App in Your Channels

Once Assembly is connected in your admin panel, install the app in each Teams channel you selected.

  1. From your desired channel (or from the left navigation), click the 'Apps +' icon.
  2. At the bottom left, click "Manage your apps."
  3. Click "Get more apps."
  4. From the left menu, search for "Assembly."
  5. Click "Add."
  6. Click "Add" again from the next window.
  7. A success screen will appear with an "Open" button. Don't click it yet. First, select your channel from the dropdown.
  8. Select the channel you created/selected in step 2 and click "Go."
  9. Choose whether to notify channel members that you've added Assembly, then click "Save."

Verify Installation

After installation, you should see:

  • A welcome message in your Assembly chat conversation (the private bot chat in the 'Chats' section).
  • An "Assembly" tab in your connected channel.
  • The "Posts" tab showing any existing Assembly recognition.

If you don't see these, the installation may have failed. Uninstall and try again.

How to Give Recognition in Teams

There are three ways to give recognition in Assembly within Teams:

Method 1: From the Private Assembly Chat

  1. In the left navigation, find the Assembly conversation under "Chats."
  2. In the chat input field, type 'Give recognition' and send the message.
  3. A message will pop up with a 'Give recognition' button.
  4. Click the button, fill out all required fields, and click 'Send recognition'.
  5. Your post will appear in the 'Posts' tab of your connected channel(s) and in the Assembly feed.

Method 2: From the Assembly Tab in Your Channel

  1. Go to your connected channel.
  2. Click the 'Assembly' tab (not the 'Posts' tab).
  3. Use the full Assembly platform to give recognition as you normally would.
  4. Your post will appear in the channel's 'Posts' tab and in all related feeds.

Method 3: From the Full Assembly Platform

  1. Access the full Assembly app at app.joinassembly.com.
  2. Give recognition as normal.
  3. Your post will automatically appear in your Teams channel(s) as configured.

Private vs. Public Recognition

  • Public recognition: Goes to the configured Teams channel's 'Posts' tab and is visible to everyone in that channel.
  • Private recognition: Goes as a direct message (DM) in the Assembly bot conversation (the 'Chat' tab) and is only visible to the giver, recipients, and admins. DMs are only delivered if recipients have the Assembly app installed in Teams.

How to View Recognition in Teams

In the Posts Tab

  • All public recognition, awards, birthday/work anniversary posts, and announcements appear in the 'Posts' tab of your connected channel(s).
  • You can view and engage with recognition posts directly in Teams.
  • Note: You cannot give recognition from the 'Posts' tab due to Teams limitations. Use the 'Chat' tab or 'Assembly' tab instead.

In the Assembly Tab

  • Click the 'Assembly' tab in your connected channel to access the full Assembly platform.
  • You can view all recognition, give recognition, and use any Assembly feature directly in Teams.

In the Private Chat

  • Private recognition you give or receive appears in your private Assembly 'Chat' conversation (under Chats > Assembly).
  • This is individual to you and not shared with the channel.
Managing Notifications in Teams

By default, you'll receive notifications in Teams whenever you receive recognition, an award, a birthday or work anniversary post, or when an announcement is shared. You can customize this:

  • If you want notifications only for activity involving you, set your channel's notification setting to "Notify me for all new posts" to OFF.
  • If you want notifications for every post in the channel, select "Show activity and banner" or "Show in activity."

Managing Your Microsoft Teams Integration

Edit Your Configuration

  1. Go to your Assembly admin panel.
  2. Click Account > Integrations.
  3. Click Settings next to "Microsoft Teams."
  4. Update your team selection or channel configuration.
  5. Click Save to apply changes.

Disconnect Assembly from Teams

  1. Go to your Assembly admin panel.
  2. Click Account > Integrations.
  3. Click Disconnect next to "Microsoft Teams."
  4. Confirm the disconnection. Members will no longer receive Assembly notifications in Teams.

If a Channel or Team Is Deleted or Archived

  • Microsoft Teams doesn't notify Assembly when channels are deleted or archived. If notifications stop for a specific post type, verify that the configured channel still exists and update your settings if needed.
  • If a Team is archived or deleted, Assembly will show a warning on the Integrations page. Select a new team to resume notifications.
  • If a channel is renamed, Assembly automatically updates the name.

Requesting Approval (For Strict IT Policies)

Some organizations require additional approval before connecting third-party apps. If your organization has strict IT policies, follow these steps:

In Assembly:

  1. Log in with an admin account.
  2. Go to Admin > Accounts > Integrations (Microsoft Teams).
  3. Enter a justification for the integration.
  4. Request approval from your internal IT or admin team.

In Microsoft Entra Admin Center:

  1. Open https://entra.microsoft.com/#home.
  2. Copy your Microsoft Entra Tenant ID (visible on the Overview or Tenant properties page).
  3. Use the following URL template (replace with your copied ID):

https://login.microsoftonline.com/ /oauth2/v2.0/authorize?client_id=00a73732-fc82-4168-90df-bbf19f1e20c7&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fmy.joinassembly.com%2Fmsteam%2Fbot%2Fauthorize&response_type=code&response_mode=query&scope=openid%20profile%20offline_access%20https%3A%2F%2Fgraph.microsoft.com%2F.default&state=12345

  1. Ensure Assembly's approval process is complete, then open the modified URL in a new tab.
  2. Follow the prompts to grant the necessary permissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Assembly in Teams if I also use Slack?

Yes. You can connect Assembly to both Microsoft Teams and Slack at the same time. Recognition posts will sync to both platforms based on your channel configuration in each.

What happens if I switch from one team to another?

If you change the selected team in your Assembly settings, all previously configured channels will be cleared. You'll need to select or create new channels for your new team.

Are private channels supported?

No. Only public channels can be connected to Assembly. Private channels are not supported at this time.

Will everyone in my organization automatically see Assembly in Teams?

Once the app is installed in a channel, all members of that channel will see the Assembly 'Posts' and 'Assembly' tabs. All employees also have a personal Assembly chat conversation in their 'Chats' section for giving private recognition.