In this current world of video conferencing and working from home, software like Zoom, WebEx, and Microsoft Teams has become increasingly important. As Linux users, we’re often limited to Zoom and Google Meet, since things like WebEx won’t work at all and other’s won’t work well. However, since Microsoft released Teams for Linux, there has been another option, one that enables more Linux users to use Linux in their workplaces without fear of not being able to attend meetings. We show you in this article how to install Microsoft Teams on Linux so you can get to work.
How to Install Microsoft Teams on Linux
There are two major ways to install Microsoft Teams on Linux. They’re for people who have different use cases, but it’s important to represent both.
The first way is to go to the Microsoft Teams Downloads page to find the appropriate package for your typically-targeted distro, whether that’s a .deb or a .rpm file. There’s also a package for Arch Linux in the AUR. These will run very well on your system, but you’ll have to adjust to the typical way that packages are updated for Linux: going to the website and grabbing the latest version.
The other way is through universal package formats, like Snap and Flatpak. These can be helpful because these packages are confined, so they won’t have too much access to your system, which can be helpful for telemetry purposes. This also allows distros that don’t use .rpm or .deb files or don’t have access to the AUR, like Solus or Clear Linux.
Installing Microsoft Teams on Linux
Through the Downloads Page
To install this way, go to the official Microsoft Teams Downloads page and click on “Download for desktop.”
Once you’re there, click the appropriate file for your distro. In my case, I’ll be downloading the .rpm file since I’m running Fedora on this system.
Once the download completes, it will likely pop up in your software center of choice, but you can also install it with either the dpkg or the rpm command, depending on your system.
# Debian/Ubuntu sudo dpkg --install PATH/TO/TEAMS/DEB/FILENAME.deb # Fedora sudo rpm -i PATH/TO/TEAMS/RPM/FILENAME.rpm
Once you install the package, you can open it, sign in and begin using it.
As a Snap or Flatpak
To install as a Snap or Flatpak, make sure you have snapd or flatpak installed on your system. Most distros now have one or the other pre-installed.
Then, use one of the following commands to install the universal package:
# Snap sudo snap install teams-insiders # Flatpak flatpak install flathub com.microsoft.Teams
Click the icon in your app menu and sign in with your Teams account.
That’s it.
Now that you know how to install Microsoft Teams on Linux, make sure you check out some of our other Linux content, such as how to install Microsoft Defender antivirus on Linux, how to back up files to Google Drive on Linux, and how to easily create cron jobs with Zeit.
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John is a young technical professional with a passion for educating users on the best ways to use their technology. He holds technical certifications covering topics ranging from computer hardware to cybersecurity to Linux system administration.
Hi
sudo gdebi PATH/TO/TEAMS/DEB/FILENAME.deb
is better than
sudo dpkg …
because gdebi takes dependencies into account
(and may warns you before it fails ;-)
You say: “Once you install the package, you can open it, sign in and begin using it.”
Do I need to have a Microsoft account in order to sign in?
When attempting to sign up for Teams, 3 options for how it is to be used are presented.
1) For School, etc.
2) For contacting family and friends
3) For work or organizations
I selected #2, contacting family and friends, and I was referred to Skype as a better means to do that. It did not allow me to sign up for Teams. Apparently, signup for Teams to be used to contact family and friends is available only on smartphones.
Thanks. Now I know how to install Microsoft Teams on Linux.
Perhaps there is an article somewhere that explains what it is and how to use it.
I would never install MS crap on a Linux machine. Teams works just fine from the Chrome browser.
I’m not sure why you say WebEx doesn’t work at all under Linux as I’ve been participating in WebEx conference calls under Ubuntu for YEARS now… no additional software added; it just works with Firefox.
Don’t forget Jitsi as a meeting platform that works great in Firefox or Chromium, no need for special software or registration. You can check it out at meet.jit.si. And, it is Free and Open Source Software.
Good call. Jitsi Meet and BigBlueButton (https://bigbluebutton.org) are both open source and superb. Why degrade your Linux-based freedom by inviting the Microsoft Corporation’s software to pollute it. Seems idiotic to me. And all those poor Microsoft serfs will be better off for using Microsoft-free tools, too.
Has anyone taken the time to look into the application package to see where M$ places the Team app files on Linux machine? Executables, library files, etc…. everything is placed in /usr/share, some at the root of the share folder, others files in obscurely named folders that one would never be able to find should there ever be a need to track an issue. It’s a total dog’s breakfast and something that could cause future conflicts and possibly brick a Linux system.
People, please be careful, don’t install this crap, and if you do, be sure to sandbox it with snap or flatpak. Further, why even install it at all when a) you need to sign up to M$ (the farther away people can stay from them, the better), and b) you can participate in virtual meetings using chrome?