SharePoint Stuff

In this post we look at the different ways in which you can rename a team in Microsoft Teams, plus suggest the quickest, easiest way to do so.

Intro

Renaming a Microsoft Team can be a challenging task, as there are various considerations to keep in mind. While Microsoft Teams offers several ways to change the name of a team, none of them are particularly straightforward. This has been an ongoing issue for many users over the years. However, with a careful understanding of the available options and the right approach, it is possible to successfully rename a Microsoft Team simply and easily. In this post, we will explore the different methods for renaming Teams and suggest the quickest and easiest way to accomplish this task.

Method #1 – via the Teams app

How to rename a team via the Teams app:

• Press the ellipsis … next to the current name of your team> select Edit team

• Enter your new team name and description (optional) > press done

• This method updates the team name visible within the Teams app
• It does not update the site name of the SharePoint site behind the team
• It does not update the URL of the SharePoint site

Method #2 – via the Teams admin center

How to rename a team via the Teams admin center:

• Under teams, open the manage teams section: https://admin.teams.microsoft.com/teams/manage
• Select the team you wish to rename > press Edit

• Enter your new team name and description (optional) > press apply

• This method updates the team name visible within the Teams app
• It does not update the site name of the SharePoint site behind the team
• It does not update the URL of the SharePoint site

Method #3 – via the SharePoint admin center

How to rename a team via the SharePoint admin center:

• Open the SharePoint admin center > active sites
• Select the site you want to rename > select it to open its properties

Within the site properties pane, there is basic info and site info. Basic info relates to the Microsoft 365 Group/ Team, whereas site info relates to the SharePoint site only.

• Updating the name under basic info renames the team, but does not update the site name

What’s the best way to rename a team?

In my opinion, the easiest way to rename a team is via the Microsoft 365 admin center, with a little help from the SharePoint admin center for the site address. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1 – Rename the team/ site

• Open the Microsoft 365 admin center > under Teams & Groups > select active teams & groups
• Select the team which you have renamed to open the group properties
• Under basic info > Description > press edit

• Enter a new name > press save
• This method renames both the team name, SharePoint site name and Microsoft 365 Group name

Step 2 – update the team email address (Optional)

• Open the Microsoft 365 admin center > under Teams & Groups > select active teams & groups
• Select the team which you have renamed to open the group properties
• Under the general tab> email addresses > Aliases > press edit

• Press the pencil icon to edit the primary email address, or enter a new alias under aliases if you require that option

💡 Note: that the original email address cannot be deleted. It will take around 24 hours to take effect.

Step 3 – update the site address

• Open the SharePoint admin center > sites > active sites
• Select the renamed site > Under site info > site address > press edit

• Enter a new site address > press save

💡 Note: Allow up to 10 minutes for changes to take effect. Your site will be read-only during this time. When finished, the current URL will redirect to the new one.

Comparison chart

Method	Updates team name?	Updates site name?	Updates site URL?
Via the Teams app	✔️	❌	❌
Via the Teams admin center	✔️	❌	❌
Via the SharePoint admin center	❌	✔️	✔️
Via Microsoft 365 admin center	✔️	✔️	❌

Additional information

I decided to exclude PowerShell as a method to rename a site as it can’t be achieved within the confines of Microsoft 365. However, if you would like to rename a team using PowerShell, I recommend this article by techlabs that covers all the different cmdlets needed.

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