Team Cloning in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams Cloning has a feature that lets users create new Teams by cloning existing ones. This helps replicate “best practice” settings from one Team to another. When using, the permission settings set by the Team Owner and the channel, tab, and applications of the original Team are transferred.
However, it’s important to note that tabs and connectors must be reconfigured. It’s important to understand that content such as messages, files, and app configurations cannot be cloned into a new team. Additionally, membership cannot be transferred, and team members must be added manually.

Microsoft Teams Cloning Process

Allow me to provide you with a quick guide on duplicating a team. 

1. First, log in to your Teams account and select the Teams option on the left-hand menu. 
2. Scroll through your list of teams until you see the Join or Create a Team button.
3. Select “Create a team” from the four options presented in the new window to create a new team. 
4. Then, choose an existing team or a Microsoft 365 group to create a team. 
5. If you want to create a new team using an existing team, choose a team from the list.
6. Afterwards, give the Team a name and description, and select the desired data to incorporate into the new Team using the checkboxes. 
7. Finally, click on “Create” to complete the process. 
8. With just a few simple steps, your new Team will be ready to go.

Building a new team from an existing team 

• Click on the Plus (+) Icon in the Top left side of the screen. 

• After clicking the plus icon, you can be able to see two options namely Create Team and Join Team.

• Click on create team button. 

• You can be able to several options there, but we must click “From group or team” button to create a new team.

• After clicking “From group or team” button now you can be able to see two options one is using an existing Microsoft 365 group or team and another one is using an alternative M365 group 

• Here we must click Team (An existing Microsoft 365 group or team) 

• Now we can be able to see the list of teams which is available in our existing Microsoft 365.  
• So, we can select the team which we want to clone. 

• After selecting that, it will ask some options like we can change the team’s name and we have the options we want to include from the original team. 
• After selecting the options, we must click create to create the team. 

• After clicking create button it will create a new team  
• After that we can be able to add new members to the team 

• So now we can be able to see the new team in the team’s tab. 

Advantages of Cloning a Team

Creating a new team with similar settings and content by cloning an existing team can provide benefits in Microsoft Teams:

Efficiency and Time Savings:

• • If you need to set up new teams with similar structures, channels, and settings, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s an easy and efficient way to do so – by cloning an existing team. 
  • This method eliminates manual configuration and saves you considerable time and effort. 
  • By replicating an already established team, you can ensure that all the necessary components are in place and that your new Team is running smoothly in no time.

Consistency:

• • The practice of cloning teams can offer a range of benefits for companies seeking to achieve more uniformity in their team structures, settings, and communication methods. 
  • This approach is particularly well-suited for organizations that rely on standardized team configurations or project templates, as it allows them to establish a consistent framework for collaboration and communication across all teams. 
  • By leveraging this approach, companies can ensure that their teams are aligned with their strategic goals and objectives while promoting greater efficiency, productivity, and overall effectiveness in their operations.

Reduced Errors:

• • When creating new Teams, the process can be time-consuming and prone to errors or omissions. 
  • However, with the help of Cloning Teams, users can accurately replicate all of the necessary settings from an existing Team. 
  • This not only saves time but also ensures that all of the settings are correctly transferred over without any mistakes.

Minimize manual work:

• Saving time is essential, especially for organizations transitioning to remote work. 
• Adapting to a new environment may be challenging, but replicating a team can streamline tasks.
• This feature requires only a few simple steps, allowing you to invest the time and effort you would have spent manually creating teams on other essential tasks.

Building Team Cohesion:

• Finally, team cloning guarantees that all teams and channels follow a consistent structure and logic. 
• This is critical, particularly in organizations where individuals collaborate with multiple departments and require access to several teams. 
• Cloning ensures that teams are coherent and follow comparable structures.

Conclusion

Microsoft Teams cloning is effective if your projects are piling up and require new teams quickly. However, templates are the way to go if you want a more comprehensive and advantageous solution that will last longer. Without IT department intervention, you can easily clone a team and select the components that will be included in the new Team in just a few steps.