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Upgrade Microsoft Teams Free (classic) to subscription version

  • Article
  • Applies to:
    Microsoft Teams

This article is for IT admins without a Microsoft 365 subscription but who need to upgrade their users from the Teams Free (classic) license to a paid Teams license.

Important

You must upgrade from Teams Free (classic) to a subscription version of Teams because the Teams Free (classic) license was deprecated on April 12, 2023. Upgrading from Teams Free (classic) requires upgrading to a business subscription.

Microsoft provides a free Teams experience for personal and small business use through a Microsoft Account rather than Azure Active Directory. Only new customers can sign up for the new Teams (Free) license.

If your organization is using Teams Free (classic), you can upgrade to the full version by purchasing a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription plan for your users. The full version provides other Teams features — audio conferencing, enhanced administration, and security capabilities — that the free version doesn't provide. Microsoft 365 and Office 365 combine the familiar Microsoft Office desktop suite with cloud-based versions of Microsoft's next-generation communications and collaboration services — including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Office — to help users be productive from anywhere through the internet. When you upgrade Teams, your existing Teams data won't be lost; all your teams, channels, chats, files, and permissions come with you.

Note

If you already have a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription, you're eligible for the trial version of Teams (with your corporate identity), not the free version. The Teams trial provides the full version of Teams for a limited time. For more information, see Manage the Microsoft Teams Commercial Cloud Trial offer.

Upgrade requirements

You can upgrade to the full version of Teams if you meet the following requirements:

  • You're the person who signed up for the existing Teams Free (classic) subscription.
  • If you're bringing your own domain, it isn't already associated with Azure Active Directory (via trial or purchased Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription).

Note

Learn about your upgrade options on the page Microsoft Teams Free (classic) is retiring.

We recommend you use one of Microsoft's upgrade methods. If you begin buying licenses outside of one of Microsoft's upgrade methods, your existing Teams data won't automatically transfer because you'll be setting up a new tenant.

Limitations

Keep the following limitations in mind:

  • You can't switch back to Teams Free (classic) after you upgrade.
  • You can't merge multiple Teams Free (classic) tenants into a single paid tenant.
  • All users must be in the same domain. (All users will get a sign-in in the format username@domain.com.)
  • All users must be upgraded: a mix of Teams Free (classic) and paid subscription users in the same tenant isn't supported.

How do I upgrade my organization?

To upgrade to the full version of Teams, select Upgrade in Teams.

screenshot showing Upgrade button.

Enter the email address that you use to sign in to Teams, and then purchase a Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan. If you would like to purchase Microsoft 365 Business Basic or an Enterprise edition of Office 365, contact Microsoft 365 sales and support.

What's next?

After your upgrade is complete, see Get started with Microsoft Teams for first steps and Adopt Microsoft Teams for a phased approach to Teams adoption across your organization.

More information