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Posted on May 21

Using Microsoft 365 Business Standard Without Teams: Is It Possible?

Microsoft 365 Business Standard is one of the most widely used productivity solutions, especially among small to medium-sized businesses. It includes all the essential apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams. But what if you or your organization don’t want to use Microsoft Teams?

This question comes up frequently. Some users prefer using alternatives like Zoom or Slack, or they simply don’t want another chat tool. If that’s you, don’t worry — this post will guide you through how to use Microsoft 365 Business Standard without Teams, including how to disable or uninstall it, what the consequences are, and how to optimize your workflow without it.

📦 What Does Microsoft 365 Business Standard Include?

Before diving into Teams specifically, let’s review what you get with Microsoft 365 Business Standard:

Microsoft Word – Full desktop and web versions
Excel – Advanced spreadsheet and data analysis tools
PowerPoint – Presentation software
Outlook – Email, calendar, and task management
OneDrive for Business – 1 TB of cloud storage
SharePoint Online – Team and content collaboration
Access and Publisher (Windows only)
Microsoft Teams – Communication and collaboration platform

Microsoft Teams is included by default in all Microsoft 365 Business plans, but that doesn’t mean you have to use it.

❓ Why Would You Want to Avoid Microsoft Teams?

Although Teams is useful for many, there are good reasons to skip it:

1. You're Already Using Other Tools

Many businesses already use tools like Slack (for chat), Zoom (for video calls), or Google Meet. Adding Teams might duplicate existing workflows.

2. Performance Issues

Teams can be resource-heavy. If your system is limited on RAM or CPU, running Teams in the background may slow down performance.

3. Simpler Workflow

Not every business needs chat and video tools. If email, phone, and occasional meetings are sufficient, Teams may just get in the way.

4. Solo Professionals or Freelancers

If you're working alone, Teams offers very little benefit. Outlook, OneDrive, and Office apps are usually enough.

✅ Yes, You Can Use Microsoft 365 Without Teams

You’re not forced to use Teams. Here’s how to avoid using it step-by-step.

🔧 Step 1: Don’t Use It or Disable It at Startup

Even though Teams installs automatically, you can simply:

Ignore it
Disable auto-launch at startup
Remove it from your taskbar or desktop

How to Disable Teams from Auto-Starting on Windows:

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc)
Click on the Startup tab
Find Microsoft Teams
Right-click and select Disable

Now, Teams won’t start automatically when you boot your computer.

🧹 Step 2: Uninstall Microsoft Teams

If you’re sure you don’t need Teams, uninstall it:

On Windows:

Go to Settings → Apps → Installed Apps
Find Microsoft Teams
Click Uninstall

⚠️ You may also want to uninstall Teams Machine-Wide Installer to prevent it from reinstalling later.

On macOS:

Open Finder → Applications
Drag Microsoft Teams to the Trash
Empty Trash

🛠 Step 3: Avoid Teams in Office Deployment (IT Admins)

If you're managing multiple users or devices, you can prevent Teams from being installed during the Office installation process.

Using the Office Deployment Tool, edit your configuration XML file like this:


xml
<Configuration>
  <Add OfficeClientEdition="64">
    <Product ID="O365BusinessRetail">
      <Language ID="en-us" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Teams" />
    </Product>
  </Add>
</Configuration>

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