How to Create and Manage Tags in Microsoft Teams to Mention Groups

In large corporate Microsoft Teams workspaces, keeping communication targeted and efficient is one of the biggest productivity challenges. Mentioning an entire team using @Team or an entire channel using @Channel broadcasts loud alerts to dozens or hundreds of colleagues, triggering notification fatigue and causing employees to ignore critical alerts.

To solve this, Microsoft Teams includes a powerful feature called Tags. Tags allow team owners and members to categorise colleagues based on role, department, project responsibility, or physical location (such as @Designers, @Cashiers, @StoreManagers, or @OnCallEngineers). When you mention a tag in a channel, only the individuals assigned to that specific tag receive a direct notification. Here is how to create, manage, and use tags in Microsoft Teams.

Why Use Tags in Microsoft Teams?

Deploying role-based tags delivers distinct collaboration benefits across organisations:

• Eliminates Notification Fatigue: Rather than interrupting thirty colleagues with an @channel ping, you notify only the five individuals responsible for the task.
• Instant Group Chats: Anyone can start a group chat with all members of a tag directly from the tag management screen with a single click.
• Dynamic Shift Integration: In organisations using Microsoft Teams Shifts, tags can automatically synchronise with active schedules, ensuring you only ping team members who are currently clocked in on shift.
• Self-Explaining Communication: Tag names clarify ownership, helping cross-functional teams know exactly which group to mention without needing to look up individual organisational charts.

Step 1: Check Who Can Create Tags in Your Team Settings

By default, Microsoft Teams permits team owners to create and edit tags, but owners can delegate this capability to all team members:

1. Open Microsoft Teams on desktop or web.
2. In the teams list on the left, find your team, click the More options icon (three horizontal dots ...) next to the team name, and select Manage team.
3. Click the Settings tab along the top of the management window.
4. Expand the Tags section.
5. Under Who can manage tags, choose between Owners and members (recommended for collaborative agility) or Team owners only (recommended for strictly controlled enterprise environments).

Step 2: How to Create a New Tag in Microsoft Teams

1. Click the More options icon (...) next to your target team name.
2. Select Manage tags from the dropdown menu.
3. In the Tags manager dialogue, click the purple Create tag button.
4. Provide a concise, intuitive Tag name (e.g. DesignReviewers, DevOps, or StoreSupervisors).
5. (Optional) Add a helpful Description detailing who belongs to this group.
6. Under the Add members field, begin typing the names or email addresses of the colleagues you want to assign to this tag. Select them from the suggestions list.
7. Click Create. Your tag is immediately active across the entire team and all its channels.

Step 3: How to Mention a Tag in Channel Conversations

Using a tag is identical to mentioning an individual person:

1. Navigate to any standard or shared channel within the team where the tag was created.
2. In the compose box, type the @ symbol followed immediately by your tag name (e.g. @DesignReviewers).
3. Select the tag from the pop-up suggestion menu. The tag name will highlight in bold purple text.
4. Type your message and click Send.

Every person assigned to that tag receives an activity feed notification and a red mention banner, while all other team members can read the message at their leisure without intrusive notification chimes.

Step 4: How to Start a Group Chat Directly from a Tag

If an issue requires an immediate private discussion with all tag members rather than a public channel post:

1. Hover your cursor over the highlighted tag name in any channel post. A contact profile card will appear listing all members assigned to the tag.
2. Click the Chat icon (the speech bubble) on the card.
3. Microsoft Teams instantly opens a new private group chat with all members of that tag already populated in the recipient line.

How to Edit, Add Members, or Delete a Tag

Team rosters and project assignments evolve regularly. To keep tags updated:

1. Click the three dots (...) next to your team name and select Manage tags.
2. In the Your tags list, locate the tag you want to modify.
3. Click on the tag to view its current members.
4. To add new members, type their names into the Add people to tag field.
5. To remove a member, hover over their name and click the X icon.
6. To permanently remove the tag, click the More options icon (...) on the tag card and select Delete tag. Confirm when prompted.

Best Practices for Implementing Tags in Microsoft Teams

• Standardise Tag Names: Use clear, descriptive nouns (e.g. QA-Engineers, Billing-Support, London-Sales) rather than obscure acronyms.
• Avoid Redundant Tags: Check existing tags before creating new ones to prevent overlapping groups (such as having both Devs and Developers).
• Audit Membership Periodically: When team members leave a project or change departments, remove them from respective tags to ensure messages are not routed to former team contributors.