How to Install Microsoft Teams on Linux Mint 21 LTS

Microsoft Teams is a proprietary business communication platform developed by Microsoft. It is a collaboration application built for chat, calling, collaboration, and meetings all in one place to make it easier for teams to stay organized and connected than using several other communication platforms separately. It offers users many features such as creating a team through their Outlook account, scheduling and conducting online meetings with rich media experiences, sharing OneNote notebooks, and integrating with over 150 third-party apps. Microsoft Teams also includes features such as Tasks which allows users to create and assign tasks to specific team members, as well as timelines which visually display the progress of a project. All these features make a seamless collaboration experience for users, significantly improving an organization’s productivity.

The following tutorial will teach you how to import the official repository and install Microsoft Teams on Linux Mint 21 release series desktop using the command line terminal with two installation options.

Update Linux Mint

First, update your system to ensure all existing packages are up to date.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Required Packages

To complete the installation, you will need to install the following software packages using the following command in your terminal.

sudo apt install dirmngr ca-certificates software-properties-common gnupg gnupg2 apt-transport-https curl -y

If unsure, run the command; it will not harm you.

These are the most common software packages found on nearly all Linux distributions.

Install Microsoft Teams – APT Method

The first task is to import the GPG KEY to verify the authenticity of the downloaded packages using the following command.

curl -fsSL https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/ms-teams.gpg > /dev/null

Now, import the official Microsoft Teams repository using the following command.

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/ms-teams.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/ms-teams stable main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ms-teams.list

Lastly, update your APT cache.

sudo apt update

The next part of the installation of Microsoft Teams is to proceed with the actual installation using the following command.

sudo apt install teams -y

Alternatively, you can install the team’s insiders using the following command.

sudo apt install teams-insiders -y

Install Microsoft Teams – Flatpak Method

The second option is to use the Flatpak package manager. This comes installed on Linux Mint unless you removed it. This is another popular option similar to Snap but is featured amongst many distributions as an alternative third-party installation package manager for the latest packages.

First, re-install Flatpak if you have removed the package manager previously.

sudo apt install flatpak -y

For users re-installing Flatpak, it is often recommended to reboot your system. Failure to do this can occur with odd issues, such as paths not being generated for icons.

reboot

SKIP THE REBOOT IF FLATPAK IS INSTALLED.

Next, you need to enable Flatpack using the following command in your terminal:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Now install Teams using the following flatpak command:

flatpak install flathub com.github.IsmaelMartinez.teams_for_linux -y

How to Launch Microsoft Teams

Now that you have the client installed, launching can be done in a few ways.

Using the command line terminal, you can open the browser quickly by using the following command.

teams

Flatpak installations can use the following terminal command.

flatpak run com.github.IsmaelMartinez.teams_for_linux

The best way to use Microsoft Teams for desktop users that prefer not to use the command line terminal is to open the GUI of the application by following the path.

Taskbar > Internet > Microsoft Teams {version}

Example:

Once launched, you will get to the get started screen. From here, you can log on and use Microsoft Teams.

Example:

How to Update Microsoft Teams

Updates should appear in notifications, but if these fail to show sometimes, it is recommended to check using the terminal regardless of the following commands to check for updates.

APT Method

sudo apt update

Flatpak Method

flatpak update

How to Remove (Uninstall) Microsoft Teams

Use one of the following commands to suit the original installation method for users who no longer require the paint application.

APT Remove Method

sudo apt autoremove teams --purge -y

Remove the repository if you plan not to re-install Teams again.

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/teams.list /usr/share/keyrings/ms-teams.gpg

Flatpak Remove Method

flatpak remove  --delete-data com.github.IsmaelMartinez.teams_for_linux -y

Next, run the following command for any leftover clean-ups required, similar to the autoremove command described for the apt remove example command.

flatpak remove --unused

Comments and Conclusion

Microsoft Teams can be used in several ways to increase productivity and collaboration. With its messaging feature, it can cut down on the use of other methods of communication, such as emails. Additionally, the ability to have multiple chats open at the same time makes it easier for team members to communicate with each other. Finally, the app can be customized to fit each workplace’s needs, making it an extremely versatile tool.