How-to Updated October 2026

ChatGPT in Microsoft Teams: which setup do you need?

"Add ChatGPT to Teams" means two different things. One is OpenAI's Teams app, which connects your personal ChatGPT to your Teams messages. The other is a shared bot that sits inside Teams and answers everyone's HR and IT questions from your company documents. They solve different problems.

Add ChatGPT to Teams All guides
OpenAI's Teams appChatGPT reads Teams for one signed-in user, inside ChatGPT
Shared company botEmployees @mention one bot in Teams and get answers from your docs
No Copilot license neededA shared bot can run on your own OpenAI account
Admin approval either wayTeams admins must allow the app before people can use it
Two Meanings

"ChatGPT in Teams" is two different setups

Both are useful. They are not substitutes for each other.

Shared company bot (e.g. ChatGridAI)OpenAI's Teams app for ChatGPT
Where people use itInside Teams: DMs, group chats, channelsInside ChatGPT, reading Teams
Who it servesEvery employee you add, one shared botEach ChatGPT user, for their own chats
Knowledge it usesYour HR and IT documents, with citationsTeams messages the user can access
Licenses neededSeats plus your OpenAI API usageA ChatGPT plan for each user
Typical question"How many PTO days carry over?""Summarize what my team said this week"
Takes actionsJira tickets or leave requests after confirmationTeams actions such as sending messages, when enabled
Option 1

OpenAI's Microsoft Teams app for ChatGPT

OpenAI offers a Microsoft Teams app that connects ChatGPT to Teams. A user signs in, and ChatGPT can search and reference the chats and channels that user can access, and take supported actions when an admin enables them. A Microsoft Entra admin has to approve the permissions first. Details change often, so check OpenAI's help article for the current scope.

This is a personal productivity tool. It helps someone who already uses ChatGPT catch up on Teams. It does not give your company a bot in Teams that answers employees' policy questions, and everyone who uses it needs a ChatGPT plan.

Option 2

A shared ChatGPT bot inside Teams that answers from your docs

This is what most HR and IT teams mean. One bot lives in Teams. Employees DM it or @mention it in a channel. It answers from the handbook, IT runbooks and onboarding guides you give it, and cites the document. With ChatGridAI:

  1. 1

    Sign in with Microsoft

    Start the 14-day trial with your Microsoft 365 account. No credit card.

  2. 2

    Connect your OpenAI account

    Paste an OpenAI API key (Azure OpenAI also works) and pick a model. OpenAI bills usage to you directly.

  3. 3

    Create a group per department

    HR, IT, Onboarding. Each group has its own documents, its own instructions and its own members.

  4. 4

    Add documents

    Upload files or pick them from SharePoint, OneDrive, OneNote, Google Drive, Dropbox or Confluence.

  5. 5

    Install the Teams app

    Install from the dashboard, then allow it in the Teams admin center if your tenant restricts apps. Employees find it in Teams and start asking.

Without Copilot

Using ChatGPT in Teams without Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft 365 Copilot is Microsoft's own assistant in Teams, licensed per user. If you only need a bot that answers HR and IT questions from a set of documents, you do not need a Copilot license for everyone. A shared bot on your own OpenAI account covers that job at $5 per seat plus usage. See ChatGridAI vs Microsoft Copilot for where Copilot is the better fit.

If you were planning to build the bot in Copilot Studio instead, read Copilot Studio alternative for HR and IT FAQ bots first.

Build It Yourself?

Can you connect ChatGPT to Teams with your own code?

Yes. You can register a bot with Azure Bot Service or the Teams Toolkit, receive messages, call the OpenAI API and reply. A basic echo-to-OpenAI bot is a short project. Answering from company documents with citations, separating HR files from IT files, handling channel threads, and keeping it running is the long part. Most small teams buy that part.

FAQ

Common questions

Decide which setup you need. For personal use, connect OpenAI's Teams app inside ChatGPT (an Entra admin approves it). For a shared bot that answers employees from company documents, install a Teams app such as ChatGridAI, connect your OpenAI key, add documents and allow the app in the Teams admin center.
Yes. A shared bot like ChatGridAI runs on your own OpenAI or Azure OpenAI account and does not need Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses.
Yes. ChatGridAI works in Teams DMs, group chats and channels. People @mention it in a channel and it replies with an answer from your documents.
Not with ChatGridAI. It only uses the files you add to each group, and only the members of that group get answers from them. Files are not synced continuously, so you re-add a document when it changes.
ChatGridAI is $5 per seat per month with a 20-seat minimum after a 14-day trial, plus OpenAI usage billed to your own account. A typical question with GPT-5 Mini costs a fraction of a cent.

One shared ChatGPT bot for your whole Teams tenant

Answers from your HR and IT documents, cites the source, and runs on your own OpenAI account.

Start Free Trial Read the setup guide

$5/seat/month - 14-day free trial with 10 seats - no credit card required