Can't find a new contact

Hi Jon B,

This can happen when both people are using Gmail‑based Teams accounts. Even if you’re both on Teams, those accounts don’t always appear in search, so you may not be able to find each other by name or add each other directly to Contacts.

One thing to try is starting a new chat by entering the full email address (rather than the name) and pressing Enter. If Teams can resolve the account, it will usually create the chat from there.

If that doesn’t work, the most reliable option is to invite the other person as a guest to a Team or a meeting. Once they accept the invitation, you should be able to chat with them normally.

It’s also helpful to confirm that you’re both using the same type of Teams (personal vs work), as mixed account types can affect discoverability.

Please let me know if this proves useful to you, or if you would like further assistance.

I'm looking forward to your reply.

In Microsoft Teams Free, contacts are found and added through search and chat requests, and both sides’ privacy settings affect whether they can see each other.

To find and add this person:

1. Confirm both are using Microsoft Teams Free (consumer) with the same Gmail addresses that should be searchable.
2. On desktop:
   1. Select Search at the top of the main Teams window.
   2. In Look for people, messages, files and more, type the other person’s full Gmail address (not just their name).
   3. If they appear, select their name and start chatting; they will receive a chat request that they must approve before full chat/calling is available.
3. On mobile:
   1. Go to the Chat tab and tap new chat.
   2. In the To: field, enter the other person’s Gmail address.
   3. Tap their name if it appears and send a message so they get a chat request.

If neither side can find the other, check privacy settings on both accounts:

1. On desktop, open Microsoft Teams Free.
2. Select Settings and more > Settings > Privacy.
3. Under Manage how people can find you, select Manage contact information.
4. Make sure the toggles for email, phone number (if used), and profile name are turned on so others can search for the account.

If either person has opted out of search, they will not appear in results. In that case, that person can either:

• Turn the relevant toggles back on so they are discoverable, or
• Search for and add the other person instead (the one who remains discoverable can be found by email/phone/name, and then a chat request can be sent from that side).

Once a chat is established and the request is accepted, the other person will appear in chats and can be managed as a contact.

If problems persist after confirming privacy settings and searching by full email address, use the in-product Contact support option or the Microsoft Teams Community for further assistance.

References:

• Find your contacts in Microsoft Teams Free
• Moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams Free
• Learn about your profile in Microsoft Teams Free
• Manage privacy settings in Microsoft Teams Free