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How to Choose Between SharePoint Team and Communication Sites

Camila Milosovich Oct 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to understand the differences between SharePoint team sites and communication sites to decide which template best fits their collaboration or publishing needs.

Choosing Between a SharePoint Team Site and a Communication Site

Product: SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Planning to set up a new SharePoint site for a team project, department, or organization-wide portal.
Observed behavior: The user wants to select the correct SharePoint site type based on whether the primary goal is active file collaboration or broadcasting information to a large audience.

Before you start

Assess your primary goal and audience size. Determine whether you need active co-authoring among a specific group of members or if you need to broadcast finalized information to a broad, organization-wide audience.

Solution 1Recommended

Use a SharePoint Team Site for Collaboration

Best for groups that need to actively work together, share files, manage lists, and access shared team resources.

A SharePoint Team site is designed primarily for collaboration. It is the ideal choice when most or all members of the site need permissions to add, edit, or delete files and content.

Create directly from SharePoint

Navigate to the SharePoint start page in your Microsoft 365 environment. Click the 'Create site' button and select 'Team site' from the available templates.

Create via Microsoft Teams

Alternatively, create a new team directly within Microsoft Teams. Doing this automatically generates an associated Microsoft 365 group and a backend SharePoint Team site. Any files you upload to the 'Files' tab in Teams will automatically sync and appear in this SharePoint site.

Manage shared resources

Utilize the shared document library, lists, and shared calendar. Since all members typically have edit access, you can securely co-author documents and manage project trackers.

Use a SharePoint Team Site for Collaboration

Microsoft 365 Group Integration: When you create a Team site, Microsoft 365 automatically provisions an associated group, providing shared access to a team inbox, calendar, Planner, and OneNote notebook.

Solution 2

Use a SharePoint Communication Site for Broadcasting

Ideal for publishing news, announcements, reports, and status updates to a broad, organization-wide audience.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Effortless File Sharing and Team Collaboration with WPS Office

If you find setting up SharePoint sites and managing Microsoft 365 groups too complex for simple file sharing, WPS Office offers a lightweight, highly efficient alternative. With built-in WPS Cloud, you can effortlessly create team folders, co-edit documents in real-time, and manage user permissions without the steep learning curve or high costs of Microsoft 365.

1. Download and install: Download WPS Office for free and create a WPS account to access cloud features.
2. Create a Team workspace: Open the 'Cloud' tab in the WPS workspace and click 'Create Team' to set up a shared environment.
3. Invite members: Generate an invitation link or add team members via email to grant them access to the shared folder.
4. Collaborate in real-time: Upload your Office documents to the team folder. You and your team can now co-edit the files simultaneously with built-in version history.

Free and lightweight alternative to Microsoft 365 ecosystemHighly compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formatsSeamless real-time co-editing and team folder management via WPS CloudFamiliar, user-friendly interface requiring zero IT setup

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I convert a SharePoint Team site into a Communication site?

No, you cannot directly convert a Team site into a Communication site (or vice versa). The underlying architecture and group associations are fundamentally different. You will need to create a new Communication site and manually migrate your content over.

Why don't I see the 'Create site' option on the SharePoint home page?

If the 'Create site' button is missing or greyed out, your Microsoft 365 administrator has likely disabled self-service site creation for end-users to prevent sprawl. You will need to contact your IT department to request a new site.

Do Communication sites automatically create a Microsoft 365 group?

No, unlike Team sites, Communication sites do not create or connect to a Microsoft 365 group by default. They rely on standard SharePoint groups (Owners, Members, Visitors) for permission management.

How does creating a team in Microsoft Teams relate to SharePoint?

Every time you create a new team in Microsoft Teams, a corresponding SharePoint Team site is automatically created in the background. The 'Files' tab in your Teams channels actually reflects the document libraries stored in that associated SharePoint site.

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