Manage the usage of a phone number
You might want to change the usage of a phone number after it was acquired or ported into your organization. You can change the usage of user and service numbers by using the Teams admin center.
There are three types of usages:
- User number assigned directly to a user.
- Service number assigned to an Auto attendant or Call queue.
- Service number assigned to an Audio conferencing bridge.
For more information about types of phone numbers, see Manage phone numbers for your oranization.
Before changing the usage of a number:
Be sure you have the right licenses for the target type of number usage. For more information, see How many numbers can you get.
Be aware that you can only assign toll-free numbers to voice apps (Auto attendants and Call queues) and Audio conferencing bridges.
How to manage the usage of a phone number
To change the usage of a phone number by using the Teams admin center:
Open the Microsoft Teams admin center and log in with a Teams Telephony Administrator or higher account.
In the left navigation, select Voice > Phone numbers.
On the Phone numbers page, choose an unassigned number in the list, and then select Change usage.
If you don't see a Change usage option, check the following:
- Make sure you're selecting an unassigned number before trying to change its usage. The value of the Assignment status column should be Unassigned. Otherwise, the option isn't visible.
- If the number is currently assigned, you need to remove the phone number from a user or resource account first. To unassign a number from a conference bridge, see Change numbers on your Audio Conferencing bridge.
- You must have more than one type of usage in the Available usages column. Otherwise, you can't change the number type through the Teams admin center.
In the Change usage pane, open the list of available usages for the phone number, and then select the intended option.
The list only displays usages that are available for the telephone number, depending on its number type (geographic, non-geographic, or toll-free) and supplier. You can quickly review the available usages for each phone number by setting the Available usages column in the Phone numbers table to visible.
Select Apply to set the Licensed usage.
Important
Microsoft recommends that you use roles with the fewest permissions. This helps improve security for your organization. Global Administrator is a highly privileged role that should be limited to emergency scenarios when you can't use an existing role. To learn more, see About administrator roles in the Microsoft 365 admin center and Teams administrator roles.
Still need assistance?
If you still need assistance, contact the TNS Service Desk.