#PowerPlatformTip 68: 'Utilize the best of both worlds: Power Apps and Power Apps 4 Teams'

TL;DR: Controls can be copied between canvas apps with Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V, also between an app in Power Apps for Microsoft Teams (“Power Apps 4 Teams”) and an app in the full Power Apps studio. Formulas and properties come along. The Fluent look that once made the Teams studio attractive is now built into the full studio as well: turn on Modern controls and themes under Settings > Updates > New.

💡 Challenge

When this tip was first written, Power Apps in Microsoft Teams (built on Dataverse for Teams) offered Fluent UI controls that looked more modern than the classic controls of the full Power Apps studio. The Teams studio, on the other hand, is trimmed down. Makers wanted the controls of one and the features of the other.

✅ Solution

Two things help. First, copy and paste works across apps and across both studios, so a finished control or a whole container moves in seconds. Second, the full studio now has its own modern controls based on Fluent 2, so for new apps you rarely need to borrow controls from Teams at all.

🔧 How It’s Done

1. Copy the control

🔸 Open the source app in its studio, select the control (or a container or group with several controls) and press Ctrl+C.

2. Paste into the target app

🔸 Open the target app in a second browser tab, select the screen or container and press Ctrl+V.

🔸 The control keeps its formatting, formulas and property settings.

3. Fix the references

🔸 Formulas that point to data sources, variables, collections or other controls that don’t exist in the target app show errors. Add the data source or rename the references, and the errors disappear.

4. Use modern controls in the full studio

🔸 In the full Power Apps studio, open Settings > Updates, select the New tab and turn on Modern controls and themes.

🔸 The modern controls appear in the usual categories of the Insert pane. The classic controls move to the categories Classic and Classic icons, and the Themes pane lets you style the whole app centrally.

🎉 Result

You reuse finished controls across apps and studios instead of rebuilding them, and new apps in the full studio get the Fluent look directly from the modern controls.

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 Faster building: copy a styled control or a whole container instead of recreating it.

🔸 Works both ways: from Teams to the full studio and back, as long as the target supports the control.

🔸 Consistent design: modern controls and themes give every app the Fluent 2 look without borrowing from Teams.

🎥 Video Tutorial

🛠️ FAQ

1. What is “Power Apps 4 Teams”?

The nickname for Power Apps in Microsoft Teams: canvas apps built inside Teams that store their data in Dataverse for Teams.

2. Do copied controls keep their formulas and properties?

Yes. Formatting, formulas and property settings are pasted as well. References to things that don’t exist in the target app show an error until you add or rename them.

3. Can I paste controls back into Power Apps in Teams?

Yes, the same shortcuts work in both directions. A control type the target studio doesn’t offer can’t be used there.

🔗 Related Tips

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 13: ‘PowerApps4Teams in make.powerapps.com’ - open the Teams app in the full studio directly, instead of copy-pasting controls one by one.

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 70: ‘Managing Teams with PowerApps’ - manage the underlying Teams environment itself from powerautomate.com.