Features
Q: Do you work with any development tool?
A: We work with two major IDEs in the market today: Visual Studio and Eclipse. We also support integration with other tools through the TFS MSSCCI Provider, and with our command-line tools, which can be installed by downloading the free Team Explorer Everywhere product.
You can find downloads for these tools here:
In addition, you can use any Git client to access Team Projects with Git repositories, including:
Q: Can I really build apps for non-Microsoft platforms using this service?
A: Yes! All source code is treated equally, so for the majority of the capabilities we provide, it doesn’t make a difference what platform you’re developing for. The build-service functionality has some restrictions, and at this time only builds projects for Windows (desktop apps only), Java projects, and web projects.
Q: Can I use any development language?
A: Yes, you can use any language for just about any type of development project. Most features like version control, project management tools, and feedback collection are language agnostic. Some capabilities, notably build, have limitations based on our default build configuration. But, you can add the additional software that you need in order to support your build automation.
Q: Can I use the service for commercial/production projects?
A: Yes! You can use the service for any project you like. Our terms of service support development, test, and production use.
Q: Can I download my project data to use on my own machine?
A: You can use our tools in Visual Studio, Eclipse, or from the command line to keep a local copy of your source code on your machine. Today there isn’t a way to export work items or other project data to your local machine, but we’re planning on adding this capability at a later date.
Q: What browsers do you support?
A: We support and regularly test against most modern browsers, including IE8 and later, Safari 4 and later, and the latest two releases of Chrome and Firefox.
Account
Q: What happens if I forget my username/password/account URL?
A: Go here to recover your Microsoft account or password. You can find your account URL on the Account tab.
Q: How do I change my account URL?
A: You can change your account URL directly through the service. See instructions here.
Security & privacy
Q: How do I know my source code and project data are secure?
A: We follow industry best practices and have enterprise-grade security measures to help protect your code and project data. In addition, all communication between your computer and the service takes place over an encrypted HTTPS connection.
Q: Will Microsoft claim any ownership on my code or intellectual property?
A: No. Your code and your IP are yours. See our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for more information.
Q: What will you do with my personal information?
A: See our Privacy Policy for details.
Service availability
Q: Is my data backed up? How often?
A: All data is stored in triplicate on three physically-distinct servers. Full backups are taken every day with incremental backups every hour. If you want to have your own backup of your source code, you can sync your source to your local machine.
Miscellaneous
Q: Where can I go for help if the answer to my question isn't here?
A: For information on how to get started or how to use Team Foundation Service, we have walkthroughs in our Learn section that provide you with step-by-step guides. If that doesn't help, take a look at our support forums for more help resources from our community, as well as our support staff.