Features in Microsoft Teams

1. Improved meeting gallery in Microsoft Teams Meetings

Microsoft Teams has updated the Meeting Gallery with some exciting new features that will enhance your meeting experience:

• Unified video tiles: All participants are now displayed in the gallery in tiles of the same size, regardless of whether their camera is activated or not. This ensures equal visibility for all participants.
• Optimizing visibility: The gallery dynamically adjusts to highlight active speakers and people with their hands raised, ensuring that key participants are always clearly visible.
• Enlarged video tiles for Microsoft Teams rooms: When a Microsoft Teams room joins a meeting, the video tiles for these rooms are automatically enlarged. This promotes better integration and visibility of the participants who are connected from such a room. A Microsoft Teams room is a meeting room that is equipped with intelligent meeting solutions and thus enables better collaboration.
• Customizable participant view: You have the ability to control the number of participants displayed on your screen, highlight favorite people, and hide yourself from the main gallery (visible only to you).

 

2. Emojis with a personal touch

You can now create and upload your own custom emojis to reply to messages or use in chat. To do so, follow these steps:

1. In the message box, click the emoji, GIF, and sticker icon.
   
2. Select “Emoji” and then “Your organization’s emoji.”
   

   →

3. Click “Add Emoji” and select the image or GIF you want to use as an emoji.
   

   

This allows you to make your messages even more personal and adapt them to your individual needs.

 

3. Customize notification sounds

From now on, you can customize the sounds for different notifications to better distinguish them. You can set individual sounds for different types of notifications - for example, a standard sound for general messages, special sounds for urgent messages, or turn off notifications completely when you're busy or in a meeting. This way, you can tell what type of notification it is just by the sound.

To adjust the settings, proceed as follows: Click Settings and More then click Settings  and on Notifications and activities. In this menu you can set the options mentioned.

 

4. Search now includes Microsoft Teams chats

In Microsoft Teams, chat messages are now included in the results when you search. If you want to search specifically for messages, press the Enter key and select "Messages" under the search bar. This will help you find the relevant chat content more quickly.

 

5. Customize channel notifications to your liking

In Microsoft Teams, you can now decide for yourself which channel notifications you see. Manage which notifications you receive and focus on the topics that are important to you.

To do this, simply hover your mouse over the desired post and click on “More options” . If you are already following the post, you can turn off notifications. If you are not following yet, you can turn on notification.

 

6. Better control over what participants see during webinars – with Microsoft Teams Premium*

As a webinar host, you now have the ability to precisely control what content attendees see. In the Manage section, you can turn speakers on or off as needed to ensure that attendees always see the most relevant presenters. You can manage up to seven presenters at once.

You can find detailed instructions for better management of your events here..

 

7. Change the order of presenters

For webinars and events, you can now change the order of presenters in the event details to optimize the presentation order. Open the event details in your Teams calendar and go to Setup > Presenter Bios. There you can drag and drop the presenter names into the order you want.

If you don’t know how to add the presenters to your event information, here is a Instructions.

 

8. What’s new about Microsoft Mesh – with Microsoft Teams Premium*

Remember Mesh? Since its launch in January 2024, there have been exciting new developments. Microsoft Mesh offers an immersive 3D experience in Teams meetings that makes virtual meetings more personal and interactive. You can get a quick glimpse in this video from Microsoft.

The first two templates that already have screen sharing integrated are now available: "Meadow" and "Oasis". Both templates contain a screen share panel that allows you to see shared screens in the virtual space. This means you no longer have to create your own templates.

Additionally, you can revisit and share past Mesh events. Simply click on the link of the respective event to re-enter.

 

9. What’s new in Microsoft Mesh for all Teams licenses

There are also exciting updates to Mesh for Microsoft Teams standard licenses. Your avatars can now perform movements as reactions, making meetings more personal and realistic.

Additionally, avatars now have a personal zone that prevents others from walking through them or getting too close to them. This provides more comfort and safety, even in virtual spaces.

 

* These features are only available for companies with Microsoft Teams Premium or Copilot for M365 licenses. If you are not sure whether you have a corresponding plan or are interested in purchasing the add-on, we will be happy to advise you.

1. Efficient preparation and collaboration with collaborative notes in Microsoft Teams meetings

Collaborative notes allow all participants to prepare for the meeting, edit the agenda and notes, and take meeting notes and follow-up tasks during the meeting. The available Loop components make collaboration even more effective so that everyone can participate equally.

To access collaborative notes, navigate to Calendar in the left menu bar of Microsoft Teams and open the relevant meeting. At the end of the invitation there is a note icon Here you can add the required information. These notes are opened automatically when a meeting begins. If this is not the case, you will find the notes icon at the top of the screen to open them.

 

2. Improved toolbar with optimized video display

When sharing your screen, you can now reposition the presenter toolbar using drag and drop. Additionally, there is a new option: SynchroniseWhen enabled, it improves the display of shared videos and makes the video content play more smoothly.

 

3. Get your message across correctly – with Copilot for M365*

With the Copilot for Microsoft 365 you can customize your text messages in Teams before sending them. Write your message, open the Copilot (on the right in the input box), select the option Adapt and enter your custom command (e.g. "Convert to a list" or "Write it more directly"). Copilot will give you up to ten suggestions from which you can choose the most appropriate one. For more details on customizing your messages with Copilot, see here..

 

4. Translations directly in Microsoft Teams

New in chats: intelligent message translation! When you receive a message in a foreign language, Microsoft Teams automatically suggests a translation in your default language.

You can also change the automatic translation settings by clicking More options click and then Translation choose.

5. Quick access using slash commands

Slash commands allow you to quickly perform actions such as opening a new chat window, starting a call, opening settings, or changing your status. Simply type the desired command in the search field. Microsoft offers you a Overview of the most common slash commands.

 

6. Quickly and easily start a short meeting in the team

Do you want to start a short meeting with your team right away? Now you no longer have to schedule extra meetings. Simply start an unplanned meeting directly in the group chat. To do so, click on the button «Discuss now». This new feature allows you to spontaneously start a conversation, regardless of where you are - just as if you were stopping by your colleagues' desks.

 

7. Secure a workplace despite desk sharing

Do you work hybrid and no longer have a fixed workplace? With the new Microsoft Teams feature, you can reserve shared workplaces in advance or connect on the day itself and block them for yourself for the rest of the working day. This way, you can see which workplaces are available in the company when you want to come into the office. Your IT administrators will set up these bookable workplaces for you. Do you need help with this? We are here for you! You can find more information about the bookable workplaces here.

 

8. For all programmers – co-editing code directly in Microsoft Teams

Loop components can now be supplemented with code blocks. This allows you to share your code with colleagues who want to review it and collaborate on it. This simplifies communication and increases productivity.

 

9. The input field in the new design

The design of the input field has been simplified so that sending messages is now easier and more intuitive. The input field provides quick access to the most used features such as text editing, emojis, loop components and, if available, Copilot. Advanced features are available under the plus symbol .

 

10. More control over your meetings – with Copilot for M365 and Microsoft Teams Premium*

With a Copilot for M365 license (or a Microsoft Teams Premium license from around September), you can precisely specify who has access to the meeting recording, transcript and AI-generated insights when organizing meetings. You can determine whether all participants, only organizers and co-organizers or specific people can access them.

 

11. The transcripts in focus

To improve transcription handling, Microsoft has implemented several new features in Teams:

Transcripts on OneDrive

From now on, all transcripts will be automatically saved to OneDrive for Business instead of Exchange Online as before. When you open the transcription in Microsoft Teams, you should also be able to see and open the OneDrive copy.

Deleting the transcripts

Deleting the transcription in the Microsoft Teams app will also delete both copies (in OneDrive for Business and Exchange Online). Deleting the transcription in Stream will only delete the copy in OneDrive for Business.

Permissions for transcripts

As the owner of a transcription, you can download or delete the transcript file, while participants can only view the transcription. However, you can grant permissions to download, view and edit the transcripts.

 

 

* These features are only available for companies with Microsoft Teams Premium or Copilot for M365 licenses. If you are not sure whether you have a corresponding plan or are interested in purchasing the add-on, we will be happy to advise you.

1. Get connected – Share contact information via Microsoft Teams Chat

You can now easily share someone's contact information in Microsoft Teams chat, even if that contact is not part of the conversation. To do so, open the desired Teams chat and type @ in the message input. A pop-up will then appear asking you to «Share a person's contact information » Enter the name, select the contact and confirm with OK. After sending the message, chat members can view the contact information.

 

2. New wardrobe for your Microsoft Teams avatar

Give your avatar's wardrobe a makeover with a professional look. New clothing and appearance options are available. To learn how to create and customize an avatar, see the Instructions from Microsoft.

You no longer know what an avatar is and what you can do with it? No problem! Here's a little recap:
An avatar is a virtual image of you that you can customize to either look like you or how you want to be. This avatar allows you to participate in meetings, making them more realistic and personal without having to enable video. Whether you disable video because of a poor internet connection or because you feel more comfortable, the avatar offers an effective alternative.

 

3. Copy links to files easily & quickly

Copying a file link is one of the most frequently used functions in Microsoft Teams document management. Therefore, Microsoft has reduced this process to a few steps. To copy a file path now, you only need a few clicks. In a chat or team, select the tab files .

You can then select the desired file. The option Copy link . Once you select it, the file link will be copied to your clipboard.

 

4. Catch up on meetings with all the details – with Microsoft Teams Premium or Copilot for M365*

Meetings have been able to be recorded and transcribed for some time now, and the option to view these recordings and summaries is also available to users of Microsoft Teams Basic & Standard. New for users of Microsoft Teams Premium is the ability to view further details in the chat after the meeting. You can see which participants spoke, who was mentioned, which documents were shared, and which notes were saved. The tasks recognized by Copilot are also displayed. This way, you know all the important information as if you were there at the meeting.

Find out how the Copilot in Microsoft Teams can also help you and why switching to a Copilot license is worthwhile in our review.

 

5. Meeting summaries available in additional languages

Smart meeting summarization now supports 15 additional languages: Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmal), Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Swedish, Thai and Turkish. You can find out which languages ​​are currently available here..

 

6. Capture and save collaborative notes from meetings

While sharing your screen in a Microsoft Teams meeting, you can annotate the screen. Depending on the settings, either all participants or only the presenter can do this. If you want to enable annotations, proceed as follows:

1. Move your cursor to the top of the screen you want to share
2. In the speaker symbol list, select Comment on from
   
3. All participants will see the Microsoft Whiteboard toolset at the top of the shared screen. Authorized participants can now add annotations
   

This feature already existed. What is new, however, is that in the Whiteboard toolset above you can Snapshot Click on the camera and the shared screen including the notes will be added to the Whiteboard app. Here you can view and edit the notes at any time.

 

7. Shorten meeting recordings

Recordings can now be trimmed directly in Microsoft Stream. This allows you to cut out unnecessary minutes at the beginning or end, for example when you had to wait for participants. You can also remove pauses or confidential information during the meeting. Find out how to do this in the following Instructions.

 

 

* These features are only available for companies with Microsoft Teams Premium or Copilot for M365 licenses. If you are not sure whether you have a corresponding plan or are interested in purchasing the add-on, we will be happy to advise you.

1. More conversation with Copilot in Microsoft Teams

The Copilot in Microsoft Teams is now even better! It has been optimized as part of the team update and can give you more details about answers or summaries. To do this, you just need to ask for more details or clarifications on answers. The copilot will then provide you with all the important information. Would you like to know how else you can use Copilot in your Office programs? Our specialist Christian Wernli will tell you about his experiences: Microsoft Copilot review.

 

2. Hide the general channel in a team

You can now also show or hide the general channel of the individual teams. This allows you to customize your channel list and focus on your most important channels. Find out how you can show or hide channels here..

 

3. Stay on schedule with calendar notifications

Manage your calendar notifications directly from your Teams activity feed. Define the desired notification options for your meetings and receive notification of invitations, changes, cancellations and forwards. Accordingly, you can stay up to date on meetings at all times.

To adjust the settings in the Activity feed switch and on More options  click. Then notification settings select, scroll down to Calendar. In this section you will find the calendar notification settings. Here you can also adjust general notification settings, meeting notifications, chats and channels.

 

4. Add a profile picture to your Microsoft Teams group chat

Upload a desired profile picture for your Teams group chat. With a suitable picture, you can recognize your respective group chats directly from the profile picture and you are spared a long search for the right chat. To do this, click on the existing profile picture of the desired group chat and select from the suggestions or upload a picture yourself:

 

5. Smarter file attachment suggestions

With context-based suggestions in Teams Chat, you can easily find the file you want to attach in your chat. Just choose attach files to attach files in your Teams chat window and Teams will suggest the five most relevant files from OneDrive and SharePoint based on the current conversation.

 

6. Create a team or channel more easily

By default, a team is now created from scratch and a template is no longer used. If you still want to create a new team based on a template, you can create a desired template at «More options for creating teams» choose. Creating a new channel has also been simplified and can be found in the same menu as creating a team. To create a new team or channel, do the following:

Go to the menu teams  and click on that above Plus sign . There you can choose whether you want to create a team or channel or join an existing team.

The creation options then open, which you can set and confirm with save.

 

7. Sign in to multiple Microsoft Teams accounts at the same time

It is now possible to log in to multiple Teams accounts at the same time. Keep track of notifications and tasks across multiple accounts without changing teams. For information on how to add additional accounts and change settings for them, see Microsoft's instructions Manage accounts and organizations in Microsoft Teams.

 

8. Choice of subtitles in webinars

You can now select up to six (or up to ten with Microsoft Teams Premium) available subtitle languages ​​for your webinars. After participants join the webinar, they can choose which language they want the subtitles to be translated into.

 

9. Track the Q&A of your webinars

When a person posts a new question or answer in a webinar Q&A, a red dot will show you when it has been received. The item will be displayed until the Q&A section opens. This way you always know when new questions or answers have appeared.

1. Join personal and work meetings from any Microsoft Teams app

You can now join personal and business meetings without switching Microsoft Teams apps or joining via the browser. This means you can easily switch back and forth between private and business meetings in one app.

 

2. Invite to meetings with your branding – with Microsoft Teams Premium*

Do you own Microsoft Teams Premium Your company can integrate branded content into Teams. You can then design meeting invitations, join screens and backgrounds with your brand colors and images. This way, your meetings will leave an even more professional impression, especially when it comes to meetings with customers or other external parties.

 

3. Direct links to channels and posts

Send direct links to channels, posts, and replies to direct the recipient to the specific information. By linking to a specific channel, post or reply, you can refer to it more specifically and the recipient can follow you better. To share a channel via direct link, go to the tab teams   > move the mouse over the desired channel and More options > Get link to channel  choose. A pop-up window will then appear in which you can copy the link.

If you want to copy the link to a specific post from a channel or a reply, you also have to hover your mouse over the desired content More options  choose. Afterward Copy link  click. In this case, the link is automatically copied to the clipboard.

At the end, all you have to do is send the link to the desired recipient.

 

4. New background effect for a professional appearance

As usual, you can also upload your own branded images for the background in team meetings. It is now also possible to upload images with a transparent background and activate a blur effect for the transparent parts of the image. This way you can upload your cropped logo and it will look like you are sitting in front of a frosted window with your logo written on it.

You can either have your IT admin store the transparent image in Microsoft Teams or upload it yourself by joining before joining or during the meeting Video effects** > under backgrounds Add new Select and add the desired image. The blur effect is automatically deposited.

**If you don't know exactly how to get to the video settings, we'll explain it below.

Start “Discuss now” to get to the video effects

As mentioned, there are two ways to access the video effects, but one is to access the video settings discord a meeting is necessary. So that you don't have to worry about the background image before or during a meeting, we have a little workaround for you. Switch to Outlook and the menu tab Home and then click on Discuss now. 

A meeting window will open and you can edit the video effects as follows. And don't worry: if you attend the meeting, you will be the only one in the meeting. You can find out what else you can change in the video settings here..

Submit a picture before joining

First start the Microsoft Teams meeting. You can then click on the left below Effects and avatars > Select video effects (Camera must be activated for this) > More video effects a new background can be added. If the image has been stored by the IT admin, then the image is ready to be selected among the backgrounds.

Leave a picture during the meeting

If you are already in the meeting and want to add the transparent image as a background, you can do the following: Click on that Dropdown...

…then up More video effects and settings.

 

5. Using a Content Camera in Microsoft Teams Meetings

So that online and hybrid team meetings can take place even more collaboratively, you can use a content camera in Microsoft Teams meetings. Content cameras allow you to capture and share whiteboards, printed documents, and other physical objects with online participants. Brainstorming sessions and discussions in particular can be conducted more easily with all participants in this way. You can find out what the content camera can do, as well as other helpful tips for successful collaboration, in the following video from Microsoft:

 

6. Transcriptions without participation details

Since the new version, information about individual participants joining and leaving meetings is no longer saved in the meeting transcript. The meeting organizer can continue to view this information in the Attendance tab after the meeting.

 

7. Add watermarks to live PowerPoints and whiteboards – Microsoft Teams Premium*

In Microsoft Teams Premium you can now add a watermark when presenting a PowerPoint or whiteboard. For all participants, the shared image is overlaid with their own email address. This prevents them from taking unauthorized screenshots of the content. Find out how here Add watermark can.

 

8. Find summaries faster

If Microsoft Teams meetings are recorded and transcribed, an automatic summary can also be created. This can now be found under the tab Summary. In the summary you will find the meeting recording, minutes, shared content, meeting notes, meeting agenda, and follow-up tasks. If a meeting does not have a summary, the recording and transcript are still included Recording & Transcription a DAK Bungalow.

 

9. Archive inactive Microsoft Teams channels

Channel owners and admins can archive newly inactive Teams channels. Posts, messages, files and other documents from the channel are not lost. To archive a channel, select teams  > More options > Archive channel. 

 

10. Manage tags in Microsoft Teams channels

You can now no longer only manage tags at the team level, but also specifically on channels. You can use tags to target and notify members of other channels or a predefined group of people. To create a channel tag select teams  > More options > Manage tags .

 

*These features are only for businesses where Microsoft Teams Premium plans are available. If you are not sure whether you have a corresponding plan or are interested in purchasing the add-on, we will be happy to advise you.

1. Simplify your activity feed

You can now easily delete notifications from your activity feed for a better overview. Navigate to your activity feed:

And click More options > Removeto delete the respective notification. If you would like to completely deactivate certain notifications, please continue reading to the next point.

 

2. Optimize notification settings

In the activity feed you also have the option to customize your activity notifications. Change the settings as you wish so that only the information relevant to you appears. To do this, click in the activity feed More options  > Notification Settings. In this view you can turn the options you want on or off:

Other notifications can also be customized in the same settings. You can find detailed instructions from Microsoft on the available settings and their meaning here..

 

3. Breaking news in Microsoft Teams: The Copilot is available

The new Microsoft Copilot app is available in Microsoft Teams, but only if you have an appropriate Copilot license for M365. The Copilot provides personalized information about your meetings, files or colleagues and enables various queries about your chat histories, meetings or files. The Copilot appears as a new chat above your chat conversations with colleagues. They find out here.how our Copilot specialist tested the Copilot in Microsoft Teams.

 

4. Don't lose sight of meeting participants

There is now a new view in Teams meetings that allows you to easily view the meeting participants while sharing content yourself. When you present, you choose View  > Together mode out of. This will show other people directly below the shared content so you can continue to respond to their reactions.

5. Change meeting options when scheduling webinars and meetings

If you are planning a webinar or a town hall, you can Meeting options  Open and set various settings for the waiting area, permitted actions of participants (such as camera, audio, reactions, etc.) and the structure.

 

6. Improve webinar registration forms

Webinar registration form fields can now be rearranged. Even after adding, you can move it to another position using the up or down arrows.

1. Optimize your channels

Highlight channel announcements (Microsoft Teams Premium only)

Thanks to this feature, your important announcements in the channel will be noticed immediately. Channel announcements with backgrounds are now available. Choose your own image or let AI generate a unique background to match your message. Instructions can be found here: Creating an announcement.

 

Collaborative editing of posts through loop components

From now on you have the option to integrate loop components into the channel contributions. These loop components make collaboration easier by including editable tables, bullets, checklists, paragraphs, and to-do lists. These loop components can be customized and edited by anyone with permission.

 

2. Improved search

In order to offer users a better search experience, Microsoft has introduced two innovations. On the one hand, it is now possible to search directly in chats and channels with Ctrl + F. The results are displayed in a display window immediately to the right. This way you can quickly overview your search results without interrupting your workflow. On the other hand, domain-specific search filters are now available. Use this to narrow down your results by “Files,” “Group Chats,” or “Teams and Channels.” You can find these search filters in the search bar at the top of Microsoft Teams.

 

3. Simply catch up on what you missed

A new chat button appears in the activity feed for missed calls. This allows you to start a chat directly with the person in question. This allows you to quickly catch up on missed calls.

 

4. OneDrive app now in Teams

In Teams, OneDrive is the new app for files and is available to you with all OneDrive features. For faster access to your files, OneDrive organizes them into multiple categories. You can quickly open OneDrive from the main menu item on the left.

 

5. New features with Microsoft Copilot

Keep your Copilot conversation history

Your past conversations will now also be displayed after closing the Copilot flyout. This way you have access to your conversation history with the co-pilot at any time.

Smart summaries for Microsoft 365 users

Smart summaries are now also available for Microsoft 365 users with Copilot. These summaries summarize your meetings and allow you to search the meeting afterward for information relevant to you.

Would you like to find out more about the intelligent everyday assistant? Then take a look at our blog post about it: Microsoft Copilot in SMEs.

 

6. New webinar and town hall templates in Outlook

Thanks to the new Teams add-in for Outlook, you can now create webinars and town hall meetings directly in Outlook. You can select the new meeting templates in the calendar using the Teams meeting drop-down menu. These templates are also available in Microsoft Teams.

 

7. New keyboard shortcuts for Teams Phone

Updated the keyboard shortcuts for starting an audio or video call. The new shortcuts are designed to be easier to navigate, especially for those with mobility or visual impairments.

Remember the new shortcuts:

Start an audio call:

• ALT+SHIFT+A (Windows)
• Option+Shift+A (macOS)

Start a video call:

• ALT+SHIFT+V (Windows)
• Option+Shift+V (macOS)

 

8. Forward chat messages for easier sharing

Quickly forward messages to other people or groups as a team message or email. To do this, right-click on the desired message and select “Forward”. You can add additional information to the message if necessary.

 

9. New features in Microsoft Teams meetings

New 3D experiences with Mesh

If you want your Teams meetings to feel more like face-to-face interactions, use the new Microsoft Mesh feature. Microsoft Mesh offers an immersive 3D experience through animated spaces. To start a Teams meeting with Mesh, select View > Plastic Space (3D) .

Real background enhanced with AI (Microsoft Teams Premium only)

For Teams Premium it is now possible to set your own room as a background and supplement and improve it using AI. Clean up clutter or add plants. To do this, choose

Effects and Avatars > Video Effects > Decorate out of. Here you can generate backgrounds and use them for your meeting.

 

See more faces

Teams meetings in Chrome and Edge can now automatically display up to 9 videos on the screen by default. This way, see more faces at the same time.

 

Simplified audio and video controls

Audio and video settings in Teams meetings are now easier to access. Right next to the microphone and camera is a drop-down arrow that allows you to adjust output and input devices, volume, and other options.

Person-specific links for shared notes

The collaborative notes from Teams meetings can now be shared individually. This way, only selected people have access. This provides more security than the regular company-specific link.

 

10. Schedule on-demand virtual meetings

Set up on-demand appointments so your customers can book appointments without a pre-scheduled time, such as walk-ins. You can now assign these on-demand appointments to employees and set a specified duration.