Now in public preview: Hide your own video in Teams meetings

[Kaushal Mehta (LYNC)]

Description

This new feature allows users to hide their own video on the meeting stage for themselves while others will still be able to see it and thus not disrupt the video experience during the call. Previously it was not possible to hide your own video on the stage which can contribute to meeting fatigue as we are constantly processing our own image during calls.

The feature helps to tackle these situations:

• For meetings where you desire to have your video on, you will not have to compromise between seeing yourself, which is potentially contributing to meeting fatigue and being visually included anymore. You can also hide me video when it overlays other participant's video or content.
• An indicator in the form of a cropped part of your own video image will never let you forget your video is on and avoid any undesired circumstances.

Flighting status

Available to everyone in Public Preview channel

How to enable

• Join a meeting and go to the Me video menu - you can find it in the Me box where you see your video. Click on … to open the menu.
• Select Hide for me. Your Me box is going to roll either vertically or horizontally depending on the position of your gallery. If you no longer wish to be hidden, select Unhide for me by clicking on the arrow available in the collapsed state.
  
• You can easily hide or unhide yourself when clicking on the menu next to your name in roster too.

Note 1: If you need information about enabling the public preview itself, see “Enable the public preview for Teams” below.

Note 2: To be able to use this feature, users joining a meeting need to be in Public Preview. Users not in Public Preview will still not be able to use this feature.

Supported clients and platforms

Windows 10	macOS	iOS	Android	Linux	Chrome	Firefox	Safari	Edge	Internet Explorer
X	X

Known issues

None

Known limitations

None

Enable your Teams client for the public preview 

1. First, IT admins need to set an update policy that turns on Show preview features. Learn how at Public preview in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs.  
2. Users then choose to join the public preview individually. Learn how at Get early access to new Teams features - Office Support (microsoft.com) 

 

Summary of public preview features

For a history of features in the Office and Teams public previews, see Release Notes Current Channel (Preview) - Office release notes | Microsoft Docs.

Send us your feedback 

Got feedback on features in the public preview or other areas of Teams? Let us know straight from Teams via Help > Give feedback.  This is on the bottom left of the your client.

Thank you,

Preview Team, @Jan_Steberl 

Quality & Customer Obsession, Microsoft Teams

[#2]

Any way to start a call with self view hidden **by default**?

[#3]

I came here looking for that as well 🙂

[#4]

When I hide my video, it doesn't stay hidden when the screen changes. For example, if someone shares their screen, my video preview returns. I hide it again, then they stop sharing their screen, my preview returns, and so on.

[#5]

@DaveHope I am having the same problem, if someone joins or adds their video, it no longer allows me to hide mine.

[#6]

Hello,

Is there this functionality in the Teams app for iPad? I don't see it when I click on my Me video box. Thanks!

[#7]

As per a previous reply from @LinY01 , it's a real shame there is no option to set this as the default behaviour, instead of having to set it manually in each call.

[#8]

What the hell do you mean "No known issues, no known limiatation"? Look, there is a comment that has more likes than your post.

It is not possible to fully hide your video, there is always a little snippet visible
You cannot save the previous state, as in "hide once, hide always"
How about you give that feature another shot, especially considering the massive mental impact of self-view -> Seeing yourself during video meetings 'causes fatigue' - study: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2024/0422/1444841-video-meeting-study/#:~:text=A%20new%20study%20of....

[#9]

Add an option to make self-hiding default to on. 

I am becoming very tired of Microsoft's constant changing to things making them break in ways I don't want with no way for me to return back to the old behavior.  Are you deliberately trying to drive me to hate your company?