How to Prevent Teams from Auto-Launch

[chenrylee]

Hi guys,

I plan to deploy Teams in my company, and there's a headache.

I don't want Teams auto launches when system starts, and when I install it, I use this script:

msiexec /i "%temp%\Teams_windows_x64.msi" /QN OPTIONS="noAutoStart=true"

It works, and after a reboot, Teams icon appears on desktop but Teams doesn't launch.

And I double-click the icon to start this app, then close it, and then restart my laptop, Teams auto launched, and I found the registry item:

Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Value: com.squirrel.Teams.Teams
Data: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Teams\Update.exe --processStart "Teams.exe" --process-start-args "--system-initiated"

My Question is:

Is there a way to set "auto-start application" is uncheched as default option?

Thank you in advance. :)

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Hi @chenrylee

AFAIK, not currently possible. Whilst you can script it or have a user uncheck it in the settings it does not occur by default

There are multiple uservoices of disabling the start up option, such as this

https://microsoftteams.uservoice.com/forums/555103-public/suggestions/33728680-disable-startup-optio...

There is one here to turn off autostart for the entire tenant which may be closer to what you need.

https://microsoftteams.uservoice.com/forums/555103-public/suggestions/33922291-disbale-autostart-in-...

If these don't cover exactly what you need I would raise this as a new uservoice. To note however, it could be some time to get picked up and really, I think the general desire from organisations to use Teams is more to have autostart on by default rather than off

Hope that answers your question!

Best, Chris

[#3]

If you want it on demand, you might as well just use the web client version :)

[#4]

Here:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/teams-install

Adam

[#5]

Hi @Christopher Hoard ,
Thank you very much for patient help.
I agree with you, autostart is more popular need rather than off, but in some scenarios we do need to turn off autostart. But logically, if I disable autostart when installing the app, I mean that I don't want to auto launch this app, even the user starts Teams manually, this switch should be kept "off".
So I think it's a bug for application design, because it doesn't match the logical requirement.

If you are convenient, please raise this as a new uservoice, I appreciate that very much. :)

Regards,
C. L

[#6]

Hi @adam deltinger 
Thank you for your kind reply, I tried this policy before, and it is equivalent with the switch `OPTIONS="noAutoStart=true"`, Teams won't be auto-launched until someone double click the icon.

I think it's a logical bug, and in my opinion, I turn the autostart off, it means I don't want to auto-launch Teams even someone double-clicks the icon.

Regards,
C. L

[#7]

Hi @chenrylee

See uservoice raised for you

https://microsoftteams.uservoice.com/forums/555103-public/suggestions/38047747-ability-to-prevent-au...

Would recommend you vote to push it up the agenda!

Hope that answers your question

Best, Chris

[#8]

Hi @Christopher Hoard ,

Thank you very much for helping me~ 

Of course I voted :D

Thank you again. :)

[#9]

I find a workaround. Teams settings are stored in a json file, so after installation, I can change the settings by a post-installation script which modifies the configuration file.

#region: Prevent Teams from auto-start
# If Teams auto-start entry exists, delete it
$entry = $null -eq (Get-ItemProperty HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run)."com.squirrel.Teams.Teams"
if ( !$entry ) {
Remove-ItemProperty HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run -Name "com.squirrel.Teams.Teams"
}
# Define Teams configuratin file path
$Teams_config_file = "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Teams\desktop-config.json"
$configs = Get-Content $Teams_config_file -Raw
# If Teams already doesn't auto-start, break out the script.
if ( $configs -match "openAtLogin`":false") {
break
}
# If Teams already ran, and set to auto-start, change it to disable auto-start
elseif ( $configs -match "openAtLogin`":true" ) {
$configs = $configs -replace "`"openAtLogin`":true","`"openAtLogin`":false"
}
# If it's a fresh file, add configuration to the end
else {
$disable_auto_start = ",`"appPreferenceSettings`":{`"openAtLogin`":false}}"
$configs = $configs -replace "}$",$disable_auto_start
}
# Overwritten the configuration with new values.
$configs | Set-Content $Teams_config_file
#endregion

[#10]

@chenrylee 

For single user you can hack the setup.json in their profile.

[#11]

There's an article from Microsoft: 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/teams-install#use-group-policy-to-prevent-microsoft-te...

A policy works with confirmation.

[#12]

Can this help?
https://osddeployment.dk/2019/08/10/use-admx-policy-to-prevent-microsoft-teams-from-starting-automat...

[#13]

The GPO option only works before Teams is installed.  Yes, you need to use a GPO to manage a not-installed application before you install it, since it automatically configures itself for auto-launch after the user does it.  Afterwards, it's a per-user setting.

@Jonas Bøgvad 

[#14]

@Christopher HoardHi, this may not be the right place, but I am having issues working with team conversations. When we replay to a conversation, it gets moved down as the most recent. We need it to stay in the order which was received and not move as the most recent.... Any help? Thanks

[#15]

Yeah :) a new post would be better!

Anyway, no you can’t change this I’m afraid

[#16]

@chenrylee 

You can create a GPO to delete HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run com.squirrel.Teams.Teams

[#17]

@MrJoshuaThat sounds great, but not sure what GPO is or how to do that, will the change work on all devices example an Ipad, we see is happening on the desktop app and the ipad app, if more information will be appreciated! thank you

[#18]

To get around this I am applying the GPO now, so the September or October release of Office does not perform the auto-start. I am also creating a scheduled task to be deployed to all users before this rolls that will delete the Teams shortcut from their desktop. If a user clicks on this shortcut they have now passed the first logon for Teams and the auto-start becomes active (even after implementing the GPO). We are not licensing everyone in the company for this right now, so you can imagine the tickets it will generate for a failed launch each and every logon.

[#19]

@Alejandro1111 

My response was to the original post.

[#20]

@Robert James Reber 

That GPO should run each time the user logs in and it should delete the registry key again if the user launches the Teams Application.