New enhancements in Private Channels in Microsoft Teams unlock their full potential
Private channels have long empowered focused collaboration among a subset of a team’s members. Whether you're managing sensitive projects, driving confidential initiatives, or simply need a space for more targeted discussions, private channels offer the control and privacy your team needs. Now, private channels are evolving to meet the needs of modern teams. In response to customer feedback, we are introducing enhanced flexibility, greater scalability, and streamlined compliance management. Read on to learn about these key enhancements and how to prepare. Why Private Channels Matter Private channels offer a dedicated space for conversations that benefit from added structure, persistence, and control. They’re especially valuable when navigating sensitive topics like budgets, HR discussions, managing project-specific workstreams, or collaborating with clients and vendors who require limited access .While chat are ideal for quick exchanges, private channels help keep discussions organized, make shared files easier to find, and help ensure conversations remain accessible over time, all while giving you more control over who can access. What’s Changing—and Why It Matters To support growing usage and help simplify compliance, private channels will now use a group mailbox (like shared channels) instead of storing messages in individual user mailboxes. This change unlocks several key benefits: 🚀 Expanded Limits Feature Current New Max private channels per team 30 1000 Max members per private channel 250 5000 Meeting scheduling ❌ ✅ Supported Simplified Compliance At a user level Group Helping to Simplify Compliance By aligning private channels with group-based storage, compliance policies (e.g., retention, legal hold, DLP, eDiscovery) can be applied at the team (Microsoft 365 group) level, helping to reduce complexity and driving consistency across channel types. For example, one retention policy can be applied to the team’s group, instead of managing a separate policy for private channels. Organizations with compliance policies (retention, legal hold, DLP, eDiscovery, Optical Character recognition) for private channels must ensure those policies are also applied to the team’s group scope before migration begins. Existing policies for user mailboxes will continue to apply; post-migration, new private channel data will be governed by policies of the group mailbox. What Compliance Admins Need to Do To enable a smooth transition and help maintain compliance coverage, follow the below: Microsoft Purview Hold and eDiscovery Before Migration: In Microsoft Purview compliance portal, update hold policies to include the team’s Microsoft 365 group mailbox in addition to user mailboxes. After Migration: New data will reside in the group mailbox. For full eDiscovery, search both user and group mailboxes. Note: Private channel message history (edits/deletes) in user mailboxes under an existing hold will remain in their preserved user library folder until the hold expires. Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Policies Before Migration: In Microsoft Purview compliance portal, update DLP policies to include team’s group. After Migration: Check that the DLP policies are scoped to the group mailbox for private channels. Microsoft Purview Retention Policies Before Migration: In Microsoft Purview compliance portal, go to solutions -> Data Lifecycle Management -> Retention policies Create Teams channel messages policy scoped to Teams having equivalent Retention type and duration similar to existing private channel retention policies. After Migration: Set retention policies for the parent team with all channels in the team in mind, including private channels. Microsoft policies for Optical Character Recognition Optical character recognition (OCR) is managed via Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy. Before migration, modify the corresponding DLP policy that needs be applied for OCR to private channels and change locations to all users and groups. What’s Next This update helps make private channels more scalable, manageable, and compliant. It’s a big step forward for organizations that rely on Teams for secure, structured collaboration. Migration is scheduled to begin in early October 2025 and is expected to be completed by the end of December 2025 for the worldwide cloud. During this period, private channel data will gradually move from user mailboxes to the team’s group mailbox. Private channels can be used throughout the migration. Special cloud migration will happen in early 2026. Migration can start or end at different times for each tenant during the rollout period. To track progress, a new PowerShell command will be available for tenants to check whether their migration has started or is completed. The command will be - Get-TenantPrivateChannelMigrationStatus -TenantId <tenantId> We’ll be updating public documentation soon and will share links here.Microsoft Teams Takes Center Stage at the 2026 Microsoft 365 Community Conference
Microsoft Teams is where people, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and agents come together to collaborate, communicate, and get work done—before, during, and after every interaction. Contributing to and benefiting from Work IQ, Copilot in Teams understands the context, relationships, and signals behind real work, bringing meetings, calling, chat, and collaboration into a single, connected experience across Microsoft 365. At the 2026 Microsoft 365 Community Conference, Teams will be front and center with a broad set of sessions that reflect how teamwork is evolving. From everyday collaboration and meetings to frontline communications, external collaboration, and Copilot‑powered workflows, Teams is designed to help organizations move work forward with clarity and confidence. Register for the M365 Conference today and save $150 with code SAVE150. #M365Con26 Across the Teams sessions at the conference, you’ll see how AI‑powered capabilities—like intelligent meeting recap, real‑time language interpretation, AI‑assistance for calling, and collaborative agents—help teams stay aligned whether work happens in the office, on the front line, or across time zones. What to Expect from the Teams Track The Teams track at the M365 Community Conference offers a practical, end‑to‑end view of how Teams supports new ways work gets done and how organizations can continue their journey toward becoming a Frontier Firm by connecting communication, collaboration, intelligence, and governance in one AI-powered platform. Sessions span key areas including: Collaboration across meetings and events, chats and channels AI-powered communications and modern calling Enabling frontline teams Seamless and secure external collaboration Workplace collaboration and management Operational excellence for IT admins Protection against modern and evolving threats How Teams integrates across Microsoft 365 and contributes to Work IQ for Copilot Whether you’re deploying Teams, managing it at scale, building on it, or using it to drive business outcomes, the Teams track is designed to meet you where you are and help you plan what’s next. You can find the full list of sessions here. Start Here: The Teams Track Session You Shouldn’t Miss To set strategic context for the Teams track, start with Your Guide: What’s New in Teams — Collaboration, Communication, and Copilot. Led by Ilya Bukshteyn, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Teams, and Chandra Chivukula, Vice President, Microsoft Teams Engineering, this session sets the foundation for the Teams track. You’ll get a high‑level view of where Teams is headed—how it’s becoming more intelligent, easier to manage, and increasingly shaped by Copilot across collaboration, meetings, and calling—before diving deeper into the rest of the Teams sessions throughout the conference. Women in Tech and Allies Lunch: featuring Lan Ye and Sumi Singh Lan Ye and Sumi Singh will join this year’s Women in Tech and Allies Lunch as featured panelists. As Corporate Vice Presidents leading Microsoft Teams product and engineering, they’ll share insights, experiences, and advice on fostering diversity and empowerment in technology. Their participation promises a dynamic and engaging discussion you won’t want to miss. Exclusive: Executive Teams Pre-Day Microsoft Teams will host an exclusive Teams Pre‑Day on Monday, April 20, 2026, in Orlando, FL., the day before the conference begins. This full‑day experience is designed for executive IT and business decision makers who shape productivity, collaboration, and communications strategy within their organizations. The day features direct engagement with Microsoft Teams leaders and product experts, with a focus on what’s next across Teams, including Copilot and AI within Teams, and how to maximize value across meetings, calling, devices, and collaboration. Space is limited, and attendance will be aligned to the intended audience for the day. If you’re interested in attending, connect with your Microsoft account team to see if there is still availability. Explore 1:1 Strategic Discussions at the Conference A limited number of 1:1 side meetings will be available during the conference for customers looking to discuss Teams strategy, roadmap alignment, and organizational priorities. These conversations are designed for higher‑level planning discussions and complement the technical depth available across breakout sessions and the Teams booth. Availability is limited. Connect with your Microsoft account team to explore options. Experience Teams Beyond the Sessions In addition to breakout sessions and lightning talks, visit the Microsoft Teams product demos in the Microsoft Innovation Hub on the show floor. It’s a great opportunity to see the latest Teams capabilities in action, explore real‑world scenarios, and connect directly with the product experts behind the experiences. Register for the M365 Conference today and save $150 with code SAVE150. We hope to see you there!Immersive events in Microsoft Teams: Now generally available
We’re excited to announce the general availability of immersive events in Teams! This milestone brings 3D event experiences natively into Teams, making it easier to host engaging, interactive events that bring people together on PC, Mac, and Meta Quest devices. With immersive events, organizers can create tailored 3D environments where attendees join as avatars, interact naturally, and feel truly present. Because immersive events are built directly into Teams, you can plan, manage, and host immersive experiences using the familiar tools you already know – your Teams calendar, chat, and collaboration features. Simply open Teams, schedule an immersive event, and start designing your space. Immersive events can help drive enhanced engagement and connection for your workforce across multiple points of interest in a single branded event with a tailored experience—ideal for all hands, showcases, company events, new employee onboarding, and trainings. Note: With this general availability milestone, Microsoft Mesh is retired as of December 1, 2025. Read further for more details on this transition. Designed for flexibility and connection Immersive events in Teams deliver everything you need to create a deeply engaging experience, whether hosting a small internal meeting or a large organizational event. Build your event space your way Customize your venue with your brand logos, images, 3D models, videos, text, and interactive elements, and even sequence the experience for storytelling and impact. The intuitive editor enables creative freedom without the need for coding skills. Start faster with pre-designed templates Choose from ready-to-use 3D environments tailored for common event types such as all-hands meetings, webinars, and team celebrations. Deliver with confidence Presenter tools simplify setup and execution, with one-click starts, integrated Q&A, and efficient attendee management so you can focus on the message, not the logistics. Stay secure and compliant Immersive events inherit the same enterprise-grade identity management, security, and privacy protections built into Microsoft 365. Experience immersion on familiar devices Join immersive events from the Teams app on PC, Mac, or Meta Quest devices for lifelike interactions that enhance collaboration and deliver rich experiences. Dynamic platform designed for business impact Engage directly in the Teams event window or step into full 360° VR on Quest to unlock impactful business use cases. Flexible access for all Offer seamless participation from both Teams desktop and the immersive events app on Quest, giving your team choice and convenience. Enterprise-ready VR deployment Set up Meta Quest devices quickly with identity integration and MDM enrollment, ensuring secure, compliant sign-in to immersive events. Bring your event to life with action groups Make events more immersive and memorable. Action groups in Teams let you create dynamic, interactive experiences without writing a single line of code. Instantly trigger animations, play audio or video, reveal content, and switch visuals on the fly. Whether it’s launching a welcome sequence, powering a live quiz, or showcasing a 3D model, action groups give organizers controls to engage audiences in real time. Licensing Hosting immersive events in Teams requires: A qualifying commercial Teams license, and A Teams Premium license, which enables immersive event capabilities. Co-organizers and attendees only need a standard Teams license, such as Microsoft 365 E3/E5 with Teams or Teams Enterprise. Transition from Microsoft Mesh The general availability of immersive events in Teams follows the previously announced retirement of Microsoft Mesh as a standalone platform. This change reflects our continued investment in bringing immersive experiences into Teams for a more integrated and scalable 3D meeting solution. As of December 1, 2025: Users will no longer be able to attend Mesh events via the Mesh PC or Quest apps. The “Immersive space (3D)” view in Teams meetings will be removed. Joining Teams meetings via the Mesh Quest app will be disabled. The “mesh.cloud.microsoft” website will be decommissioned. If your organization has relied on Mesh for immersive meetings or events, now is the time to transition to immersive events in Teams, in order to take advantage of these new experiences. Get started today Creating an immersive event in Teams is simple: Open your Teams calendar. Select New event, then choose Immersive event. Customize your environment, invite participants, and host your event. Help prepare your organization for immersive events in Teams (includes optional Meta Quest deployment guidance), and learn how to get started with immersive events in Teams to transform your next online event into a high-impact 3D experience.
The Next Chapter of Microsoft Teams in Virtualized Environments
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) has long been a critical deployment model for Microsoft Teams, especially for organizations that rely on centralized desktops for security, compliance, and scale. Over the past six years, Microsoft has invested heavily in improving the Teams experience in VDI—listening to customer feedback, addressing operational pain points, and rethinking how collaboration workloads should run in virtualized environments. That journey has now reached an important milestone: the legacy WebRTC based VDI optimization is being retired, and the new VDI optimization — built on top of a new media engine— is becoming the standard going forward. In this post, I want to explain why Microsoft is making this change, what customers gain with the new architecture, what’s coming next, and how IT teams can track adoption and progress. Why Microsoft Is Deprecating WebRTC-based optimization The WebRTC-based optimization (“Citrix HDX Media optimized” or “AVD Media optimized”) was designed in an earlier era of Teams, relying on WebRTC stacks bundled with the Remote Desktop client / Citrix Workspace app to offload audio/video/screensharing processing from the virtual desktop to the endpoint. While this approach enabled media optimization for the most common scenarios, it also introduced architectural limitations that became more pronounced as Teams evolved. Based on years of customer feedback, support cases, and operational learnings, several challenges consistently surfaced: Feature gaps between native Teams and VDI Longer call setup times Limited diagnostics and observability, making troubleshooting difficult for IT Operational complexity, including version-dependency on external components (like VDI Clients or VDI Hosts) and frequent infrastructure alignment issues. As Microsoft modernized the Teams client itself, it became clear that continuing to invest in the WebRTC based model would slow innovation and prevent VDI from reaching parity with physical desktops. This led to a full re-architecture of Teams in VDI, resulting in the new optimization in Q4 2024 (colloquially referred to as VDI 2.0). With the new optimization now broadly adopted, Microsoft is transitioning WebRTC into a legacy state, with defined End of Support and End of Availability milestones for Windows-based VDI environments that run on Azure Virtual Desktops, Windows 365 and Citrix (and only for these). What exactly is going to happen This change applies only to Windows-based endpoints connecting to Citrix and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) / Windows 365 environments and does not affect macOS, Linux, mobile, HTML5, or ChromeOS. It does not apply to Omnissa. Separate announcements will be made for those as soon as they hit General Availability. As announced in the Message Center Post 1239928, there will be two subsequent milestones in the deprecation, following the same pattern you saw in the transition from Classic to New Teams: End of Support October 1 st , 2026: WebRTC-based optimization will continue to work, but it is no longer officially supported by Microsoft and Citrix when connecting from Windows endpoints. Two months before this milestone, users will see dismissible banners upon application launch time alerting about the upcoming change. End of Availability April 1 st , 2027: WebRTC stops working; the new optimization is enforced. If Teams fails to optimize, it will fall back to server-side rendering (i.e. all multimedia is processed on the virtual machine, degrading the user experience). Two months before this milestone, users see a modal dialogue window alerting about the upcoming change. If the reason for not being optimized with the new stack is that the plugin is not installed, users are instructed to download the plugin from Microsoft’s website. Optimization Policies related to the legacy optimization (such as in Citrix Studio ) no longer take effect. The Benefits of the new optimization In a nutshell, the new architecture is using the same media engine as the native Teams desktop client. This alignment fundamentally changes what’s possible in virtualized environments. Customers that have migrated frequently report: A plethora of new features (Gallery View 3x3 and 7x7, Hardware Acceleration, 1080p, QoS, Custom and organizational backgrounds, Noise Suppression, HID, Advanced telephony features such as QoS, Media Bypass, and Location Based Routing) (These depend on the user’s endpoint platform and Teams license) Can significantly reduce call setup times (“a game changer”) Better Monitoring and Supportability (Teams Admin Center and Call Quality Dashboard-CQD-, and richer telemetry and diagnostics aligned with native Teams) Because the new architecture decouples from the VDI infrastructure and kept evergreen, Teams avoids mismatches between client versions and media stacks, and can reliability at scale. Additionally, this enables IT teams to proactively identify issues, analyze trends, and reduce mean time to resolution—capabilities that were limited or unavailable before. QuickStart Checklist and Common Pitfalls This quick‑start helps IT admins move from the legacy WebRTC-based optimization to the SlimCore-based optimization while reducing risk and improving visibility. Quickstart Tools/Actions What to look for 1 - Baseline Your Environment Use Teams Admin Center, Call Quality Dashboard and PowerBI Optimized vs Unoptimized users with both WebRTC and SlimCore (a.k.a VDI 2.0). ‘Inactive’ users (i.e. optimization disabled) 2 - Validate Prerequisites Read the VDI Article CWA/Windows App versions, MSIX GPOs on the endpoint, Networking requirements on the branch office 3 - Enable new Optimization -Check VDI Policy -Enable Citrix custom Virtual channels -Deploy Plugins Powershell Policy, Citrix Studio VC Allow List (allow MSTEAMS, MSTEAM1, MSTEAM2) 4 - Verify at User Level VDI Status Indicator It should say “Teams is [AVD]/[Citrix] SlimCore Media optimized” 5 - Monitor adoption Teams Admin Center (TAC) and Call Quality Dashboard (CQD) Use Teams Admin Center → Meetings → Best Practice Configurations Identify users still unoptimized Export impacted users Track improvements in CQD: Call setup success rate Media quality Reliability trends 6 - Prepare for VDI 1.0 Retirement Internal Comms Communicate timelines to Helpdesk and end users 7 - Operational Readiness Check Internal training, monitoring ready -Helpdesk trained on: VDI Status Indicator Teams Admin Center + CQD -No remaining dependencies on WebRTC-specific policies -Monitoring reflects new architecture Pitfall What Admins Observe Root Cause Impact Recommended Fix 1. New Teams installed, but users are still on WebRTC Teams shows ‘Not optimized’ or “Citrix HDX Media optimized” • Virtual channels not allowed (Citrix) • Teams plugin not deployed on endpoint Users never activate SlimCore and remain on legacy WebRTC • Verify Citrix virtual channel allow list • Confirm plugin presence and correct version on endpoints Upgrade CWA to 2508 (this version can auto-install plugins) 2. SlimCore never downloads (MSIX blocked) Silent fallback with no clear error. Endpoint GPOs or security tools (AppLocker?) blocking MSIX installs SlimCore cannot stage/provision and never activates Explicitly allow SlimCore MSIX staging and registration in endpoint policies 3. No monitoring after pilot rollout Some users work fine, others regress Rollout assumed complete after pilot Hidden pockets of unoptimized users persist Regularly review Best Practice Configurations dashboard and CQD 4. Helpdesk still troubleshoots like VDI 1.0 Long investigations and escalations Legacy runbooks and outdated mental models Higher MTTR and unnecessary escalations Retrain support on: • VDI Status Indicator • Teams Admin Center diagnostics • CQD-first troubleshooting Best Practice Configurations Dashboard In early 2026, Microsoft introduced a Best Practice Configurations dashboard in the Teams Admin Center that specifically highlights VDI optimization compliance, allowing admins to: Identify users and locations running unoptimized or legacy configurations Export impacted user lists for targeted remediation Track progress as tenants move fully to the new optimization This tool provides a clear, actionable path to measure migration progress and ensure a consistent Teams experience across virtualized environments. So… What’s Coming Next Microsoft continues to expand support across platforms and ecosystems on top of the new architecture. Upcoming and recently announced roadmap items include: Omnissa Horizon support for Windows endpoints using SlimCore-based optimization, rolling out in late February/early March (Public Tech Preview) Amazon WorkSpaces support, released this month, enabling optimized Teams experiences in AWS Continued expansion across endpoint types, including macOS, as platform capabilities mature. This is currently in Tech Preview! These investments reinforce Microsoft’s commitment to making VDI a first-class citizen, regardless of hosting provider or infrastructure choice. Looking Ahead The transition from the legacy WebRTC to the new optimization is more than a deprecation—it’s a platform shift. By aligning Teams in VDI with the native client architecture, Microsoft is enabling faster innovation, better reliability, and a more consistent collaboration experience for users who depend on virtual desktops every day. If your organization has not yet completed the upgrade, now is the time to assess your environment, validate optimization status, and plan for the retirement of the legacy WebRTC based solution. For additional guidance, please check our public documentation and read our previous blog posts (here, here and here).Licensing updates extend access to advanced capabilities in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Places
UPDATE: These changes will go into effect on April 1, 2026 for customers with users on any license that includes access to the calendar in Outlook and Teams (including Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium; Outlook 365 E1, E3, and E5; Exchange Online; various Teams licenses; additional Microsoft 365 and Office 365 licenses). Access to the Places management portal remains available for all Places customers. At Microsoft, we empower organizations to achieve more through intelligent communication, inclusive collaboration, and connected workplace experiences. Our customers are looking for scaled, widespread access to powerful tools that enable workforces to interact and communicate with more intelligence and precision. To facilitate that, we’re announcing Teams licensing updates that make it easier for customers to unlock their full communication and collaboration potential. These licensing changes simplify access to capabilities spanning across Microsoft Places and Teams town halls and webinars, so you can deliver experiences that enhance virtual and in-person collaboration. Read on to learn about the changes ahead and new ways to empower your organization. Access enhanced workplace coordination capabilities Places enables an AI-powered workplace experience by connecting employees to colleagues, spaces, and services in the office. We are expanding access to end-user functionality in Places by making it available in all licenses that include access to the calendar in Outlook and Teams (including Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium; Outlook 365 E1, E3, and E5; Exchange Online; various Teams licenses; additional Microsoft 365 and Office 365 licenses). Functionality included in this change: Places Finder: Make more informed decisions about bookings with enriched context like images, floorplans, custom attributes, and available technology in the spaces around you. This change enables organizations to upgrade at scale from Room Finder to the full Places Finder experience by onboarding spaces to the Places Directory. Places Explorer: Enable map-based space reservations and explore details about all workplaces, including the people, spaces, and experiences in each location. Access to Places Explorer is through the Places app inside Microsoft Outlook and Teams. These changes will go into effect on April 1, 2026 for customers with users on any license that includes access to the calendar in Outlook and Teams (including Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium; Outlook 365 E1, E3, and E5; Exchange Online; various Teams licenses; additional Microsoft 365 and Office 365 licenses). Manage shared spaces more efficiently Across our AI-powered workplace solutions, we’re continually looking for ways to streamline how organizations manage their inventory of shared desks, spaces, and assets. The newly renamed Teams Shared Space license (formerly Teams Shared Devices license) will be the way that organizations manage this inventory of assets, adding the ability to manage up to four desks with a single license (in addition to the previous ability to manage either a common area phone, a Teams panel, shared space like a room, or a hotdesking device included in the Teams Shared Device license). IT admins will be able to assign licenses to bookable shared spaces individually and control which workspaces are available for employees to use with this new functionality. This license will provide space management capabilities, including: Desk booking: Employees can reserve desks in advance before arriving at a location. Space management: Admins can manage advance reservation policies for desks and set auto-release policies for rooms with a shared spaces license. Space Analytics: Inventory and utilization reports are available for licensed shared spaces (desks). This license will be available on April 1, 2026. For customers with legacy Teams Shared Device licenses, admins will not be required to take any action to transition to this license (but will have to assign additional spaces like desks with an additional no-cost license to take advantage of the new increased allotment of four spaces per license). Communicate and connect at scale Managing communication to thousands or tens of thousands of attendees can be a daunting process for anyone. Built directly on the Teams platform, Teams town hall and webinar enable events at scale with improved capabilities, reliability, and capacity. To empower more organizations to plan and execute high-quality events, we are bringing all town hall and webinar features that were previously only available with a Teams Premium license to Teams Enterprise, including: Streaming chat: Chat for town hall events reduces any message sending lag, enabling smoother communication between attendees and organizers. Reactions interactivity: Enjoy the same reactions from Teams meetings in town hall and webinar, allowing the audience to express themselves and react to presented content. Real-time event insights: Hosts of town hall and webinar instances can get feedback on the performance and reliability of their broadcasts, helping to ensure a smoother experience for attendees. Meeting theme and email customization: Use organizational branding to customize the event-related artifacts that are delivered to attendees. Enterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN): eCDN helps to manage the bandwidth load of streaming events to large audiences, providing stability and reliability. Immersive events in Teams: Host immersive experiences in custom 3D environments where attendees join as avatars to interact and collaborate. All users with a Teams Enterprise license will soon be able to host events for up to 3,000 attendees with all Teams town hall and webinar features. We will also enable a higher-capacity, view-only streaming experience for town halls up to 10,000 users. To fully enable events at scale, customers will be able to purchase attendee pack licenses that increase the cap on the total number of attendees up to 100,000 with the same suite of robust features. Attendee pack licenses will come in a range of sizes to provide added flexibility, and will be available to assign through the Teams Admin Center (TAC) after transacting. Summary of licensing changes These changes reflect our commitment to helping organizations confidently embrace the future of work with greater impact across their communication and collaboration. The full slate of changes will go into effect on April 1, 2026: End-user workplace coordination features from Microsoft Places available for licenses that include access to the calendar in Outlook and Teams (including Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium; Outlook 365 E1, E3, and E5; Exchange Online; various Teams licenses; additional Microsoft 365 and Office 365 licenses) Introduction of the renamed Teams Shared Space license with additional capabilities for space management and analytics for admins Advanced Teams town hall and webinar features available for all Teams Enterprise users for instances up to 3,000 attendees (10,000 attendee view-only experience) Introduction of attendee pack add-on licenses for town hall events starting from 5,000 up to 100,000 attendees Independent of these changes, we are committed to continuing to provide a robust set of experiences for organizations that have invested in Teams Premium. Teams Premium will still be the only way for customers to experience advanced communication features in Teams meetings, meeting protection, Advanced Collaboration Tools for admins, Intelligent recap, Queues app for Teams Phone, and enhanced capabilities for Bookings and virtual appointments. For a full list of current Teams Premium features, please click here. More information about these new licensing changes, including impacts for existing Teams Premium customers using these products and features, are available below. Read more about these changes in our licensing update FAQ attached below Explore more Teams experiences: Microsoft Teams Learn more about Microsoft Places: Microsoft Places Learn more about Teams town hall and webinarWhat’s New in Microsoft Teams | February 2026
Welcome to the February edition of What’s new in Microsoft Teams. This month’s updates are all about helping you stay in flow: getting the most useful information to you faster, and reducing a few everyday frictions. Take custom meeting recap templates: now you can choose from a few different preset formats, or prompt Copilot to shape your AI-generated notes to match your work style. Recaps also now feature visual references, so you can see the images that were shared and get the full context of the conversation. It’s easier than ever to know the status of external participants in your chats as well. New automatically assigned Trust Indicator badges will label external users as familiar, unfamiliar, guest, verified, or unverified. Looking forward, this April we will be covering the latest Teams news live at the M365 Conference in Orlando. Join us to learn the new ways Teams and Copilot help you stay in the flow of work. Register now: Microsoft 365 Community Conference Feature categories: (All features listed are generally available unless otherwise noted) Chat and collaboration Teams Meetings Teams Phone Workplace: Teams Rooms Fundamentals and Security Certified for Teams Devices Chat and Collaboration Select multiple messages to forward You can now forward multiple messages at once in Microsoft Teams. Choose up to five messages from a chat or channel, and send them together in a single message, preserving both context and order. Whether you're sharing key decisions, project updates, or helpful resources, this streamlined experience makes it easier to keep everyone in the loop. Grid view for files in Teams search results Teams now has a preview‑based grid view for search results. This visual layout helps you differentiate files with similar names and more quickly identify the correct item, reducing the need to open files and interrupt the search flow. Simply go to the Files tab and toggle from the “list” to “grid view" icon. Trust Indicators in Teams show familiarity with external collaborators Trust Indicators are visual badges next to external users in Teams that help you quickly assess who you’re working with. Group chats and meeting chats that include external users are also marked as “external” to drive clarity and security. These labels include external-familiar, external-unfamiliar, guest, email verified, and unverified, and are automatically assigned based on the user's relationship with your organization. For instance, if a user is from a trusted domain, their label will be marked as “external familiar,” while those outside of known or trusted organizations are labeled “external unfamiliar.” This process helps provide context and enhances security by clearly indicating the nature of external relationships. Learn more about Trust Indicators. Meetings Copilot experience in Teams meetings The Copilot experience in Teams is being unified across chats, channels, and meetings for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, matching the experience in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Beyond the updated interface, Copilot in Teams can analyze chat history, meeting transcripts, and calendar content to generate smart recaps, rewrite messages, and surface relevant insights. Whether reviewing a thread or following up after a call, Copilot delivers context-aware summaries and suggestions based on your activity and goals. This experience is now generally available for meetings. Customizable meeting recap templates Staying aligned after a meeting shouldn’t mean settling for a one-size-fits-all recap. With our new customizable recap templates, you can shape your AI-generated notes to match exactly how your team works. For teams who prefer their own style, you can design custom templates using a simple free-text prompt: just describe the structure you want—even paste in a format you’ve used before—and your AI notes will instantly adapt. You can also save your custom templates for future reuse, giving every meeting the same level of clarity, consistency, and efficiency. Or you can choose from two ready-made templates: a Speaker Summary that organizes insights by participant, or an Executive Summary that highlights key takeaways at a glance. Available now across all languages that support AI summaries. Learn more here. Meeting recap summaries now include visual references AI summaries in meeting recap now include the visuals that shaped the conversation. When a screen is shared during a recorded meeting, key on-screen moments are captured and placed directly alongside the relevant sections of the meeting summary, so you can see the screen as it appeared in the discussion. The notes themselves remain focused on the conversation, but now they’re paired with the visual context that brought those ideas to life. The result is a more intuitive, scannable recap that helps teams quickly reconnect decisions to what was presented, without scrubbing through the recording. Resizable right & top gallery Introducing resizable right and top gallery, a new capability that improves layout flexibility, video size, and visibility. This update will put you in control of the size of the right gallery when someone is sharing, spotlighted, or pinned to the stage during a meeting—so you can prioritize what matters most throughout your meetings. You will be able to shape the meeting layout to increase content and video size, show more participants, swap content and video positioning, or find the balance that works best for you. Custom banner for recording and transcription Custom in-meeting notifications for recording and transcription in Microsoft Teams allow IT administrators to tailor the message displayed to meeting participants when recording or transcription is enabled, across all Teams supported languages. These in-meeting notifications either inform participants implicitly or request explicit consent, depending on the organization’s meeting policy configuration. Learn more. Network Strength Indicator in Teams We’re introducing Network Strength Indicator to give every participant clearer insight into their own meeting experience. When connectivity drops, a notification in your self-view lets you know your network may be the cause, eliminating guesswork and reducing confusion. If network strength is weak, users receive suggestions, like: turn off all video, to help stabilize the connection and keep the conversation on track. In addition, if another attendee is having network issues, you will see a weak connection notification by their name. These simple additions are designed to make meetings more transparent, resilient, and focused on what matters most. Teams Phone Queues app shared history of calls and voicemails Coordinating customer call follow‑ups is easier when service teams have visibility into calls that happen outside shifts or while representatives are unavailable. Now generally available, the Queues app shared history enables teams to access a unified view of all missed, incoming, outgoing calls, and voicemails within a call queue. By consolidating call activity into a shared history, it improves transparency and fosters better collaboration among team members handling customer interactions. This feature reduces duplication of effort and ensures that no customer call is overlooked. Admins can configure access to shared history for all queue members or restrict it to authorized users. Queues app historical reporting supports 45 days of data Track calling performance trends over time with extended historical reports in the Queues app. Supervisors and approved viewers can now access up to 45 days of call history reporting data, up from the previous 30‑day limit, to better analyze call volumes and service patterns over time. For example, this extended history helps supervisors make more informed staffing decisions that reduce customer wait times and improve service. By default, reports show 7 days of data, with the option to expand the date range to review up to a month-and-a-half of historical activity. Operator Connect Co-Branding in Teams Phone We’re introducing operator co‑branding in Microsoft Teams Phone so customers can see who provides their Operator Connect PSTN connectivity service right where calls happen. When a user makes or receives a 1:1 PSTN call on a number through an Operator Connect partner calling plan, the partner’s logo and name appear on the dial pad and in‑call screens across Teams desktop, web, and mobile experiences—clearly indicating that the call is serviced by your organization's chosen operator. This gives added visibility to IT and end users for who their network carrier is while giving operators the opportunity to represent their brands inside the Teams calling experience. Operator co‑branding is a capability administered by Operator Connect partners. Customers with questions or concerns about how an operator’s brand is displayed should work directly with their Operator Connect partner about the experience. Microsoft Graph APIs for Teams Administration and Phone enablement Microsoft Graph APIs for Teams User Configuration, Phone Number Management and Policy Assignment are now generally available. Collectively, these APIs provide a programmatic solution for managing Teams users, policies, and phone numbers. Organizations can use these tools to automate Teams administration and phone enablement at scale. For example, organizations can streamline routine tasks like assigning voice policies to new hires and configuring call settings for frontline teams. These capabilities enable IT admins to integrate Teams administration into existing enterprise workflows, thereby streamlining onboarding processes and ensuring predictable, compliant configurations across extensive and distributed setups. Workplace: Teams Rooms For recent Teams Rooms feature releases, please see the January 2026/ISE Blog Fundamentals and Security Automatic synchronization with device time zone, no client restart required Microsoft Teams is enhancing its user experience by introducing a feature that automatically applies a new time zone without the need to restart the client. This improvement ensures that the time zone in Teams always matches the OS time zone, providing a seamless and accurate time display when traveling across time zones. Users can view the currently used time zone in Teams General Settings. Admins can easily discover and enable Apps that meet their organization’s trust standard This update adds a new Teams Admin Center capability that lets IT admins evaluate app trust using standardized compliance and security criteria. It surfaces trust signals and required documentation in one place, giving admins a faster, more consistent process to determine whether apps meet organizational requirements. New VDI solution for Teams optimization in Amazon WorkSpaces The New VDI solution for Teams introduces multimedia offloading and an optimization solution for Microsoft Teams when running in Amazon WorkSpaces (Personal and Pooled). Users of the WorkSpaces Client for Windows can enjoy a high-definition experience in virtual desktops, where audio/video/screensharing are offloaded to the user's device and processed by the SlimCore media engine. This entry applies to WorkSpaces only. AppStream, a separate application streaming service, is not supported. For more information, see the VDI solution for Teams optimization in Amazon WorkSpaces blog. Certified for Teams Devices Lenovo ThinkSmart Tiny Kit Lenovo’s ThinkSmart Tiny Kit delivers a compact, powerful, and ready‑to‑deploy Microsoft Teams Rooms solution designed to elevate any meeting space with seamless, professional collaboration. It combines enterprise‑grade performance, intuitive controls, and a clutter‑free footprint to transform conference rooms into efficient, modern communication hubs. Learn more. Lenovo ThinkSmart One Pro with ThinkSmart or IP Controller Smart sound. Sharp vision. Designed for conversations that matter. ThinkSmart One Pro is an all-in-one video conferencing bar that brings built-in compute, smart camera tech, and AI-powered audio to small meeting rooms. With autoframing, noise suppression, and eight beamforming microphones, it delivers sharp video and clear, room-filling sound, making it easy for conversations to stay focused and natural. Its sleek, wall-mountable design makes setup simple, while ThinkSmart Manager gives IT teams full remote visibility and control. ThinkSmart One Pro is easy to deploy, manage, and scale across rooms for consistent, high-quality collaboration. Lenovo ThinkSmart One Pro with ThinkSmart Controller Lenovo ThinkSmart One Pro with IP Controller Lenovo Wired VoIP Headset 5000 Experience clarity with the Lenovo Wired VoIP Headset 5000—made for modern professionals who demand reliable performance. Certified by Microsoft Teams and engineered for intuitive plug-and-play via USB-C or USB-A, this sleek, lightweight headset adapts instantly to any setup. Whether you’re commuting or anchored at your desk, AI-powered audio by LADM allows you to be heard clearly. Learn more. Biamp Vidi 280 With intelligent auto-framing, the Biamp Vidi 280 is designed for medium to large conference rooms. It dynamically switches between its wide and ultra-wide angle lens with 16x digital zoom to keep all participants in the conversation. Installation is fast, mounting options are flexible, and deployment is effortless—whether for a single medium-sized room or hundreds of large meeting spaces. Learn more. Biamp Vidi Content Cam 250 The Vidi Content Cam 250 is designed to simplify content sharing in Teams meetings. Remote participants get an unobstructed view of the whiteboard, so they can follow every note, sketch, and diagram as if they were in the room. Designed as a complete solution in one box, it includes flexible mounting options for walls or ceilings, adapts to any room layout, and supports the maximum Teams whiteboard capacity. Setup is quick, reliable, and built for the realities of modern collaboration. Learn more. Biamp All-in-One Video Bar Parlé VBC 2800 and Parlé VBC 2800 Teams Rooms system The Parlé VBC 2800 is an all-in-one conferencing bar designed to deliver exceptional audio and video performance in medium-to-large meeting rooms. Combining Beamtracking microphones, dual 4K ePTZ cameras, AI-driven noise reduction, and automated room tuning, it brings professional-grade clarity and remote meeting equity to every space. The Parlé™ VBC 2800 Video Conferencing Bar combines the latest in Biamp Audio Intelligence with advanced 4K Video Intelligence to deliver exceptional Microsoft Teams experiences in small to medium-sized meeting rooms. Paired with the Biamp UCC + Controller, its modular design offers flexible mounting options — on the wall or a credenza — with minimal cabling to keep your space clean and professional. It also features Biamp Launch™, an automated tuning system that adapts audio performance to each unique conferencing environment. Biamp All-in-One Video Bar Parlé VBC 2800 Biamp All-in-One Video Bar Parlé VBC 2800 Teams Rooms SystemAnnouncing Public Preview: New Microsoft Teams VDI Optimization for Omnissa
Today, we’re excited to announce the tech preview of the new Microsoft Teams VDI optimization for Omnissa Horizon environments, bringing a modern, high-performance collaboration experience to customers running Teams in virtual desktops. This milestone, achieved in close collaboration with our counterparts from Omnissa’s engineering team, marks the next step in Microsoft’s broader journey to deliver feature parity, reliability, and performance consistency between physical and virtual desktops, building on the architectural direction we first outlined in The future of Microsoft Teams in VDI. A modern Teams experience for Omnissa customers Virtual Desktop Infrastructure remains a critical deployment model for organizations that require centralized management, security, and scale. At the same time, collaboration workloads like audio, video, and screen sharing place unique demands on VDI environments. With thew new optimization now in available in tech preview for Omnissa Horizon, customers can deliver a native-like Teams experience while continuing to benefit from the operational and security advantages of VDI. This release brings Omnissa customers onto the same next generation optimization architecture already powering Teams across other supported VDI platforms. What’s new with Teams optimization for Omnissa The new optimization is built on a re-architected media foundation, designed specifically to remove longstanding limitations of the (now) legacy WebRTC based optimization. For IT admins and VDI architects, this means faster access to new Teams features, fewer image rebuilds, and more predictable quality for meetings. Key benefits include: New media engine Teams now uses the same native media engine in VDI that powers the modern Teams desktop client, enabling faster innovation and improved feature parity. Improved performance and stability Faster join times, fewer call drops, improved success rates for meetings and screen sharing, and better handling of modern codecs. Evergreen updates with reduced admin overhead The Horizon Client for Windows (version 8.17) bundles a new component called the Plugin (MsTeamsPluginOmnissa.dll) which oversees virtual channel establishment and subsequent media engine download. The media engine (a non-store MSIX package) is decoupled from the virtual desktop image and updated automatically by the Plugin, helping avoid version mismatches and reducing operational complexity for IT teams. When you upgrade Teams in your golden image or Teams auto-updates in Persistent VDI environments, the Plugin will make sure there is a matching media engine version on the user’s device, silently installing it. Plugins are designed to be backwards and forward compatible with media engine versions, reducing the need for constantly updating the Horizon Client. From legacy optimization to a future-ready architecture For many years, Teams in VDI relied on a WebRTC-based optimization model that depended heavily on components embedded in the Horizon Agent and Client infrastructure. While effective for its time, that approach introduced constraints around feature delivery, diagnostics, and long-term scalability. The new optimization architecture addresses many of the limitations of earlier optimization models. By modularizing and decoupling the media stack, Microsoft can now: Deliver new Teams features to VDI faster Reduce dependency on Horizon client update cycles Improve observability and reliability across environments This architectural shift is foundational to the long-term roadmap for Teams in virtualized environments. Availability and next steps Microsoft Teams optimization for Omnissa Horizon is now in public tech preview for supported Windows endpoint configurations. To get started: Read the main VDI article here Ensure your Omnissa Horizon client environment is updated to 8.17 or higher Microsoft Teams minimum version 26032.206.4355.6508 Users must be part of the Public Preview – check this article to understand the policy in Teams Admin Center Monitor adoption and quality using existing Teams admin center and CQD diagnostic tools For customers currently using legacy optimization, this release provides a clear path forward to a more modern, resilient, and feature rich Teams experience in VDI. Looking ahead This release is an important milestone, but it’s not the end of the journey. We plan to GA this soon, and continue to invest with: Ongoing feature parity improvements Performance and reliability enhancements Expanded platform support aligned with customer demand We look forward to partnering with Omnissa and our joint customers as we continue shaping the future of collaboration in virtualized environments.
Making Teams Updates Seamless: Smarter Delivery with Peer-to-Peer download and Scattered Rollouts
Updating Microsoft Teams is an important part of keeping collaboration smooth and secure. The latest Teams updater makes this process more efficient than ever by introducing two innovative strategies: Delivery Optimization and Scattered Update. These approaches work together to minimize bandwidth usage, reduce impact on networks, and ensure updates happen seamlessly—so users can stay productive without interruptions. Why Bandwidth Optimization Matters In large organizations, updates often need to reach thousands of devices. If they all download at the same time, it can put extra pressure on the network and slow down other important activities. By optimizing how updates are delivered, IT teams can keep everything running smoothly and ensure users stay connected without interruptions. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference for a seamless experience. Delivery Optimization in Detail Delivery Optimization is a built-in Windows feature designed to make updates more efficient by reducing redundant downloads. It works through several smart mechanisms: Peer-to-Peer Sharing Devices on the same network can share update files with each other, so not every device needs to download the update package from the internet. Customer should expect more than 30% of bandwidth savings from peer-to-peer sharing. More information on peering efficiency: Delivery Optimization Frequently Asked Questions | Microsoft Learn Microsoft Connected Cache Organizations can use a dedicated cache server to store update packages locally, enabling faster retrieval and reducing external bandwidth usage. Seamlessly leveraging standard HTTP sources as well as peers Delivery Optimization leverages both standard HTTP sources and peers seamlessly, ensuring app update always completes successfully from all available sources. IT teams can manage Delivery Optimization settings through familiar tools like Intune, Configuration Manager. This approach helps significantly reduce bandwidth consumption for large packages such as Teams updates, making the process smoother and more reliable. Scattered Update Scattered Update is designed to prevent all devices from updating at the same time. Instead of a single, large wave of downloads, updates are distributed in smaller, controlled phases. Here’s how it helps: Intelligent Scheduling Teams updater assigns devices to different time windows, spreading the rollout over hours or days. Smart scheduling can redistribute up to 70% of update download attempts within the first two days of a new release. Background Update Teams updater checks for and downloads updates during its scheduled time slot, all without needing the main app to be running. Best Practices for IT Admins To get the most out of Delivery Optimization, consider configuring settings for your tenant to allow peer-to-peer sharing and connected cache. This ensures devices can leverage local sources before downloading from the internet. If you're already using Delivery Optimization peer-to-peer in your organization, and/or are using Microsoft Connected Cache with HTTPS support, no further action is required! Teams updates will seamlessly use your preferred method of bandwidth optimization. Please refer to Delivery Optimization documentations below for how to configure your tenant: Configure Delivery Optimization for Windows | Microsoft Learn. HTTPS Support for Microsoft Connected Cache Overview | Microsoft Learn
