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.
No longer able to add Teams link in invite from shared calendar in browser
Since one or two weeks I am no longer able to add a Teams link to an invite that I send from a shared emailaccount/calendar when I am using the browser link instead of the Outlook app. My situation: I am a contractor, working remotely for a company on my personal laptop. I have a personal company account (mailbox/calendar/Teams etc.). I support a specific team that meets regularly. I take care of organizing all the team meetings, and because I am not working every minute of the day, we decided to send invites for the whole team from the shared mailbox of the team, so that if I am not around immediately, others can adjust the invites as well. This worked perfectly for years. But since one or two weeks I am no longer able to add a Teams link when I access the account throught the browser (same for my colleagues). My colleagues can still add a Teams link when they use the Outlook app, however, since I am working on a personal laptop I cannot install the app and have to work from the browser. I reached out to internal IT support of course, but they can't help me unfortunately. First they stated that this never worked (which is not true, because I have been doing this for years) and later they stated that it is a change from the Microsoft end so they cannot solve it. Is this correct? And if so, what other ways of working would be available to reach the goal we are after (me setting up all initial meetings but others being able to adjust the invites as well when needed)? I also tried adding one colleague as a co-organizor, but it turned out that this colleague can still not change the meeting details..... Anyone here can help/advise?
Remote participants can't hear me when they speak
Hi, I've been trying to solve this problem for a long time. We're using Windows 11 (previously Windows 10) with all the latest updates. We have a Jabra 810 connected to our computer. Everything works fine. But when the other person starts talking, he stops hearing us (or our voice is so quiet they don't notice). As soon as he stops talking, he starts hearing us normally again. What could be the cause, and how can I fix this? Best regards, DmitrySet work location via API (Graph?)
Hey community! The new work hours and location feature is rolling out for Outlook and Teams: https://blog.admindroid.com/work-hours-and-location-in-outlook-for-efficient-collaboration/ Does anyone know who to read and write this information (especially the location) via API / Microsoft Graph? This is a nice feature and we would like to set this programmatically. Thank you very much! Best regards, Jens
Forms not loading while presenting PPT in Teams
I created a PowerPoint presentation and added a couple of polls by selecting the Forms tab in PPT. The polls appear correctly in the slides and the polling function works when not presenting live in Teams, but once I select Present in Teams, the polling slides only show blue boxes with no other content.Organize your digital environment and boost your focus with flexible Teams layouts
More than ever, in today's fast-paced workplace digital tools must be efficient and flexible to adapt to the wide variety of work styles. Empowered with this ability, end users’ productivity often increases as a result of tailoring their collaboration to their needs. The latest round of enhancements to Teams, now rolling out to public preview, promises just that. In essence, users have more options to arrange the Teams window across their screen real estate while keeping communication in context. Organize your workspace with resizable Teams windows Simply put, Teams now allows you to tailor the size of its windows and panes. Whether your goal is to streamline workflows, minimize distractions, or simply achieve better visibility, you can leverage the flexible layout as a means to place emphasis on what makes most sense to you. Like water in different sized glasses, Teams' adjustable windows and panes fit perfectly into any workspace, molding to each user’s unique workstyle. In this way, the fluidity of Teams experiences helps keep you productive, adapting to your device and task at hand. Be sure to try out the scenarios below to get a sense of what may enhance your use of Teams. These new capabilities will be rolling out to Windows, Mac and Web. How it works Similar to Windows 11 Snap layouts you can quickly organize your workspace with Teams Snap by choosing an efficient, side-by-side view of multiple applications. You can retire the hassle of switching between multiple app windows with [Alt + Tab] and give a try of a new shortcut [Win + Z] to reach the Snap layout box. With a layout selected, showing Teams alongside other panes, grab (i.e., click/hold) the edge of a window and begin to resize the layout. Notice that as the Teams window reduces in size the selected chat thread stays present while other functionality is nested into available pull-down menus. The meeting screen will optimize for up to 200% zoom and screens as small as 360px x 502px to ensure you have access to the most important parts of your meeting. In the Teams experience itself, Teams chat, channels and activity panes can be resized to tailor the view. As you resize the panes to be wider or narrower, the displayed content will adjust to fit the updated pane size, helping you concentrate on specific tasks while maintaining access to all functions of Teams. You can also customize your view by resizing side panes within meetings. When you adjust the side panes to your liking, Teams' fluid experience will instantly adapt to fit the new layout. Coming soon, Teams will remember your layout, defaulting to it for your next meeting. Do you have some extra screen space available? Go ahead and detach meeting panes from the main window and reposition them. In April, you will be able to also pop out chat, Copilot, notes side panes, and captions. Pop out, drag, and resize meeting panes to customize your meeting view to suit your needs without missing any meeting activity. Adjust the zoom level to your needs Teams now offers additional zoom levels to help you find the font size that works best for your vision and devices. Whether you're using a 6k display or have low vision and need larger text, icons, and controls, you can zoom in across a broader range to select the perfect zoom level. Simply press CTRL + + (on Mac, CMD + +) to zoom in, or CTRL + = (on Mac, CMD + =) to zoom out and adjust the overall zoom level to your preference. Rest assured that Teams’ fluid experience will adapt to the zoom size without losing functionality or requiring to scroll in two directions to read the text. What’s next These features are now rollingin public preview with expected generally available in the Q2 of calendar year 2025. Customers eager to try out the new features can learn how to access the Microsoft public preview HERE.Task Module shows popup but Adaptive Card does not render using M365 Agent SDK (Python)
I am using the new M365 Agent SDK for Python to return a Task Module (task/fetch). The popup opens successfully when I click the button in Teams, but the Adaptive Card inside the Task Module does not render. Instead, Teams shows the generic error: “Unable to reach app. Please try again.” My invoke handler returns the following structure: adaptive_card = { "type": "AdaptiveCard", "$schema": "http://adaptivecards.io/schemas/adaptive-card.json", "version": "1.4", "body": [ {"type": "TextBlock", "text": "Sample task module card"}, {"type": "Input.Text", "id": "notes", "isMultiline": True} ], "actions": [ { "type": "Action.Submit", "title": "Submit", "data": {"action": "sample_task_submit"} } ] } task_response = { "task": { "type": "continue", "value": { "title": "Dialog", "width": "medium", "height": "medium", "card": { "contentType": "application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive", "content": adaptive_card } } } } return InvokeResponse(status=200, body=task_response) Key symptoms: Task module window opens (so invoke is successful) Adaptive card does not render Shows “Unable to reach app” inside popup No errors in server logs This happens only with Task Modules; normal message replies work fine Questions: Is the above Task Module response format correct for the new M365 Agent SDK for Python? Does the SDK require a different return type or content-type for invoke responses? Are Task Modules fully supported in the M365 Agent SDK preview? Is there an example of returning a Task Module using the Python SDK? Any clarification or working sample for Python would be very helpful. Screen shot -The next chapter for AI-powered work management in Microsoft Planner
Today at Microsoft Ignite, we’re excited to share the next major evolution in work management—one that builds on the journey we began in April 2024, when we unified Microsoft To Do, Planner, and Project for the web into a single, modern experience we called the new Planner. Now available in Microsoft Teams and as a web app, Planner has further been enhanced with the Project Manager Agent, an AI-powered assistant that helps streamline your planning process. Now, we’re taking the next step by bringing advanced AI skills through Project Manager Agent to our platform—delivering intelligent automation and a seamless planning environment that can help empower teams to move faster, stay aligned, and deliver results with less friction. A day in the life: From conversation to coordination It’s Monday morning. A product launch team gathers—some in person, some remote. Instead of action items getting lost in chat threads or emails, Facilitator and Project Manager Agent are now part of the meeting experience. During the meeting, Facilitator listens for spoken intent and captures decisions as actionable tasks. Team members can also prompt Facilitator through the meeting chat to add, update, or assign tasks in real time. This ensures that nothing is missed and that tasks are created directly from the flow of conversation. Project Manager Agent structures these tasks within Planner, assigning owners and due dates as directed by the team. The agent helps team members organize and track their work efficiently by making it easier to create, assign, and update tasks within Teams meetings. Furthermore, the Project Manager Agent works alongside Facilitator to generate a marketing plan, so the team can use the document as a reference for stakeholders. The agents are able to create the document, pulling context from the meeting transcript, meeting chat, and files shared during the meeting. The document is posted in the meeting chat and is also available as an attachment to the task in the meeting plan. As the meeting wraps up, the plan is live in Planner, with clear ownership and next steps. Everyone leaves the meeting aligned, knowing exactly what needs to be done and who is responsible. This is the story we’re showcasing at Ignite: how Planner and agents are helping teams drive work across Teams. What’s rolling out soon to general availability Below is a list of features that are currently available in public preview and rolling out to general availability in the next two weeks. Project Manager Agent skills in Teams meetings: Leveraging the skills of Project Manager Agent, Facilitator can create tasks during meetings and automatically extract tasks from meeting transcripts to ensure nothing is overlooked. These tasks are captured in meeting notes and seamlessly synced to Planner for enhanced post-meeting tracking. Additionally, the Facilitator can generate documents from meetings, helping resolve the "cold start" challenge. Simply @mention Facilitator to create, assign, or access tasks, or to generate required documents. Project Manager Agent skills in Teams channels: Leveraging the skills of Project Manager Agent in Teams channels, users can create tasks, set due dates, and assign tasks seamlessly within their collaborative workspace by @mentioning the respective Channel Agent. Learn more about Project Manager Agent skills in Teams meetings and channels in our announcement blog post. What’s new for Project Manager Agent and Planner Below is a list of features that are new to Project Manager Agent, Channel Agent in Teams, and Planner. Workback plans in Teams channels: Project Manager Agent and the Channel Agent together now support the creation of AI-powered workback plans, automatically generating a reverse timeline of tasks and milestones based on the target deadline and goal provided. A screenshot of a Teams channel shows a conversation with the Channel Agent. The Channel Agent has created a workback plan with tasks and due dates. Ask questions about your plans in Teams channels: You can now ask the Channel Agent questions related to your plans in Planner. Simply @mention the Channel Agent directly in your channel conversation with questions such as: What tasks are assigned to me? What tasks need to be completed this week? Create and update tasks with Channel Agent: You can also ask the Channel Agent to create new tasks and update existing ones. Simply @mention the Channel Agent with prompts such as: Create a task to complete the Quarterly Business Review deck. Assign the LT review prep task to Daniel. For more information, see how to create project tasks using Channel Agent. Status reports with Planner data: Channel Agent uses its knowledge to create status reports for channel members. These status reports are delivered as a Loop file within the channel, allowing team members to review, edit, collaborate, and share with others. Previously, the Channel Agent would generate status reports based on messages in its respective channel, as well as meeting summaries for any meetings the agent was added to. Now, status reports generated by the Channel Agent are enriched with Planner data to provide additional context, improve project visibility for all stakeholders, and enable better decision making by highlighting progress, risks, and blockers. Learn how to generate a status report using Channel Agent. Please note, these new capabilities in Teams channels are currently available in public preview. A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to create, interact with, and manage Channel Agent in Teams. Learn how to get started with Channel Agent for Teams channels. Support for Information Barriers: Microsoft Purview Information Barriers are policies in Microsoft 365 that a compliance admin can configure to prevent individuals or groups from communicating and collaborating with each other. Support for Information Barriers in Planner enables organizations to restrict access to plans and tasks based on user groups. This feature can help prevent data leaks, enforce internal policies, and support regulatory mandates by limiting plan visibility and collaboration to authorized segments. Support for Information Barriers is now generally available in basic plans only across: Planner for the web Planner in Teams (web, desktop, and mobile) Learn more about Information Barriers in Microsoft Planner. What’s coming soon to Planner Below is a list of additional compliance features that are currently rolling out or starting to roll out in Planner next month. Please note, these features are not being demoed at Ignite. Check the Microsoft 365 public roadmap for rollout status and additional details. Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) label support in Planner: Up until now, Planner has supported container labels for Microsoft 365 Group-backed and Roster plans, restricting access based on label permissions. This update will enable support for content labels, enforcing Data Loss Prevention controls, such as: Preventing users from copying task content, exporting plans to Excel or other formats, and forwarding tasks or plans to unauthorized users. Restricting users from printing plans or tasks when the content label includes a “block print” directive and restricting users from any form of hard copy generation of sensitive plans. Displaying watermarks on plans and tasks when required and ensuring watermark visibility across all supported clients (web, desktop, and mobile). Inheriting content labels from Loop Task List components or other linked containers, applying the same restriction to the Roster plan created from a Loop file, and respecting label changes. Informing users when label restrictions are in effect, preventing actions that violate label policies, and offering downgrade prompts if label changes would revoke access for certain users. With this rollout, users will be able to apply and modify content labels on Group-backed plans. Roster plans created from meetings will inherit the meeting label. eDiscovery support for Roster plans: Up until now, Planner has only provided eDiscovery support for modern Group-backed plans. This update will enable eDiscovery support for Roster plans as well. Once rolled out to your organization, admins will be able to pull the task data relevant to a user by selecting the individual’s mailbox. When the eDiscovery admin selects a user’s mailbox as the data source, they would see the task that the user was assigned to. Join our sessions at Ignite 2025! Whether you’re on site at the Moscone Center or joining us online, dive deeper with demos and Q&A. We’ll share additional details on the features above and announce some exciting updates coming soon to Planner. Theater session (THR761): Accelerating productivity with Planner and Project Manager agent in Microsoft Teams Time: Thursday, November 20 at 10:00 AM Pacific Speakers: George Bullock, Robyn Guarriello Duration: 25 minutes (in person, live Q&A) Breakout session (BRK287): Planner & agents: Driving work across Teams, Outlook, and Copilot Chat Time: Thursday, November 20 at 4:45 PM Pacific Speakers: Howard Crow, Robyn Guarriello Duration: 45 minutes (in person, streamed live, and on demand) Expert meetups: Visit the Copilot & Agents station for hands-on demos and unblocked Q&A with product experts. Learn more Watch the on-demand Breakout session from Ignite 2025. Sign up to receive future communication about Planner. Check out the Planner adoption page and Planner help & learning page to learn more about Planner. Visit the Microsoft 365 roadmap for feature descriptions and estimated release dates for Planner. Walk through the interactive demos for Project Manager Agent in Planner and Project Manager Agent skills in Teams meetings. Take these hands-on learning courses to enhance your AI business solutions with Copilot and agents at work.Understanding Teams Policies: Messaging, Meetings & Calling | Complete Guide
Teams policies give IT admins control over what users can do within the platform. If it is restricting who employees can chat with, controlling meeting features like recording, or defining how calls are routed, policies ensure the organization remains compliant, secure, and productive. In this blog, we will go through everything you need to know about Microsoft Teams messaging, meetings, and calling policies and how they form the user experience. https://dellenny.com/understanding-teams-policies-messaging-meetings-calling-complete-guide/Microsoft Teams Admin Center: A Beginner’s Guide
If you are new to the admin side of Microsoft Teams, in this blog will walk you through the essentials of the Admin Center and help you understand how to manage users, configure security, and control policies like a pro. https://dellenny.com/microsoft-teams-admin-center-a-beginners-guide/
