Microsoft Teams Auto Hiding Channels - what types of activities count as 'Interactions' to keep the channel active

Same here Nancy. Perhaps my employer's system administrators have hidden this opt-out option, for unknown reasons. :-(

Hiding channels that I regularly use makes Teams considerably less user-friendly on a day-in, day-out basis. I shouldn't have to hunt for channels.

Just another tricky day!

Dear Nancy, 

Thank you for your question regarding the new Auto-Hiding Channels feature in Microsoft Teams. Here is some information to help you better understand this feature.   

1. What Counts as an “Interaction” in a Channel?

For a channel to remain visible (not auto-hidden), you must have been active in that channel recently. Microsoft defines an “inactive” channel in terms of lack of user interaction over a period of time. The key criterion is whether you have engaged with any new content in that channel within the set timeframe. Here’s what that means: 

Viewing or Reading New Messages: 

Simply opening the channel and reading new posts or threads counts as an interaction. If there are new messages in the channel (posts you haven’t seen yet) and you read them (marking them as read), that is considered you “interacting” with the channel’s content 

Reacting to Messages: 

Using a reaction ( Like, Heart, etc.) on a message in the channel is also counted as activity. A reaction indicates you are engaged with a message’s content. Microsoft explicitly includes reactions in the interaction criteria – if you “reacted to” a recent message, that’s an interaction that keeps the channel active 

Replying or Participating in Conversations:  

Replying to a channel conversation or starting a new conversation typically implies you have read the latest messages and are contributing. In practice, this should count as being active in the channel because you likely viewed content or at least your own new message. (Though, as we’ll discuss below, simply posting without reading others’ messages may not trigger the “active” status in some cases.) 

Other Channel Activities:  

Any other meaningful engagement within the channel might help as well. For example, opening and viewing a file or tab in that channel, or mentioning someone in the channel, usually requires opening the channel – indirectly counting as activity. However, the core measurement is about message activity (reading or reacting), as per Microsoft’s definition. 

Important: The inactivity/interaction is tracked per user per channel. Even if others are active in a channel, it can still hide for you if you personally haven’t been active there. Conversely, if you stay active in a channel, it will remain in your visible list even if others aren’t using it much. In Microsoft’s terms, if there is “new messaging in the channel that the user has read”, the channel is active for that user. 

1. How to Keep a Channel Active

To make sure a channel stays visible and isn’t auto-hidden for you, you should regularly perform at least one of these actions in that channel within the inactivity window: 

• Open and Scroll Through the Channel: Every so often, click the channel to open it and scroll through any messages (especially if the channel shows bold text indicating unread messages). This counts as reading content. Even if you see no bold/unread indicator, opening the channel forces Teams to consider you “visited” it.
• React or Acknowledge Posts: Add a "Like" or other reaction to recent posts. This simple action both shows engagement and counts as an interaction on a message.
• Reply to a Conversation: If appropriate, post a reply to a conversation thread or ask a follow-up question. This ensures you are both reading (the context) and contributing.
• Check Files or Tabs: Opening a file or tab might not be explicitly counted in the algorithm, but if you navigate via the channel (e.g., clicking a file in the channel’s Files tab), you are actively using the channel. This often goes hand-in-hand with reading messages (for example, reading the conversation around a file).

Additionally, Team Owners can help important channels stay visible for everyone by using the “Show for members” feature. Owners can pin up to 10 channels in a team as shown by default for everyone. If a channel is designated to always show, it might override or mitigate the auto-hide for those users (at least initially). This isn’t a direct “interaction,” but a one-time setting to ensure visibility of key channels. 

This resource will be of help:   

• Recommend channels for the whole team in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support
• Show, hide, or favorite a channel in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support

Controlling or Disabling Auto-Hide (Opt-Out/In Settings) (Optional) 

Originally, Microsoft provided a setting to turn off the automatic hiding if you didn’t want it. In Teams Settings under “Chat and channels” (or under “General” in newer versions of Teams settings), there was an option called “Hide inactive channels” which could be toggled off to opt out of the auto-hiding behavior. If your Teams client is up to date, this setting might now appear as “Suggestions for hiding inactive channels” due to the feature’s change to opt-in. 

Here’s how you can manage these settings: 

• Open Teams Settings: Click your profile picture in Teams (top-right corner) and choose Settings.
• Navigate to “General” or “Chat and Channels”: In classic Teams, go to General > Chats and channels. In the new Teams client (if enabled), it might be just under General.

• Toggle Suggestions/Hiding Off or On: If you see “Suggestions for hiding inactive channels”, you can turn this off to prevent Teams from even suggesting (or auto-hiding) channels
• Manual Hide on Demand: In the same Settings area, Microsoft also offers a “Hide inactive channels (on demand)” or a “Get Suggestions” button. Clicking this will scan your channels and present a list of those considered inactive, allowing you to hide them at that moment. (This is optional and only if you want to clean up manually. It can typically be used once every 24 hours). In older version, unchecking “Hide inactive channels” would stop the auto-hide. Essentially, ensure any auto-hide or suggestion feature is disabled if you prefer to manage channel visibility manually.

Hopefully, these solutions can help you solve this issue. Please know that we truly appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to support you. If you need any further help or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help. Thank you very much for your understanding and cooperation.  

Best regards,   

Kai-L - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist