Why are there thumbs up with reactions off?

Question

I organize Teams meeting frequently and always toggle the “reactions” to OFF. Why are there thumbs up bubbles that appear when myself or other participants lift or gesture with their arms?

Answer 1

That was not my question.

I wanted to know if it is possible for the bubble thumbs up to appear unintentionally, when someone is simply moving their arms around randomly?

Answer 2

Check Meeting or Channel-Specific Settings

• If you’re still seeing reactions in meetings, first ensure that the setting is turned off in Meeting Options.

Clear Microsoft Teams Cache

• Clearing the cache can help remove any outdated UI elements or settings causing reactions to still appear.

      **On Windows (via PowerShell): You can use PowerShell to quickly clear Microsoft Teams cache.**
  

  • Open PowerShell and run the following commands: powershellCopy codeStop-Process -Name Teams -Force Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Teams\Cache Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Teams\blob_storage Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Teams\databases Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Teams\GPUCache Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Teams\IndexedDB Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Teams\Local Storage Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Teams\tmp On Mac (via AppleScript): You can automate clearing Microsoft Teams cache using AppleScript:
  • Open Script Editor.
  • Paste the following script: applescriptCopy codedo shell script "pkill -f Teams" do shell script "rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams/Cache/*" do shell script "rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams/blob_storage/*" do shell script "rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams/databases/*" do shell script "rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams/GPUCache/*" do shell script "rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams/IndexedDB/*" do shell script "rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams/Local\ Storage/*" do shell script "rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams/tmp/*"
  • Save the script and run it.

Log Out and Log Back In

• This can refresh your session and force the app to sync the latest settings from the server.
• Click your profile picture in the top-right corner.
• Select Sign out.
• Close the Teams app completely.
• Reopen and log back into Teams

Update Microsoft Teams

• If Teams isn't updated to the latest version, some settings might not sync properly.
• Click on your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the app.
• Select Check for updates.
• If an update is available, it will download and install automatically. Once updated, restart Teams to ensure the changes are applied.

Check Organization-Wide Settings

• If you’re an IT admin, you might need to double-check organization-wide settings to ensure that reactions are disabled globally:
• Go to the Microsoft Teams Admin Centre.
• Navigate to Meetings > Meeting Policies.
• Select the relevant policy that applies to users.
• Ensure that Allow Reactions is set to off.
• Apply the policy and wait for it to propagate across all devices. Keep in mind that this can take a few hours to fully take effect.

Disable Reactions in Teams Channels

• If reactions are still appearing in specific Teams channels or chats:
• Head to the Teams Admin Centre.
• Navigate to Teams > Manage Teams.
• Select the relevant team and check the settings under Emoji and Reactions.

Use the Web Version of Teams as a Workaround

• If reactions persist in the desktop app, the web version of Microsoft Teams may offer a temporary workaround, as it sometimes bypasses cached data.
• Go to teams.microsoft.com in your browser.
• Sign in and check if the reactions are still appearing.

Contact Microsoft Support

• If you’ve tried everything and are still seeing "thumbs up" reactions, it could be a bug or a more complex issue. Reach out to Microsoft Support or your IT admin to investigate further.

Answer 3

Can they appear with random movements of the arms, for example if someone gesitculates with their arms while they are speaking?

Answer 4

Dear TamaraLily

Good day!

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are glad to assist!

Based on your description, I understand you concern with thumbs up bubbles that appear in Teams meetings.

To troubleshoot this issue, may I know whether you have disable Animation in Teams? If not, you may have a try to do following steps and check if there is any difference:

Go to Settings > Appearance and accessibility > Under Animation, Check Turn off Animation.

This should help you disable the live animation gestures and prevent the thumbs up bubbles from appearing during your meetings.

If the issue still persists, please share the screenshot, so that we can do further check. 

Thanks for your precious time and your understanding would be highly appreciated. Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Allen | Community Moderator