Remove Chat Options on top

Question

Hi

I use Teams at work and I have a small laptop so my applications are minimally sized - including my teams., which I need to have up all the time. How do I remove the Mentions, Followed threads, Drafts, and Saved options at the top of the chat screen? It reduces my ability to see my chat groups and new messages. Please tell me how I can remove them or move them to the bottom of the chat page as I do not use them.

Thank you!

Answer 1

Dear @McWain, Heidy (OFM),

I hope you’re having a good day and thank you for raising this.

When you’re working on a small screen and keep Teams open all the time, having sections you don’t actively use permanently taking up space can be distracting and, over time, genuinely uncomfortable. In that situation, it makes sense that the priority should be seeing important chats and new messages, not shortcuts you rarely need.

Based on what I’ve checked on my own device and across a few different colleague accounts, this section at the top of Chat normally behaves as a quick view. In most environments, it can be collapsed or expanded, so if you don’t want it taking up space all the time, you can temporarily collapse it and focus on the chat list itself. I’ve tested this not only on my own account, but also on several other accounts, different machines, and even across both the Teams desktop app and Teams on the web, and in those cases the quick view option was available.

That’s why I’d like to understand a bit more about your specific setup, so we can see whether something environment‑related might be influencing what you’re seeing. When you access Teams through a web browser, do you see the same behavior, or does the quick view option appear there? Also, could you let me know which Teams version you’re currently running (and whether you’re on the new Teams experience)? Small differences in version or platform can sometimes affect how this area behaves.

In addition, there is one UI option you might want to try if you haven’t already. Teams allows you to use a separate layout for Chats and Channels, which can sometimes reduce visual clutter in the Chat list. You can check this by going to Settings > Appearance (or Customize view) > Chats and channels, then selecting Separate. After applying it, return to the Chat section and see if the layout feels more compact or easier to work with on your screen.

In the meantime, it may also help to try a couple of basic steps, just to rule out a local client issue. For example, signing out of Teams and back in, or clearing the Teams cache and restarting the app, has occasionally helped refresh UI behavior for some users. These steps won’t change the overall design, but they can help if the layout state has become “stuck” locally.

I really appreciate you taking the time to explain how this impacts your day‑to‑day work. If you’re able to share a bit more about what you see on Teams web and your current version, I’ll be happy to look into it further and suggest the most appropriate next direction.

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.  

Looking forward to hearing back from you with any updates or additional details. 

Warm regards, 

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