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The new Microsoft Teams desktop client

  • Article
  • Applies to:
    Microsoft Teams

Note

The preview of the new Microsoft Teams desktop client for Windows rolled out on March 27, 2023 and is expected to complete over the following week.

Tip

Looking for tips on using the new Teams? See Try the new Microsoft Teams.

Before you begin

This article describes the preview release of the new Microsoft Teams desktop client for Windows. No changes have been made in how the service works, and the backend remains the same. There's no new mobile app (iOS or Android). This preview release doesn't have the complete feature set of classic Teams.

Important

The new Teams client is not available for the following during the preview phase:

Platforms: Mac, VDI, Web
Customer segments:
- Government cloud: GCC, GCC High, DoD
- Special cloud: Air-gapped, Microsoft 365 operated by 21Vianet in China
- Consumer, Education (EDU)
- Desktop running a Windows 10 version earlier than 10.0.19041

Tip

Visit our Microsoft Adoption site to learn about the new Teams!

What is the new Teams?

The new Microsoft Teams desktop client for Windows has been re-imagined from the ground up with a performance in mind providing a faster, simpler, and more flexible experience. With new Teams, the client installs and loads faster, letting you launch the app and join meetings more quickly, giving you more time to focus on the business tasks.

New Teams ensures more efficient use of device resources. You can lower memory and disk usage with a Teams app optimized for your device. Whether you have users on multiple accounts or tenants, the new Teams can help eliminate the silos and bring them together in one place, giving them more extensibility and scale.

Prerequisites

Requirement Version
Windows Windows 10 version 10.0.19041 or higher
Teams app Version 1.6.00.4472 to see the Try the new Teams toggle.

If you are at a lower version, select the overflow menu (…) > Check for updates > Update. Then restart your app.
Settings Turn on the "Show Notification Banners" setting in System > Notifications > Microsoft Teams to receive Teams Notifications.

Required Microsoft 365 Apps Security Updates

Channel Version & Build
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Version 2302 (Build 16130.20306)
Version 2208 (Build 15601.20578)
Version 2202 (Build 14931.20944)
Monthly Enterprise Channel Version 2301 (Build 16026.20222)
Version2212 (Build 15928.20294)
Windows LTSB Version 2018 (Build 10396.20023)
Version 2021 (Build 14332.20481)

Learn more at Update History for Microsoft 365 Apps.

How to roll out new Teams

As an admin, you can manage which users in your organizations see or don't see the "Try the new Teams" toggle to use the new Teams.

new teams try me toggle at the top of the screen

To control which users can see the toggle, use the Teams admin setting UseNewTeamsClient under the TeamsUpdateManagement policy.

Manage this setting in the Teams admin center or using Teams PowerShell.

Configure setting via Teams Admin Center

In addition to PowerShell, you can also use Teams Admin Center to manage the visibility of the toggle on a per-user basis.

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft Teams admin center.

  2. Select Teams > Teams Update policies from the left pane, as shown below.

    step in how to update teams policies

  3. Select Add to create a new policy or select an existing policy to open Update policy.

update policies add a new policy

  1. Name the update policy, add a description, and select the setting for “Use new Teams client”, as shown below.

    Setting Description
    Not enabled Use this value to hide the new Teams toggle switch. Users won't be able to opt in to the new Teams.
    Users can choose Use this value to show the new Teams toggle switch, to let users opt into the new Teams, and switch back if they need to.
    Microsoft controlled Default. The value lets Microsoft control whether the new Teams toggle switch is shown or not based on product readiness

  2. Once the policy is defined, you can assign it to a user or user group with the Group policy assignment. To assign it to a group, select Group policy assignment and then Add, or select one of the groups listed.

update policies by group

Select a policy to assign to the group.

update policy and assign by group

  1. Once the policy is defined, you can assign it to a specific user under Users> Manage users.

update policy per user

If you update the policy setting in the Teams Admin Center, the new setting goes into effect within one minute. The user doesn't have to restart the app.

How to uninstall the new Teams client

Any user who was using the new Teams before the policy was implemented can manually opt out by using the new Teams toggle.

After they opt out, the toggle won't appear when they relaunch Teams. To prevent users from using this client and want to uninstall the client, users can manually uninstall it from settings.


Remove new Teams for all users

To remove the new Teams from all users' computers, use the following PowerShell command:


Remove-AppxPackage

PowerShell cmdlet to remove new Teams from all users on all computers:

Get-AppxPackage MSTeams -AllUsers |Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers For an individual user without administrator privilege, use this command: Get-AppxPackage MSTeams|Remove-AppxPackage


Installation issues

Policy settings restricting download & install

If your users are experiencing issues installing the app, as an administrator you may have set some restrictions preventing them from downloading and installing it. They may see this error:

error when attempting to install the new teams desktop client

It's possible that the MSIX package installation could be blocked by registry keys set by GPO policy/third party tool. For a complete list of registry keys: How Group Policy works with packaged apps - MSIX

The registry keys that could block new Teams MSIX package installation are:

  • BlockNonAdminUserInstall
  • AllowAllTrustedApps
  • AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense

These registry keys can be found at one of these locations:

  • Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock
  • Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx

There are a few policies that could alter these registry keys and block app installation in your organization due to restricted policy set by the admins. Some of the known GPO policies that may be preventing installation include:
  • Prevent non-admins users from installing packaged Windows apps
  • Allow all trusted apps to install (disabled)

To check this setting for your computer

  1. In Windows, search for Edit Group Policy.
  2. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor screen.
  3. Go to Computer Configuration > Windows Components > App package Deployment to check settings for these policies:
  • Prevent non-admins users from installing packaged Windows apps
  • Allow all trusted apps to install
  1. Make sure that value for these settings is set as follows:
Setting Value
Prevent non-admins users from installing packaged Windows apps Not configured
Allow all trusted apps to install Not configured

Troubleshooting the App switcher toggle

  • Relaunch your current client before turning the Try the new Teams toggle ON to make sure that you have latest changes. Also, if there's any Windows update pending, including security updates, install them before you try new Teams.
  • If you’re not seeing the toggle for new Teams, make sure you have the minimum required versions for Windows and Teams
  • After you successfully switch to new Teams, if you can't find the toggle on the top left to switch between new Teams and Microsoft Teams (work or school), you can start the version you want by going to Start menu and searching for it or by clicking on it from the task bar.

Policies that could block the user from seeing the App switcher toggle

The following list of policies can block users from seeing the app switcher toggle.

  • Your admin has sign in restrictions set up Learn more about how to restrict Teams sign in on desktop devices
  • If the user is on a VDI computer (Citrix, VMware etc.).
  • If the user is signed in to classic Teams with a Teams for Life account and a work account.
  • If the user is signed in to classic Teams with a Teams for Life account.
  • If you have an MSIX client.
How do I know which one of the above policies is blocking me?
  1. Open logs in this path: %appdata%/Microsoft/Teams
  2. Open logs.txt
  3. Search for appswitcher_appstateservice_check.
  4. Check the enggComplete flag:
    • If true, the Microsoft has turned the setting for you.
    • If false, you didn’t the settings from MSFT yet or need an app relaunch (see below for steps to relaunch the app)
  5. Check isAboveWin10Vibranium.
    • If true, the OS version is >= what is needed for app switcher
    • If false, the OS is older than what we support.
  6. Check the code to find out the cause.
Code Meaning
TFLONLY You're only signed in to Teams for Life
TFLANDTFW You're signed in to Teams for Life and Teams for Work
SPECIALCLOUD You're signed in to a special cloud that isn’t supported.
CROSSCLOUD You're signed in to a government cloud.
VDI You're signed in to a VDI machine (VMware, Citrix, AVD/WV).

Update and restart message in title bar

Issue: After opting into the new Teams, users may receive an “Update and restart” message in the title bar. Action: This is expected behavior. Select the link to restart.

Windows 10 users may receive an error message

Issue: Windows 10 users may receive the error “We’ve run into an issue” when they download and install the new Teams.
Action: Download and install WebView2 Runtime. Then restart the Teams desktop app and try again.

Some people don't see the toggle to opt in

Make sure the user has the minimum requirements met on their computer. Next, have them sign out and back into the Teams desktop app.
If the toggle still doesn't appear, then

  1. Right-click on the Teams app icon in your taskbar and select Quit.
  2. Open File Explorer. In the address bar, enter the following: %appdata%/Microsoft/Teams.
  3. Select the arrow, or press Enter. You’ll be taken to the contents of that folder.
  4. Delete all contents of the folder (don’t worry, Teams app won't be deleted, and no or on any of your custom settings). If you get any messages that a certain file or folder can’t be deleted, select Skip.
  5. Relaunch the Teams app, then right-click on the icon and select Quit.
  6. Relaunch the Teams app one more time, and you should see the toggle switch.

What features are still missing?

While many of the features you're familiar with in classic Teams are already in the new experience, others, like Breakout rooms, are still being worked on.

Follow Microsoft Adoption for the latest information on upcoming features for the new Teams..

What features are changing?

As we improve the client, the experience has been improved to align with similar features. Here are some of the changes you'll see.

Classic Teams New Teams
Purple toast notifications You'll no longer see the purple "toast" notifications, and the taskbar icon will behave a little different. Notifications will be via Windows native notifications to provide a consistent experience.
Adding a Wiki to a channel tab You'll no longer see a Wiki app. Instead, select the Notes app.
Adding third party cloud storage service from Files app and Files tab in channels You'll no longer see the "Add cloud storage" in the Files app on Teams' left navigation bar and within Files tab in Teams' channels. Now you can add the 3rd party storage app directly from the Teams App Store.
Look up an organizational chart while in a 1:1 chat Select a user’s avatar or profile photo anywhere in Teams and navigate to the organizational chart within the profile card.
Look up LinkedIn while in a 1:1 chat Select a user’s avatar or profile photo anywhere in Teams and navigate to the LinkedIn tab within the profile card.
Adding a document library (DocLib) app to a tab in channels Use the Sharepoint app instead. Then add the document library from there as a tab to the channel. Existing document libraries will automatically convert to a SharePoint document library on first use.
Activity tab in chat No longer available
Ability to save messages and files in Teams No longer available. Will be replaced later this year by a similar feature.
Allow users to follow another users presence, then notify them of availability Select a user’s avatar or profile photo anywhere in new Teams to quickly get an overview of their online status, next available calendar slot in Outlook, work hours, local time, and work location (remote or office).

Known issues

There are a few known issues we're working on.

General

Issue: Presence and Chat/Call from a user's live persona card (LPC) in Outlook doesn't work when non-admin users install the new Teams client. These experiences are also broken while switching between new Teams and classic Teams.
Fix: Confirm that the minimum prerequisites have been met, including installing the Office and Windows security updates as it applies to your organization.
See Prerequisites section in this article.

Accessibility

Issue: There may be accessibility gaps between new and classic Teams. If you discover any accessibility gaps, select Give Feedback.

Apps

  • Issue: If custom apps are used, their icons are broken on the left pane.

  • Issue: You can't install or uninstall any app in new Teams yet. Only apps installed in classic Teams will show up in new Teams.
    Workaround: Add your app in classic Teams. It will then appear in new Teams.

  • Issue: While all the basic capabilities within the app bar and flyout are supported, other advanced capabilities such as pinning, re-ordering, uninstalling, store navigation are still pending.

Calendar

  • *Issue: There's no option to add a Channel calendar to a channel.
    Workaround: Switch back to classic Teams to use this feature.

  • Issue: Unable to add an app in scheduling form.
    Workaround: Switch back to classic Teams to use this feature.

Calls

  • Issue: Increased power usage during calls may cause CPU throttling and negatively impact performance.
    Workaround/details: We're working to resolve this.

  • Issue: Full HID capabilities (for example, device mute/unmute, LED sync) aren't yet supported.

  • Issue: When using the “share screen” option to share content or in DND mode, call toast notifications will still pop up.

  • Issue: Call toast stacking isn't supported by default in Windows 10.
    Workaround: Open the action center to view secondary incoming call toasts.

Chats

  • Issue: The Organization tab isn't available on chat.
    Details: The organization tab has moved to a person's Microsoft 365 contact card. To view your organization tab, select a user's profile picture and then Organization on their card. This aligns with how you view org charts in other Microsoft 365 apps, creating a more consistent experience.

  • Issue: When you pop out a chat, the window may appear blank for a few moments.

  • Issue: You may still receive notifications on the muted meeting chats.

  • Issue: You can't search for external users even if you enter full email address.

  • Issue: If you receive a message where @mention Everyone is used, it will show in your feed as a personal mention.
    Details: The @mention Everyone feature is still pending for this release.

Meetings

  • Issue Commercial cloud customers are unable to join a meeting hosted in a Government cloud (including GCC, GCC High, DoD) using Cross Cloud Anon (CCA).
    Details: This feature is still pending in new Teams. Switch back to classic Teams for this meeting.

  • Issue: When using the “Share screen” option to share content, notifications will still pop up, even if you have notifications muted.
    Details: The meeting attendees may see preview content in those notifications.
    Workaround: Use "Share window" or "PowerPoint Live" instead of "Share desktop".

  • Issue: Some meeting details won’t appear in new Teams.
    Details you won't see include forwards, "show as," and assigned meeting categories.

  • Issue: When you close a meeting window by selecting "X" in the upper-right corner, you won’t receive a prompt saying, “Are you sure you want to leave?”
    Workaround: If you leave a meeting by accident, re-join.

  • Issue: For channel meetings, you won’t see a banner at the top of a channel when a meeting hosted there's active.
    Workaround: Select Join in the channel conversation to join the meeting.

  • Issue: When you disable attendee mic/camera, it may not look like it's disabled to attendees.
    Details: When you disable attendee mic/camera for a meeting, attendees will still be able to select the microphone and camera icons in the meeting toolbar. However nothing will happen until they come off mute or turn on their video.

  • Issue: Some people are experiencing poor resolution when screen-sharing during a meeting.
    Details: The product group is investigating this issue.

  • Issue: An error occurs when joining a meeting whose organizer is from an organization for which you either (1) don't have an account signed-in into the new Teams client or (2) none of your signed-in accounts are guests there.
    Details: Before joining the meeting, turn off preview using the toggle button on the title bar.

  • Issue: When using the "Share screen" option to share content, toast notifications will still pop up, even if you have notifications muted.
    Details: Meeting attendees may see preview content in those notifications.
    Workaround: Use "Share window" or "PowerPoint Live" instead of "Share desktop."

  • Issue: Some meeting details won't show up in new Teams.
    Details include forwards, "show as," and assigned meeting categories.

  • Issue: If you're using new Teams, you can't join or be assigned to a Breakout room as a participant. Meeting organizers: If you set up the Breakout Room in classic Teams, you won't be able to manage and open Breakout Rooms from new Teams.
    Workaround: As an organizer, if you plan to run Breakout sessions, switch back to classic Teams and inform all participants that the meeting includes Breakout Rooms, and they all must switch to classic Teams to participate.

  • Issue: In Restricted Meetings, attendee Microphone/Camera UBAR buttons appear enabled, however Attendees Audio/Video doesn't flow into the meeting.

  • Issue: When a user raises their hand in Gallery view, two hands are displayed raised on their gallery (bottom left and upper right).

  • Issue: Selecting Room Audio has a blank UI, and it's unable to detect rooms or search on the Join screen.

  • Issue: In Settings->Devices, users can't preview their video.

  • Issue: Users won't be able to start a "Screen sharing call".
    Details: Users on Windows 11 can’t share the app using the taskbar.
    Workaround: Share the app or window using the share tray within Teams meeting.

  • Issue: Users can’t use the advanced presenter modes (Standout, Side-by-side, Reporter, Cameo).

  • Issue: Users won't see the presenter toolbar when a screen sharing session is active.

Multi-Tenant Multi-Account (MTMA)

  • Issue: After successfully seeing the toggle and installing the new Teams, a user switches to a different tenant that doesn't have new Teams enabled. The user can't sign back into their home tenant.
    Workaround: Uninstall the new Teams and reinstall.

  • Issue: When you open an app, you may see a banner saying you're signed in to that app and Teams with different accounts. For example, if you go to the Approvals app, the banner will read: "There’s a small chance you’re signed in to Approvals and Teams with different accounts."
    Workaround: If you sign out and back in, the banner shouldn't appear anymore. Learn more about this issue.

  • Issue: New tenant invitations may not appear or get updated for 24 hours.
    Workaround: Switch back to classic Teams if the user needs access earlier than 24 hours.

Notifications

  • Issue: If a user receives a message where @mention Everyone is used, it will show in their feed as a personal mention.
    Details: The @mention Everyone feature is still pending for this release.

  • Issue: Some Teams users aren't receiving notifications of chat mentions, meetings or calls.
    Details: Review your Windows Notification settings. From the upper-right corner of the Teams desktop app, select the ellipsis (...) > Settings & Notifications > Open Windows notification settings. Find Microsoft Teams (work preview) in the apps list and set your preferences.

Presence

  • Issue: Occasionally when a user is in a meeting, their Presence Status shows as Available.

  • Issue: Sometimes users aren't able to reset presence status.

  • Issue: The preview thumbnail for Teams appears but there are no presence buttons.

Teams and Channels

  • Issue: You won't see a banner at the top of a channel for channel meetings when a meeting hosted is active. You can still join the meeting from the channel.

  • Issue: Member and guest counts are occasionally displayed incorrectly in the members' tab.

  • Issue: Limited options on Team Channel properties Dialog, including:

    • Pin, Manage Channel and Get Email Address available
    • Limited team site properties dialog – Hide, Manage Team, and Manage Tags available
    • Adding a tab to a channel isn't currently available.
    • Webhooks not supported

  • Issue: Attendance report doesn't show after a meeting.
    Workaround: To download, go to Edit Meeting Details > Attendance > Download. It will always download the latest meeting's report. Currently, there's no option to download a report of an older channel meeting.

Other areas:

  • Issue: Right-clicking on the back button (next to Search) doesn't bring the old history for you to navigate.

  • Issue: If Windows (Focus/Do not Disturb) mode is on you won’t receive Teams notifications.
    Workaround: Turn on the "Show Notification Banners" setting in System > Notifications > Microsoft Teams to receive Teams Notifications and enable it with Focus/Do not Disturb mode.

  • Issue: If a user has more than one tenant to their account, if they sign out of their accounts and then join a meeting, it will not sign in with their primary tenant account, but any one of their accounts (including guest accounts).
    Workaround: Before joining a meeting, sign in with primary tenant account.