Microsoft Teams will fix meeting chats for presenters with this small change

In simple terms, Microsoft Teams is about to introduce a new feature that lets presenters see the chat during a presentation without displaying the chat window to attendees while they’re sharing their screen. This makes it easier for presenters to manage messages and focus on their presentation.

The feature is expected to start rolling out in May, though that date is subject to change.

Microsoft has adjusted the deployment schedule for the new feature as of late. According to the Microsoft 365 Notification Center, here’s a recent announcement from Microsoft:

Starting mid-May 2025 for Targeted Release, and then in early June 2025 for general use, Microsoft Teams will offer meeting presenters a new feature: the ability to access the meeting chat while they’re sharing their screen. This update won’t require any action from admins.

This minor adjustment ensures meeting facilitators can interact with participants seamlessly during presentations, without interfering with the ongoing screen share. As it stands, Team’s functionality includes messaging while screen sharing; however, the existing design places the meeting chat within the same window as the screen share when it is open. To improve this, we could display the chat panel separately or in a way that does not obstruct the shared content.

Since the chat function is already accessible to participants, this update aims to boost user-friendliness instead of focusing on augmenting privacy. The new feature ensures that the shared screen remains the focal point throughout the meeting.

The revised feature streamlines the chat access, offering a quick link on the presenter’s toolbar for immediate conversation engagement.

In the picture provided, you’ll notice that the chat window is visible only for the presenter. On the lower right side of the image, you can observe the shared screen without the chat window, which mirrors what other meeting participants see.

In the coming days, you can expect the new feature to be rolled out on both the Windows and macOS versions of the Microsoft Teams desktop application.

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2025-04-01 17:39