Microsoft Teams is reducing clutter: announced in April 2026, it adds dedicated sections for muted and meeting chats to make chat lists cleaner, more predictable and easier to navigate, great for users juggling many conversations. This is going to be rolled out globally in early–mid May 2026. No administrative action is required.
Why Microsoft Is Making This Change
As Teams becomes the go‑to for chat, meetings and collaboration, users are hit by chat overload: meeting threads linger and muted conversations clutter alongside active ones. Microsoft wants to help people focus by separating low‑priority chats from ongoing discussions. By automatically grouping certain chat types into their own sections, Teams reduces noise without removing access to important conversations.
What’s New: Two System‑Generated Chat Sections
1. Muted Chats (Enabled by Default)
The Muted chats section is automatically turned on for all users.
- Any chat you have muted, as long as it is not in Favorites or a user‑created section, will be moved into this new section.
- The section appears at the bottom of the chat list.
- Unread messages in muted chats remain bold and still count toward notifications.
- Users can drag and drop the section to reposition it.
This keeps muted conversations accessible, yet unobtrusive, exactly what users expect when they mute a chat.
2. Meeting Chats (Disabled by Default)
The Meeting chats section gives users control over how recurring and ad‑hoc meeting conversations appear.
- Disabled by default and optional for users.
- When enabled, meeting chats not in Favorites or custom sections automatically move into this dedicated area.
- Appears below the main chat list.
- Unread messages still appear bold and contribute to badge counts.
- Helps reduce clutter caused by one‑time meetings that no longer need attention.
This feature is particularly handy for users who attend frequent meetings and don’t want their chat list flooded with outdated conversation threads.
What Doesn’t Change
While this update improves organization, some important things remain the same:
- No admin controls are available for enabling or disabling these sections.
- Favorites and custom sections are respected—chats placed there will not be moved.
- Security, compliance, and retention policies are unaffected.
- No changes to chat content, discoverability, or auditability.
Microsoft confirms this feature poses no compliance concerns.
How Users Can Manage These Sections
Users can customize their chat experience directly in Teams:
1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Chats and channels.
3. Toggle Meeting chats on or off.
4. Reorder chat sections using drag‑and‑drop.
This flexibility supports Microsoft’s wider push for a more personalized Teams experience, putting users—not admins—in control of how conversations are organized.
What IT and Help-desk Teams Should Know
Although no configuration is required, Microsoft recommends preparing users for the visual change:
- Inform users that muted chats may appear in a separate section by default.
- Update internal documentation or training materials.
- Brief help-desk teams so they can quickly explain the new layout.
Proactive outreach before a feature’s release can significantly cut support ticket volume once it’s available.
Part of a Broader Teams Usability Push
This update is part of a broader Teams redesign aimed at cleaner navigation, less clutter, and quicker access to key information. Recent improvements add a merged chat-and-channels view, enhanced filters, and smarter conversation grouping.
Together, these updates underscore Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to keeping Teams easier to manage, even as workplace collaboration grows in volume and complexity.
Final Thoughts
Muted chats and Meeting chats may seem like minor tweaks, but for busy Teams users they can make a real difference. By giving conversations a clearer home, Microsoft Teams helps users focus on priorities, without losing access to anything.
As the May 2026 rollout begins, organizations should seize the moment to train users and promote personalization, so Teams fits their workflows, not the other way around.
Our Microsoft office 365 Implementation services experts are here to support you with this new Microsoft Teams enhancement.