You're in a meeting and want to send a colleague a quick message without losing sight of the meeting. Or you want to see two chats side by side, for example a project chat and a conversation with your manager. Then open a chat in a separate window. That way you don't have to keep clicking back and forth in the main Teams window.
A chat in a separate window
- In Chat, hover over a conversation in the list.
- Select More options (...) > Open chat in new window. Or double-click the chat.
- You can move, resize and place the window next to your other windows.
If the chat is already open in the main window, there's usually also a button at the top right of the conversation to open it in a new window. The exact menu names can differ slightly between versions of Teams.
What can you do in the separate window?
A popped-out chat works just like in the main window. You can type and reply to messages, attach files, react with an emoji and open the chat's tabs. You can also start an audio or video call from that window. If you close the separate window, the chat simply stays available in the list under Chat. You don't lose anything.
During a meeting
A meeting opens in its own window. The main Teams window stays free, so you can keep chatting there. Want the meeting chat itself in a separate window? Open it from Chat in the main window and pop it out as above. That way you keep the meeting view large and see the messages next to it instead of in a narrow panel. More on this in meetings and calls in a separate window.
This is especially useful when you share a presentation. Share one screen or one window, and put the chat on another screen, so attendees don't see your private messages. More about meeting windows in meetings in a separate window and Together mode.
Tips
- Use Windows + left or right arrow to snap windows side by side. See snap windows in Windows 11. On a Mac, use the green button at the top left to place a window next to another.
- Working with two screens? Put the meeting on one and your chats on the other.
- You can also open a file or an app like Planner in a separate window. Read work in multiple windows in Teams.
- Don't open too many separate windows at once. Three or four chats next to a meeting quickly gets cluttered.
Not working?
- You don't see the option in the browser. Separate windows work in the Teams desktop app. In the web version this is limited or not possible.
- The separate window disappears behind other windows. Find it via the taskbar or with Alt + Tab. Every separate Teams window has its own spot.
- You can't type in the meeting chat. The organizer can restrict or turn off chat in a meeting. Ask the organizer, or check the meeting options if you organized it yourself.
- Using several accounts? Chats from another account in Teams open in that account's window, so check which account you're in.
- Teams is slow with many windows. Close windows you no longer need or restart Teams.
Nederlandstalige versie: Een chat in een apart venster openen in Teams, ook tijdens vergaderingen