When Windows 11 launched, the taskbar had a Chat button with Microsoft Teams, meant for personal conversations with family and friends. That built-in version has since disappeared. Today there is one Teams app that you use for work, school and personal life. This article explains what changed, how to install and set up Teams on Windows 11 now and what to do if you don't want Teams at all.
What was the Chat button?
Early versions of Windows 11 had a Chat icon on the taskbar. It opened a simple version of Teams for personal Microsoft accounts, separate from the Teams app you used at work. That caused confusion: two Teams icons that looked almost the same but each used a different account.
Microsoft phased out that integration step by step. The Chat button was replaced by a regular app, and the personal and business versions were merged into the new Teams. The classic Teams app is no longer supported. Skype has also been retired; personal users moved to the free version of Teams. If you're not sure which version you're running, read the new Microsoft Teams app: what's different and are you on it?
Teams on Windows 11 today
- Install Microsoft Teams from the Microsoft Store or via the download page.
- In one app you sign in with your work account and, if you like, a personal Microsoft account too. Switch via your profile picture.
- On work computers, IT usually installs Teams automatically.
Add a personal account
- Open Teams and click your profile picture at the top right.
- Choose Add another account (the name can differ slightly).
- Sign in with your personal Microsoft account, for example an Outlook.com address.
- Each account opens in its own window with its own color or icon, so you don't mix up work and personal.
Notifications from both accounts come in, even when only one window is open. More details, including guest accounts at other organizations, are in multiple accounts in Teams.
Handy in Windows 11
- Pin Teams to the taskbar for quick access.
- Use Snap to put your meeting and notes side by side. Hover over the Maximize button or press Windows key + Z to pick a layout. It works even better if you work in multiple Teams windows.
- Use Do not disturb or Focus in Windows to silence notifications during concentrated work.
- Teams follows the Windows theme. If you put Windows in dark mode, Teams can follow automatically.
- Don't want Teams to start automatically? Read stop Teams starting automatically.
Frequently asked questions
- Where did the Chat button go? It no longer exists. Teams is now a regular app that you pin to the taskbar yourself.
- Do I see two Teams icons? Then an old version is probably still on your PC. Remove it via Settings > Apps > Installed apps and keep only Microsoft Teams.
- I don't use Teams. Can it go? Yes. Read uninstall Teams in Windows 11.
- Does this also work on Windows 10? Teams still runs there, but Windows 10 no longer gets regular support, so plan your move to Windows 11.
For admins
Deploy the new Teams via Intune or with Microsoft's bootstrapper installer, so every user gets the same version. Check whether old installations of classic Teams are still on devices and clean them up. If you want to limit personal accounts on work PCs, look at the account policies in Teams and Windows; the available settings and their names can change over time.
Nederlandstalige versie: Microsoft Teams in Windows 11: wat er veranderd is