New Updates to Microsoft Teams (free) on Windows 11 and Communities

Brink · Oct 31, 2023

Microsoft Teams has revolutionized how people connect and get things done together. We’re continually looking for new ways to build bridges between groups of people, regardless of geographical location, in a safe and ad-free place. Today, we’re excited to announce improved Microsoft Teams (free) on Windows 11 experiences and new community features on the free version of Microsoft Teams.

Exciting updates to Microsoft Teams (free) on Windows 11
We’ve learned a lot from our customers and based on the feedback today, we’re enhancing the experience by replacing Chat in Windows 11 with Microsoft Teams (free), a newly refreshed communications experience that will instantly allow you to chat, call, create free meetings, and build a space for community groups to come together, in just a click or two.

We’ve added a new view, a mini-compact size, which makes it easy to place the mini window anywhere on desktop, allowing you to passively keep tabs on your conversations in Teams as you browse the web or multi-task and be productive. We’ve also introduced a new People experience, so you can discover people that are already on Teams and instantly connect with them. If you ever need to expand and do more with Communities or manage multiple conversations, you can now simply maximize into a full windowed Teams experience.

New Microsoft Teams (free) experiences are now rolling out with the availability of Windows 11 2023 Update (also known as Windows 11, version 23H2). Consumers with eligible devices running Windows 11, can choose to do so by opening Settings > Windows Update, turning on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available,” and selecting “Check for updates”.

Less back and forth with your Android phone and PC
Some of our most important conversations are still done through text messaging on your phone. With our new SMS in Teams capability, you can now do it all from Teams on your Windows PC without even taking your phone out of your pocket. Simply link your Android phone to send and receive text messages directly from the Teams (free) experience1. Not only can you stay on top of your mobile phone’s text messages, you can also send Teams video call links easily to hop onto a free video call in no time even if the recipient is not using Teams today.

Unleash the power of video in social gaming
Gaming has long been a beloved pastime, connecting individuals and groups from around the world in virtual adventures and epic battles. But what if gaming could also be a platform that brings friends closer together, acting as a facilitator for social interactions and hangouts?

With the introduction of the Teams Play Together widget on Game Bar, the possibilities for social gaming have reached new heights. Designed to foster connections and facilitate memorable experiences by allowing you to see your friends’ videos overlaid on top of the game, this innovative Game Bar widget on Windows 11 allows you to play alongside friends and your gaming guilds on any device where Teams (free) is available.

With the Teams Play Together widget, it’s easy to share your live gameplay and watch your friends react in real time. Friends can join from any device for free and can video call and chat while playing your favorite games. Get the Play Together widget today!

New features for Communities in Teams
Since we launched Communities in the free version of Microsoft Teams in December 2022, we’ve learned a lot from our customers and the millions of Communities they’ve created. With Communities, you can build shared spaces so your groups can come together for anything from planning and hosting upcoming events to sharing interesting photos to discussing the news. For example, you can create a Community for your volunteer group to get organized for an upcoming event. Or you can build a virtual Community for fellow alumni to network and stay connected. You could even create a Community around a shared interest to engage in interesting and vibrant conversations.

Today, we are thrilled to announce new capabilities to help communities around the world host and join events, communicate with one another, and organize, starting with Channels. If you’re a Community owner, you can use Channels to organize your Community so your members are always connected to the content and conversation threads they need—with Channels, you can organize multiple conversation topics inside the same Community. Perhaps you run a retro record club and have created a Community for “Jazz” and then you create a channel for members who want to discuss “Big Band” and another for discussions on “Free Funk”.

We’ve also added a more tailored notification experience. Community members can now fine-tune their notification settings to suit their preferences. They can receive notifications for all messages or just the latest posts. Or they can simply mute the Community altogether, though they’ll still get notified if anyone responds to one of their messages.

And if you’re a Community member, you’ll have an easier time finding important posts because Community owners will have new badges that designate their role. You’ll also be able to customize your nickname so instead of using your Microsoft Account name, you can have a unique nickname for each Community to which you belong, like “Coach” if you’re managing a youth sports league. Both features are available on iOS and Android today, coming later on desktop and web.

Let’s say you’re organizing a big local event, like a hybrid pledge drive, which means connecting with lots of people both inside and outside your project. Communities in Teams now has shareable events, which makes it much easier to meet with people who aren’t part of your Community. Maybe you want to connect with local businesses who are joining the event, or participants who can only join remotely. You can easily share your event’s details with a simple link or QR code. And you can do this as a Community owner or as a member.

Real communities are staying connected with Teams
We have been pleased to see the excitement around Communities through the year, with millions of groups adopting Communities in Teams to stay connected and engaged with their network. Here are just a few examples of how our customers are using Communities:

Veloces Consulting, an organization focused on providing IT Solutions and Training for K12 and Higher Education Sector in India, is using Teams to connect college students with potential mentors. CertifyTN, a channel partner of Veloces, has successfully used Microsoft Teams Communities to announce upcoming events, and share latest updates, in their initiatives to impart skills to students on latest technology training programs.

Startup Grind, the largest startup community in the world with more than 500 chapters, is continuing to use Teams to discuss upcoming events and find networking opportunities for its members from Silicon Valley to Mexico to Ecuador.

CreativeMornings, the world's largest face-to-face creative community, is using Teams across their NYC, Fargo, and Austin chapters to connect the local creative community, share their creative work, discuss trends, and plan in-person events.

Joe Pompliano, the host of The Joe Pomp Show podcast, manages his sports business community using Teams to stay engaged with his top readers, share articles, discuss current events, and solicit questions for upcoming podcast guests.

We are working closely with customers and are continually enhancing the product based on their feedback to make Communities in Microsoft Teams (free) the best way to connect with like-minded people across the globe. There is lots more to come!

Get started with Communities in Teams today
Getting started with the free version of Microsoft Teams is easy, all you need is your personal email address or phone number. Communities in Teams is available today on Windows 11, iOS / Android, and the web.

Whatever your collaboration needs, Microsoft Teams is here to help you get people together to meet, chat, share, plan, and just simply connect. Try Microsoft Teams (free) today.

1. Standard messaging rates from your phone provider still apply.