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What’s new for Microsoft Teams – January 2026
I’ve been highlighting the importance of user personalization in these monthly Teams roundups for a long time, not just because it improves the experience for each of us, but because it genuinely helps with adoption. And this month, I want to bring your attention to two new features that fit perfectly into that category.
The first one is branded reactions in meetings. Admins can now replace the default five reactions with custom ones that match the organization’s brand. It’s a small change, but these details help companies create a more consistent and recognizable experience across Teams. The second one is something many of us have been waiting for: choosing what the Enter key does. Who hasn’t sent an incomplete message by mistake? Now you can finally decide if Enter sends or simply adds a new line. And while we’re on this topic, the new quick draft area is also a great addition, it keeps your unsent content easy to find, edit, and send later, making those half-written ideas much more manageable.
My final highlight of the month is one I’m personally excited about: digital signage support on Microsoft Teams Rooms devices running Android. This one is special to me because Appspace is one of the partners available on day one, making the experience fully integrated from the start.
You’ll find all the details and everything else that landed in January in the full post.
JAN
6
A new Slack to Microsoft Teams migration tool will roll out from December 2025 to March 2026, allowing admins to migrate Slack channel content into Teams channels via the Microsoft admin center. It requires no opt-in, supports channel content initially, and needs no pre-rollout action.
JAN
7
Use the Drafts quick view to easily find, edit, and send draft messages.
We are updating private channels to use a shared mailbox, similar to shared channels, instead of messages being stored in each user’s mailbox. With this change, compliance policies set for the team’s Microsoft 365 group will apply to private channels messages going forward. In addition, teams will support more than 30 private channels, up to the 1000 total channel limit for the team. Private channel member limits will increase from 250 to 5000. You will also be able to schedule meetings in private channels.
JAN
8
Microsoft Teams will introduce a new Teams External Collaboration Administrator RBAC role by mid-February 2026, allowing admins to manage external collaboration settings via PowerShell without full Teams admin rights. Global admins can assign this role through Microsoft Entra or Microsoft 365 admin centers. No prior action is needed.
Users can now rate the quality of their calls and meetings and provide additional feedback on calling, video, and screen-sharing experiences to help organizations ensure consistent, high-quality experiences.
Identify if an external user is impersonating a brand commonly targeted by phishing attacks, during their initial contact with an enterprise user via Teams calling.
JAN
9
Microsoft Teams Phone Devices will require app version 1449/1.0.94.2025443703 to enable Explicit Recording Consent for 1:1 VoIP calls starting January 2026. Administrators must update devices before enabling this policy, which prompts participants for consent before recording or transcription begins.
This release brings the next evolution in immersive collaboration in Teams. Designed for creators and event organizers, these new capabilities empower users to create, manage, and use immersive templates for immersive events in Teams and save those templates to collections to use in future events—directly within the Teams Meet app. Users can save customized immersive events as reusable templates to an immersive collection, and share them with others by adding co-owners and managers to collections.
JAN
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Starting February 2026, Teams Mobile on Android and iOS will prompt users to choose a browser for non-Office and PDF links, encouraging Microsoft Edge use with SSO and enhanced security. The feature is enabled by default, configurable via PowerShell, and allows users to set their preferred browser in app settings.
JAN
14
Teams Premium will allow organizations to replace standard meeting reactions with custom branded visuals via customization policies. Admins upload assets and assign themes, while users select themes when scheduling meetings. Rollout begins late January 2026, enhancing on-brand meeting experiences without new compliance concerns.
Microsoft Teams will add a per-user setting allowing users to choose if pressing Enter sends a message (default) or starts a new line (with Ctrl/Cmd + Enter to send). Shift + Enter always inserts a new line. This applies to Desktop and Web, rolling out February–March 2026, with no admin action needed.
Microsoft Teams will reduce automatic meeting updates in channel conversations starting January 2026, making threads cleaner with reply counts showing real user responses. Meeting details remain accessible in threads. The update is automatic, requires no admin action, and affects all Teams users in channel meetings.
JAN
15
Microsoft Teams will automatically remove EXIF metadata from images shared in chats and channels starting early 2026, enhancing privacy by hiding location and device info. The image itself remains unchanged, no admin action is needed, and users can share EXIF data via OneDrive links if required.
A withdrawn Teams app version for Teams Displays caused issues; affected devices must be factory reset and updated to version 1449/1.0.95.2024062804 to restore functionality. This does not impact Teams Rooms, Phones, or Panels. Administrators should monitor devices in Teams Admin Center.
Historical reporting within Queues app will now support 45 days of historical data. The report will default a 7-day range with ability to customize the reporting range with up to 45 days of history.
JAN
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Viva Engage communities will be integrated into Microsoft Teams by March-April 2026, enabling asynchronous conversations and leadership engagement within Teams. Features include synced memberships, notifications, rich interactions, and admin controls. The feature is ON by default for all tenants and requires no extra license.
Microsoft Teams will enable users to create, save, and share custom immersive event templates within the Teams Meet app starting mid-February 2026. This feature requires no admin setup, supports collaboration, and applies to Teams desktop and web versions, enhancing event preparation and management.
JAN
18
Microsoft Teams will introduce a centralized evaluation experience by February 2026, allowing admins to set trust requirements once. The system will score and report on apps and agents based on these criteria, aiding faster, consistent approval decisions without changing app enablement or metadata.
Microsoft Teams now supports Loop-powered meeting notes for instant meetings, enabling collaborative agendas, notes, and task creation synced across Teams and Loop app. Rollout begins February 2026, with notes accessible during and after meetings, integrated with Planner and To Do. Feature enabled by default; no admin action required.
JAN
21
Microsoft Teams will roll out an External domains anomalies report by March 2026, enabling admins to detect unusual external communication patterns. Available in the Teams admin center, it provides insights and blocking options for suspicious domains. Admins can enable alerts for proactive monitoring without required action to access the report.
Brand Impersonation Protection for Teams Calling will launch mid-February 2026, warning users of suspicious external calls to reduce fraud risks. Enabled by default, it evaluates inbound calls for impersonation, showing high-risk alerts. No admin action is needed; organizations should prepare helpdesk and training accordingly.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 will allow users to report suspicious Teams messages as security risks or false positives starting mid-February 2026. Reports appear in the Defender portal, with opt-in settings and automatic Teams admin toggles. Organizations should enable user reporting and update guidance accordingly.
JAN
22
With Teams Rooms on Windows consoles, you can quickly book a meeting room for immediate use, helping to avoid scheduling conflicts and ensure uninterrupted spontaneous meetings. Available in Teams Rooms Pro-licensed rooms.
With Teams Rooms on Android consoles, you can quickly book a meeting room for immediate use, helping to avoid scheduling conflicts and ensure uninterrupted spontaneous meetings. Available in Teams Rooms Pro-licensed rooms.
Now, you can connect your certified for Microsoft Teams personal Bluetooth device (such as your personal headset or earbuds) and with one press of the Teams button you can launch the Teams mobile app and invoke voice in Microsoft 365 Copilot within Teams. This feature eliminates the hassle of navigating menus on your mobile phone, giving you instant access to your personal AI assistant for quick conversational voice answers. This capability is initially available in iOS. Android and desktop client will be supported in a future release.
JAN
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As with Teams Rooms on Windows, IT Admins can now set up Teams Rooms on Android to show dynamic signage content on the front-of-room display when the device is not in use for meetings or presentation. Configuration is available for tenant-wide and room-specific settings via the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal. The feature supports select third-party digital signage partners like Appspace and XOGO, and is included with Teams Rooms Pro.
JAN
26
Microsoft 365 Copilot’s custom dictionary now supports more languages, doubles per-language entry limits to 1,000, and allows incremental CSV uploads for easier management. These updates improve Teams meeting transcript accuracy and will roll out globally by late January 2026, enabling enhanced Copilot and Intelligent Recap features automatically.
JAN
29
Microsoft Teams will introduce a “Report a Call” feature by mid-March 2026, allowing users to flag suspicious one-to-one calls. Reports share limited call metadata with organizations and Microsoft, viewable in Microsoft Defender portal or Teams Admin Center. The feature is enabled by default but can be disabled by admins.
Microsoft Teams will introduce a Drafts quick view feature by March 2026, allowing desktop users to easily find, edit, and send unsent draft messages. The feature is enabled by default, requires no admin action, and aims to enhance productivity without compliance concerns.
New AI workflow templates powered by Microsoft 365 Copilot will be added to the Workflows app in Microsoft Teams (Web and Mac) for licensed users. Rolling out late January to mid-February 2026, these templates automate tasks via scheduled prompts. Admins control availability; feature is off by default.
Microsoft Teams mobile app will support improved viewing of code blocks with syntax highlighting, line numbers, and scrollable containers starting February 2026. This feature is enabled by default, requires no admin action, and allows users to view code blocks sent from desktop or web clients on iOS and Android devices.
JAN
31
Viva Glint notifications in Microsoft Teams will now appear in each user’s configured language instead of the tenant default, starting mid-February 2026. This change requires no admin action; users should ensure their Viva Glint dashboard language is set correctly for proper localization.
Access to People Skills on the Microsoft 365 profile card is expanding to Microsoft Teams. With this update, employees will be able to view skills directly on the profile card in Teams—making it easier to learn about colleagues, build meaningful connections, and manage their own skills profile right from within their everyday flow of work.
We are enhancing the room booking experience in the new calendar experience across Outlook for Windows, Outlook for the web, and Teams by introducing a map view within Places Finder. This update replaces the existing side panel with a full screen, easier to use interface that helps people quickly find and book the right space.
We’re enhancing the room booking experience in the Places App to align with the desk booking flow and visuals. This unifies the booking experience across rooms and desks.
Buildings, rooms and desks that are added to the Places directory will have new profile cards, accessible from Copilot Chat and across other Microsoft 365 entry points.
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