check before: 2026-01-01
Product:
Microsoft 365 admin center, Teams, Teams Premium, Windows
Platform:
Android, iOS, Mac, Online, US Instances, Web, Windows Desktop, World tenant
Status:
In development
Change type:
Admin impact, New feature, Updated message, User impact
Links:
Details:
Summary:
Microsoft Teams will introduce a private chat for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls, unifying backroom chat behavior across town halls. Rollout begins April 2026. Admins should review policies, communicate changes, and update documentation accordingly.
Details:
Updated February 17, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction]
We're introducing a private chat feature for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings and webinars in Microsoft Teams. This separate chat enhances collaboration by allowing key participants to communicate privately before, during, and after the event, without involving attendees. Additionally, we are unifying backroom chat behavior in town halls to ensure consistent functionality across all structured meetings. Currently, backroom chat behavior varies depending on whether streaming chat is enabled for town halls and whether the organizer has a Teams Premium license. This update removes that inconsistency.
This message is associated with Roadmap ID 392328 and applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams for the web, Teams for iOS/Android, MTR-W and MTR-A devices.
[When this will happen:]
Targeted Release: Rollout begins in early April 2026 (previously early March) and is expected to complete by late April 2026 (previously mid-March).
General Availability (Worldwide and GCC): Rollout begins in mid-April 2026 (previously mid-March) and is expected to complete by late April 2026 (previously late March).
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
General Availability, Targeted Release
Created:
2025-11-20
updated:
2026-02-18
Task Type
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Docu to Check
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MS How does it affect me
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MS Preperations
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MS Urgency
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MS workload name
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linked item details
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summary for non-techies**
Microsoft Teams is introducing a private chat feature for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters during structured meetings, webinars, and town halls, and making this feature consistent across all town halls regardless of streaming chat settings or Teams Premium licenses. Admins should review and adjust settings in the Teams admin center to accommodate these changes and update internal documentation to ensure effective use of the new feature.
Direct effects for Operations**
Loss of Backroom Chat Access
If an admin turns the new backroom chat policy OFF, previously scheduled town halls will lose access to backroom chat, impacting communication among organizers and presenters.
- roles: Admins, Event Organizers
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=392328
Increased Communication Overload
For non-TPre town halls, backroom chat will switch to ON by default, potentially overwhelming organizers and presenters with additional communication channels.
- roles: Organizers, Presenters
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=392328
Need for Policy Review
Admins must review and potentially update Teams meeting policies to accommodate the new private chat feature, which may lead to confusion if not communicated properly.
- roles: Admins, Helpdesk Staff
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=392328
Documentation Updates Required
Internal documentation must be updated to reflect the new backroom chat behavior, which could lead to inconsistencies if not done timely.
- roles: Admins, Event Organizers
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=392328
User Experience Disruption
Changes in chat functionality may disrupt the user experience for organizers and presenters if they are not adequately prepared for the new features.
- roles: Organizers, Presenters
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=392328
Configutation Options**
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Opportunities**
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Potentional Risks**
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Data Protection**
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IT Security**
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Hypothetical Work Council Statement**
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DPIA Draft**
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explanation for non-techies**
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change history
| Date | Property | old | new |
| 2026-02-18 | MC Last Updated | 01/08/2026 19:46:20 | 2026-02-17T18:17:26Z |
| 2026-02-18 | MC Messages | Updated January 8, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing a private chat feature for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings and webinars in Microsoft Teams. This separate chat enhances collaboration by allowing key participants to communicate privately before, during, and after the event, without involving attendees. Additionally, we are unifying backroom chat behavior in town halls to ensure consistent functionality across all structured meetings. Currently, backroom chat behavior varies depending on whether streaming chat is enabled for town halls and whether the organizer has a Teams Premium license. This update removes that inconsistency. This message is associated with Roadmap ID 392328 and applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams for the web, Teams for iOS/Android, MTR-W and MTR-A devices. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: Rollout begins in early March 2026 (previously early February) and is expected to complete by mid-March 2026 (previously mid-February). General Availability (Worldwide and GCC): Rollout begins in mid-March 2026 (previously mid-February) and is expected to complete by late March 2026 (previously late February). | Updated February 17, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing a private chat feature for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings and webinars in Microsoft Teams. This separate chat enhances collaboration by allowing key participants to communicate privately before, during, and after the event, without involving attendees. Additionally, we are unifying backroom chat behavior in town halls to ensure consistent functionality across all structured meetings. Currently, backroom chat behavior varies depending on whether streaming chat is enabled for town halls and whether the organizer has a Teams Premium license. This update removes that inconsistency. This message is associated with Roadmap ID 392328 and applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams for the web, Teams for iOS/Android, MTR-W and MTR-A devices. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: Rollout begins in early April 2026 (previously early March) and is expected to complete by late April 2026 (previously mid-March). General Availability (Worldwide and GCC): Rollout begins in mid-April 2026 (previously mid-March) and is expected to complete by late April 2026 (previously late March). |
| 2026-02-18 | MC End Time | 04/30/2026 09:00:00 | 2026-05-29T09:00:00Z |
| 2026-02-18 | MC Summary | Microsoft Teams will introduce a private chat for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls, unifying backroom chat behavior across town halls. Rollout begins March 2026, affecting meeting policies and requiring admin review and communication. | Microsoft Teams will introduce a private chat for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls, unifying backroom chat behavior across town halls. Rollout begins April 2026. Admins should review policies, communicate changes, and update documentation accordingly. |
| 2026-01-09 | MC Last Updated | 12/01/2025 20:27:21 | 2026-01-08T19:46:20Z |
| 2026-01-09 | MC Messages | Updated December 1, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing a private chat feature for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings and webinars in Microsoft Teams. This separate chat enhances collaboration by allowing key participants to communicate privately before, during, and after the event, without involving attendees. Additionally, we are unifying backroom chat behavior in town halls to ensure consistent functionality across all structured meetings. Currently, backroom chat behavior varies depending on whether streaming chat is enabled for town halls and whether the organizer has a Teams Premium license. This update removes that inconsistency. This message is associated with Roadmap ID 392328 and applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams for the web, Teams for iOS/Android, MTR-W and MTR-A devices. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: Rollout begins in early February 2026 (previously early January) and is expected to complete by mid-February 2026 (previously mid-January). General Availability (Worldwide and GCC): Rollout begins in mid-February 2026 and is expected to complete by late February 2026. | Updated January 8, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing a private chat feature for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings and webinars in Microsoft Teams. This separate chat enhances collaboration by allowing key participants to communicate privately before, during, and after the event, without involving attendees. Additionally, we are unifying backroom chat behavior in town halls to ensure consistent functionality across all structured meetings. Currently, backroom chat behavior varies depending on whether streaming chat is enabled for town halls and whether the organizer has a Teams Premium license. This update removes that inconsistency. This message is associated with Roadmap ID 392328 and applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams for the web, Teams for iOS/Android, MTR-W and MTR-A devices. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: Rollout begins in early March 2026 (previously early February) and is expected to complete by mid-March 2026 (previously mid-February). General Availability (Worldwide and GCC): Rollout begins in mid-March 2026 (previously mid-February) and is expected to complete by late March 2026 (previously late February). |
| 2026-01-09 | MC End Time | 04/01/2026 09:00:00 | 2026-04-30T09:00:00Z |
| 2026-01-09 | MC Summary | Microsoft Teams will add private chat for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls, unifying backroom chat behavior. Rollout starts February 2026. Admins can enable or disable backroom chat via policy; existing meetings will update accordingly. No compliance issues noted. | Microsoft Teams will introduce a private chat for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls, unifying backroom chat behavior across town halls. Rollout begins March 2026, affecting meeting policies and requiring admin review and communication. |
| 2025-12-02 | MC Messages | [Introduction]
We're introducing a private chat feature for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings and webinars in Microsoft Teams. This separate chat enhances collaboration by allowing key participants to communicate privately before, during, and after the event, without involving attendees. Additionally, we are unifying backroom chat behavior in town halls to ensure consistent functionality across all structured meetings. Currently, backroom chat behavior varies depending on whether streaming chat is enabled for town halls and whether the organizer has a Teams Premium license. This update removes that inconsistency. This message is associated with Roadmap ID 392328 and applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams for the web, Teams for iOS/Android, MTR-W and MTR-A devices. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: Rollout begins in early January 2026 and is expected to complete by mid-January 2026. General Availability (Worldwide and GCC): Rollout begins in mid-February 2026 and is expected to complete by late February 2026. | Updated December 1, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're introducing a private chat feature for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings and webinars in Microsoft Teams. This separate chat enhances collaboration by allowing key participants to communicate privately before, during, and after the event, without involving attendees. Additionally, we are unifying backroom chat behavior in town halls to ensure consistent functionality across all structured meetings. Currently, backroom chat behavior varies depending on whether streaming chat is enabled for town halls and whether the organizer has a Teams Premium license. This update removes that inconsistency. This message is associated with Roadmap ID 392328 and applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams for the web, Teams for iOS/Android, MTR-W and MTR-A devices. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: Rollout begins in early February 2026 (previously early January) and is expected to complete by mid-February 2026 (previously mid-January). General Availability (Worldwide and GCC): Rollout begins in mid-February 2026 and is expected to complete by late February 2026. |
| 2025-12-02 | MC Title | Microsoft Teams: Private chat for organizers and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls | (Updated) Microsoft Teams: Private chat for organizers and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls |
| 2025-12-02 | MC Last Updated | 11/20/2025 00:27:31 | 2025-12-01T20:27:21Z |
| 2025-12-02 | MC MessageTagNames | New feature, User impact, Admin impact | Updated message, New feature, User impact, Admin impact |
| 2025-12-02 | MC Summary | Microsoft Teams will introduce a private chat for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls, unifying backroom chat behavior. Rollout starts January 2026, with default backroom chat ON for all town halls. Admins can manage these settings in Teams policies. | Microsoft Teams will add private chat for organizers, co-organizers, and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls, unifying backroom chat behavior. Rollout starts February 2026. Admins can enable or disable backroom chat via policy; existing meetings will update accordingly. No compliance issues noted. |
Last updated 2 days ago ago
