Microsoft adds Teams chat feature to the taskbar in Windows 11

By admin On Jul 21, 2021

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Microsoft has added a Teams chat function to the taskbar in Windows 11. The function gets its own button in the taskbar and opens like the start menu, so not as a separate window. The feature is being rolled out through the Insider Program for Windows 11.

The Teams Chat feature is part of the Teams desktop client and is currently being added to Windows 11 preview builds through A/B testing. To access the feature, a user must be in the developer channel of the Windows Inside program.

At the moment, the app is still quite stripped down, as shown by BleepingComputer, which has access to the app. Users can login, add contacts, and chat individually and in groups. Clicking the Chat button opens the Microsoft Teams desktop client in a compact mode. In the coming weeks, Microsoft plans to expand the chat feature to include video and audio calls and screen sharing.

Once the feature works, a user can start a chat by clicking the chat icon in the taskbar or using the Windows+C shortcut. Chat, like the start menu, opens as a popup above any other window and can be clicked away in the same way as the start menu. The full Teams client can then be opened from Chat as a separate window.

The Chat app also receives notifications of messages at the bottom right of the taskbar, which can be responded to directly inline. Users can choose whether these notifications are visible via Windows 11 ‘Focus assist’.

Users can add contacts via email or SMS with the Chat feature. They will then receive a notification to become a contact person via Teams. Contacts from Skype and Outlook can also be transferred automatically via a Microsoft account.

At the moment Chat only works in English and there is no offline support yet. Also, not all features of Chat work yet. In addition, when syncing, only the primary email or phone number is included in Chat. Microsoft also reports an issue with some users where the Chat feature remains open and cannot be clicked away. The company assures that these problems will be resolved in the near future.