The new Teams app is faster, uses less memory, lets you sign into multiple work accounts — and is the only place for the new AI features.
Given that Microsoft created one of the only Electron-based apps where users don’t complain about performance — Visual Studio Code — it’s always been annoying that the Teams client has been so slow and resource hungry. What Microsoft is hailing as a “new era” of Teams is a new version of the Teams app rebuilt not to use Electron.
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When and where you can use the new Microsoft Teams app
New Microsoft Teams app’s UI
Sign into multiple accounts with the new Teams app
New Microsoft Teams notifications may be confusing
What works in the new Microsoft Teams app
What doesn’t work yet in the new Microsoft Teams app
Under the hood of the new Microsoft Teams app When and where you can use the new Microsoft Teams app
Microsoft plans to have the new Teams app generally available later in 2023, probably in June. For now, the new Teams app is only available for Windows 10 and 11, not on Macs or in the web client, which is the only option for Linux users. Also, IT admins will have to enable the option for users to switch to the new app because there are a number of Teams features that aren’t yet available in the new Teams client.New Microsoft Teams app’s UI
The new Teams app has a slightly different user interface. Apart from the Windows 11 look (using Mica) and a dark mode that follows your OS setting, the most noticeable change in the Teams app may be that new posts in a chat or channel now appear at the top of the screen rather than the bottom. Threaded replies may also make things clearer, and when you’re reading through a long discussion, messages and replies will now just scroll rather than loading 10 at a time.Sign into multiple work accounts with the new Teams app
This Microsoft app includes one of the most-requested features: You can finally sign in with multiple Teams accounts — not just your personal account but org accounts or any different tenants you’re a member of — without needing to have a different web browser for each of them, or use Microsoft Edge to pin multiple copies of the Teams app for the different tenants. Clicking on your profile picture at the top of the window lets you add another work account; once you do, Teams will show you notifications from all your accounts. If you’re a guest user in another organization like a supplier or a customer, that account will appear in Teams automatically.
You can set your status differently for each account, and you can switch to another account to check something or send a message without dropping out of a meeting or having to hang up the call you’re on. Color code different accounts to help you spot which one you’re using so you don’t lose track of what you can discuss where.
In general, I found this works well and saves a lot of time, but Teams may not always sign you in with the account you expect, or the right account for your next meeting, so keep an eye on it.New Microsoft Teams notifications may be confusing
Another big change: Microsoft Teams no longer sends its own toast notifications but instead uses Windows notifications, so users will have to enable those to get pop-up reminders about meetings or to see incoming calls. Windows can’t stack multiple notifications for calls on screen, so you will have to look at the action center — and you may want to increase the number of notifications you see there from the default three to the maximum 20 allowed and increase the priority of Teams.
Not being able to stack notifications means if there’s a pop-up notification for a meeting that you haven’t dismissed, you won’t see the notification for an incoming call until you dismiss or accept that meeting invitation — the call notification will be in the action center, and if the caller is still waiting when you close the other toast, you’ll see the call request.
