See also: Upcoming Teams Features

• Background Noise Suppression

  When using the Teams Windows desktop software, Teams meetings include noise suppression, which reduces distracting background noise, such as loud typing or a barking dog. This feature became available on Dec 8, 2020.

• Breakout Rooms

  Microsoft Teams Breakout Rooms became available in a public preview as of the week of Sept. 7, 2020. Breakout rooms allow a meeting organizer to split your attendees into multiple online rooms for discussion and collaboration in Microsoft Teams. See current and planned features for breakout rooms.
  
  
  
  

• Spotlight a participant in a Teams Meeting

  Use the Spotlight feature in a Teams meeting to put the focus on a specific person for all participants. Only meeting presenters can spotlight a participant.
  
  

• Together Mode

  Together Mode places a head-and-shoulders live avatar of your video feed into a virtual space, such as being seated in an auditorium with meeting participants. This feature became available on July 8, 2020 and requires switching to the new Teams Meeting Experience. From the three-dots icon, select Together Mode when applicable.
  
  
  
  

• New Teams Meeting Experience

  Microsoft launched a new Teams Meetings meetings experience in the desktop software in June 2020. 
  
  Click or tap the image to enlarge.
  
  
  Controls such as mute/unmute, camera on/off, chat and leave meeting moved to the top of the meeting window. That way, the meeting controls are always available and will never block content.
  
  
  
  

• View seven-by-seven video feeds
  

  Up to 49 total feeds at a time. This feature became available in July 2020 and requires switching to the new Teams Meeting Experience.
  
  
  
  

• Search within a chat or channel — In the Teams desktop application, press Ctrl-F (Windows) or Command-F (Mac) while in a Teams chat or channel. A search box will appear at the top of the Teams window that searches within the chat or channel. Pictured below is a search limited to the "Golden Eagle Care and Feeding" channel. Generally became available on July 2, 2020.
  
  
  
  
• Teams meeting size increased from 250 to 300 participants on June 26, 2020.
  
  
• Upload your own background image for the background settings in a Teams meeting/online class session. Generally became available on June 9, 2020.
  
  
• View three-by-three video feeds — up to nine total at a time. Generally became available on May 13, 2020.
  
  
  
  
  
• Download a participant report, found in the participant list, that includes join and leave times for participants. Generally became available on May 15, 2020.
  
  
• Raise hand lets meeting participants indicate they have something to say during a meeting by clicking or tapping the hand-raise icon on the meeting control bar. Alerts for raised hands appear at bottom of the Teams screen and in the participant list (when shown as a right column). Generally became available on May 15, 2020.
  
  
• End meeting allows the meeting organizer to end a meeting for all participants. To end the meeting, click or tap the Leave meeting button. A drop-down menu appears. Select End meeting. If the online meeting or class was recording, the recording also stops when you use the end meeting feature. Generally became available on April 10, 2020.
  
  
• Select background settings gives you several background images to replace the standard blurred background. IT Services has added several Marquette themed backgrounds as well. Before you join an online meeting, turn on your camera and click or tap the blur icon to reveal the background settings options in the right column. Generally became available in April 2020.
  
  
  
  Also, during the online meeting or class, you can turn on or switch the background setting image. With your camera on, click or tap the three-dots icon on the meeting control bar. Select Show background effects.

Questions?

Please contact the IT Services Help Desk for questions about Microsoft Teams.