MC1523090: Microsoft Teams Adds Side Conversations in Meeting Chat

📢 Official Microsoft Message Center Announcement

Updated October 28, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[What and Why:]

Microsoft Teams will enable meeting participants to start and continue one-to-one or small-group conversations directly from the meeting chat experience. Users can create a side conversation without leaving the meeting context, helping them coordinate, ask questions, share information, and collaborate in parallel while keeping the main meeting discussion focused.

[Rollout Schedule:]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out in early January 2027 and expect to complete in late January 2027.

[Impact on Your Organization:]

Users will be able to start or continue private 1:1 and group chats directly from the meeting chat experience, without leaving the meeting window. Existing chat history is preserved, so conversations remain part of the user’s regular Teams chat history.

[Action Required/Recommendations:]

No admin action is required. This feature does not introduce a new chat surface, admin policy, or meeting option. Users can turn off the side-chat tab experience if they prefer not to use it.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

Source: Microsoft Message Center • Analysed by MWPro

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