Microsoft is making changes to the integrated Teams Chat menu on Windows 11, replacing it with a pinned app shortcut. This change was introduced in a new Windows 11 preview build, which removes the Teams Chat flyout and replaces it with a simple pinned icon to the Microsoft Teams app.
While the free version of Microsoft Teams will continue to come pre-installed on Windows 11, the system-wide integration on the Taskbar will no longer be present. This marks the end of Windows 11’s dedicated Chat feature. This change may be welcomed by many users who have found little use for the free version of Microsoft Teams since the launch of Windows 11. Going forward, the free Teams app will be pinned to the Taskbar by default, but users can easily remove it by right-clicking and selecting ‘Unpin’, just like any other Windows app. Prior to this change, the Teams Chat icon could only be turned off by going to the Settings app and switching the feature off.
This change is currently in preview and is expected to roll out as part of the Windows 11 version 23H2 release later this year.