Microsoft Teams offers different ways to access, receive, and manage notifications. These settings include how, when, and where your notifications appear, custom settings for channels and chat, appearance and sounds, and turning off specific messages.

To manage your notifications, select Settings and more Teams settings and more icon. > Settings  Settings buttonNotifications and activity  Activity button in Teams.

In this article

General notifications

Change Teams notifications to receive reminders for messages, meetings, and other activity that are most helpful to you.

To change general notification settings:

  1. Select Settings and more Generic Ellipsis button > Settings  Settings button in Teams.

  2. Go to Notifications and activity  Activity button. 

  3. In General, customize sounds and change when you want notifications to display. Your options include:

  • Mute all notifications (except for calls and meetings): Turn this setting on or off. Available on Windows only.

  • Play sounds with notifications: Every notification will include a system sound to alert you.

  • Play sounds with urgent and priority contact notifications: Differentiate messages market Urgent and notifications from priority contacts.

  • Play sound with incoming calls, requests to join, and meeting start notifications: Only incoming calls, requests to join meetings, and meeting start notifications will include a system sound to alert you.

  • Show message and content previews in notifications: A short preview of the message or content will be included in the notification.

  • Show notifications during calls and meetings: Notifications will be shown even if you're in a call or meeting.

Change sound notifications

Assign different sounds to different kinds of notifications to prioritize tasks and reduce distractions. Mute notifications when you're busy or in a meeting.

To change sound notifications:

  1. Select Settings and more Generic Ellipsis button > Settings  Settings button in Teams.

  2. Go to Notifications and activity  Activity button > Sound.

  3. Select the types of notifications you want to hear sounds for and choose a sound type in each dropdown menu.

  4. Select Play Play button to preview the sound.

Note: Custom sounds are currently available only on Teams for Windows and web. 

Notifications display

To change how your notifications appear on-screen:

  1. Select Settings and more Generic Ellipsis button > Settings  Settings button in Teams.

  2. Go to Notifications and activity  Activity button > Display  Hide objects button.

  • Choose to Show message and content previews in notifications for more or less detailed information.

  • You can also choose to Show notifications during calls and meetings ​​​​​​​or turn off this setting for fewer interruptions.

  • Choose where you'd like notifications to appear on your screen under Position on the screen. Select Bottom right, Top right, Bottom left or Top left. Change this setting at any time for the most seamless Teams experience.

  • Change the size of your message and content previews. Choose Comfy or Compact.

Manage activity emails

Set the frequency of summary emails that detail your missed activity or turn them off altogether.

To manage activity emails:

  1. Select Settings and more Generic Ellipsis button > Settings  Settings button in Teams.

  2. Go to Notifications and activity  Activity button > Missed activity emails  Windows email and accounts icon.

  3. Choose the frequency you want to receive activity emails from the dropdown menu.

Chat and channel notifications

Customize chat and channel notifications to your personal work style.

To change chat and channel notifications:

  1. Select Settings and more Generic Ellipsis button > Settings  Settings button in Teams.

  2. Go to Notifications and activity  Activity button > Chats and channels.

  3. Next to each notification type, select the dropdown menu to choose where you want the notifications to appear or select Off to turn that notification type off.

To learn more, see Customize channel notifications.​​​​​​​

Meeting notifications

Easily configure how notifications are shown for meetings about to start, and meeting chats.

To manage your meeting notifications:

  1. Select Settings and more Generic Ellipsis button > Settings  Settings button in Teams.

  2. Go to Notifications and activity  Activity button > Meetings.

  • Meeting start notifications can be turned on or off using the toggle.

  • Choose to Show meeting join bar.

  • Select your preference in the Meeting chat notifications for meetings I’ve accepted dropdown menu. This setting is on by default.

  • Select your preference in the Meeting chat notifications for meetings marked as tentative or no response dropdown menu. This is set to Mute until I join or send a message by default.

  • Turn on or off Meet now start notifications.

Presence notifications

Receive notifications that update you about your co-workers' statuses. See when people you work with are available or offline. 

To change presence notifications:

  1. Select Settings and more Generic Ellipsis button > Settings  Settings button in Teams.

  2. Go to Notifications and activity  Activity button > Presence.

  3. Select Manage notifications, then enter the name or names of the contacts you want to keep track of.

  • Select the correct contact(s) from the list.

  • You'll see those contacts appear below the text box. To stop tracking their status, select Turn off next to their name.

Calendar notifications

Manage your calendar notifications to customize when you're alerted about meeting invites, updates, cancellations, and when meetings you organized have been forwarded to others.

To manage calendar notifications:

  1. Select Settings and more Generic Ellipsis button > Settings  Settings button in Teams.

  2. Go to Notifications and activity  Activity button > Calendar.

  3. Next to each notification type, select the dropdown menu to choose where you want to see the notifications, or select Off to turn them off.

App notifications

Individual apps (such as Power BI, Loop, and more) can be added to channels. Notifications can be managed and configured for each of these apps. 

  • Use the toggle next to the app name to turn the notifications on or off.

  • Additionally, some apps may have additional options to allow you to show notifications in Activity, in Activity and banner, or to turn these notifications off.

apps notifications

Note: The Apps section won't display until individual apps have been added to Teams, and you have received your first app notification.

Channel notifications

Turn on notifications for specific channels to get the latest updates on new discussions and activity that are most relevant to you.

Hover on a channel and select More options  Generic Ellipsis button  > Channel notificationsActivity button

From here, you can turn on or off notifications for all new messages or posts (depending on layout). You can also choose to show notifications in Activity and banner, or only in Activity.   

For channels in the Threads layout: 

Choose to Include thread replies if you want to be notified when other people reply to a post or message. 

Choose to Follow all new threads if you want to see new replies in Followed threads ​​​at the top of your list of chats and channels. This setting won't notify you in Activity. 

Thread notifications

Stay on top of important threads with thread notifications. To view notifications for threads you follow, select Followed threads at the top of your chat and channels list.

You'll automatically follow a thread if you replied in the thread, if you're @mentioned in the thread, or if someone else starts a thread from your original message.

To manually follow a thread:

  • Hover over existing replies on a thread and select Follow.

  • Hover over a message in the thread and select More options Generic Ellipsis button > Follow thread

  • From the side pane thread view, select More options Generic Ellipsis button > Follow thread in the header.

For a particularly important channel, configure your settings to automatically follow all new threads in that channel.

To automatically follow all new threads in a channel:

  1. Hover over a channel name and select More options  Generic Ellipsis button > Channel notifications.

  2. Turn on the Follow all new threads toggle.

  3. Select Include replies to receive notifications for thread replies.

  4. Select Save.

Activity notifications

To manage activity notifications:

  1. Select Activity  Activity button in Teams.

  2. Select More options  More options button > Notification settings  Settings button.

Related topics

Best practices for Teams notifications

First things to know about notifications

Mute notifications during a meeting in Teams

Customize channel notifications in Teams

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