Microsoft Teams Is Now Right Inside Windows 11

Connect to friends and family from the new taskbar

By
Allison Murray
Allison Matyus
Allison Murray
Tech News Reporter
  • Southern Illinois University
Allison reports on all things tech. She's a news junky that keeps her eye on the latest trends. Allison is a writer working out of Chicago, IL, with her only coworker: her cat Norbert.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on June 24, 2021 01:17PM EDT
Fact checked by
Rich Scherr
Rich Scherr
Fact checked by Rich Scherr
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County
Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire.
lifewire's fact checking process

Microsoft announced a new Microsoft Teams integration feature in the Windows 11 system update. 

During Thursday’s What’s Next for Windows event, Microsoft revealed that it's integrating Teams directly into the Windows 11 taskbar, making it easier to access. The Teams app will get prominent placement in the new taskbar, so users can connect to friends and family more efficiently.

Windows 11 Microsoft Teams

Microsoft

Microsoft also said that you’ll see Teams integrated on any devices you’re working with that have Windows 11. 

"Now you can instantly connect through text, chat, voice or video with all of your personal contacts, anywhere, no matter the platform or device they’re on, across Windows, Android, or iOS," the company wrote in a blog post. "If the person you’re connecting to on the other end hasn’t downloaded the Teams app, you can still connect with them via two-way SMS."

Microsoft Teams has become a mainstay application over the past year, as more people had to connect virtually and workplaces switched to working remotely. Teams originally was introduced in 2016 as a rival to its main competitor, Slack, and added video conferencing shortly after. 

According to The Verge, Microsoft Teams had 75 million active users in 2020 and grew to 44 million daily active users during the pandemic. 

Was this page helpful?