Microsoft Teams is a multi-use platform for chatting, calling, video conferencing, and collaboration, which means it has a lot of features, as well as integrations with other Microsoft 365 apps. If your workplace relies on Teams, there are several hacks you need to know to work more efficiently and get the most out of the platform.
Use email forwarding to send attachments directly to a Teams channel
If you receive an email (and email attachment) that is relevant to a conversation happening in Teams, you don’t need to send it to others’ inboxes, copy and paste, or download and upload to the correct chat or channel. Instead, you can forward it directly from Outlook to Teams, and both the email and attachment will automatically populate for recipients, who can click on the preview to see the full content in Teams. When viewing the email in Outlook on desktop, select Share to Teams in the toolbar and select Open Teams app. Then choose the destination, add an optional message, and hit Share. You can also choose to include or remove attachments before sending.
Pin your Teams window to sneakily multitask
If you’re working on other things while in a Teams call, don’t make it obvious. You can pin your Teams window on top of other apps, which keeps it visible even as you switch between windows so you can maintain eye contact and have quick access to call controls. Pinning is also handy when you are actively chatting or need to reference Teams while working in another app. Select More options in the top-right corner of the window you want to pin and hit Pin window on top. You can resize or drag pinned windows anywhere on your screen.
Turn on voice isolation to hide where you’re working
If you are joining Teams calls and meetings from a public place—a coffee shop, co-working space, bar, poolside, etc.—you can enable voice isolation to make it seem like you’re alone in a quiet office instead. The AI-powered feature recognizes your voice and blocks out other sounds, including other speakers. (Teams also has noise suppression for reducing background noise.) To use voice isolation, you’ll first have to add a voice profile, which takes about 30 seconds and requires a quiet environment. The feature will activate in calls and meetings unless you turn it off.
Use live transcripts to catch up on meetings if you join late or space out
Teams has a built-in live transcription feature that captures audio in (almost) real time with speaker attribution, so you can quickly review what’s been said if you have to join late, step away for a few minutes, or miss things while you’re multitasking. Transcription starts automatically for recorded meetings, though organizers and presenters can start live transcription even if a recording isn’t running by going to More actions > Record and transcribe > Start transcription > Confirm. If you’re an attendee and you don’t see the transcript window, you may need to go to the same menu and select Show transcript.
Start a solo “Meet Now” to practice your public speaking
Teams has an instant meeting function called Meet Now—in just a few clicks, you can start an impromptu meeting for a channel, a group chat, or just yourself. These are recorded just like scheduled meetings, so you can use the solo time to practice a presentation for later review or dictate notes for transcription. Go to Calendar and tap Meet now in the upper-right corner. Name the meeting and select Start meeting > Join now. Recordings are saved in your OneDrive.
Use Loop components to collaborate without having to leave Teams
Loop is a Microsoft 365 collaboration feature that allows you to create tables, task lists, and written content within a Teams chat and edit them in real time, so you don’t have to leave the app to make a separate file or continue to send static updates that could get lost in active chats or channels. When you create a Loop component for a meeting agenda, a list of action items, or group notes, edits will sync instantly for everyone—including across other Microsoft apps like Outlook and Whiteboards. Click the Loop icon in your Teams chat or channel and choose a component type. Once created and sent, anyone in the chat can contribute.
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Bundle messages to forward action items or information to other chats
Teams has a forwarding feature that lets you send messages from one chat to another—instead of copy/paste, the original message, image, or Loop component appears directly in the recipient chat or channel. Earlier this year, Microsoft expanded forwarding to include up to five messages in a single bundle, which is sent as one message in the original order. You can use this to share multiple action items or pieces of feedback with another chat, and they won’t get separated or lost in the feed. Hover over a message and select More options > Forward > Multiple messages, then check the boxes next to the messages you want to forward. Click Next, add the recipient’s name, group chat, or channel, and hit Forward.
Use visual meeting timelines so you don’t have to watch an entire replay
If you miss a meeting that’s conducted and recorded in Teams, you likely have access to written notes from the call, such as a transcript or AI summary. But there may be situations in which you actually need to watch the recording to get the full picture of what was discussed. Instead of reviewing an entire replay or scrubbing the video to find specific parts of the conversation, you can see where your name was mentioned and go directly to that part of the recording. Timeline markers are part of Teams’ intelligent meeting recap, an AI-powered feature suite available to Premium subscribers. To see a personalized timeline as well as audio and video recaps, go to the Recap tab in Teams chat or calendar.
Use your phone as a remote control or camera during a Teams meeting
When you join a Teams meeting on your computer, you can easily add your phone as a second device without screwing up the audio or needing to log out and in. Your phone can then be used as a static webcam, to show live video, or even to control a presentation on your primary device if you need to walk around the room. While you’re in a meeting on your computer, open Teams on your phone and select Join call > Add this device. Your camera and mic will automatically be muted, but you can enable either or both as needed.
Delegate calls to Copilot for follow-up when you’re too busy to answer
If you’re busy, out of office, or simply want to screen Teams calls before you answer, you may need an AI receptionist. With its April 2026 update, Microsoft added a Copilot call delegation feature to Teams that can screen your calls (and block likely spam), collect the caller’s intent, and determine how to respond. If the call is urgent, it’ll be routed to you. If not, Copilot will schedule callbacks and meetings based on your availability. The feature is currently available as part of the Microsoft 365 Copilot Frontier program with support for Teams desktop and web (your language must be set to English).
