One of the most important innovations in Windows 11 is the full integration of Microsoft Teams messenger. Coming in beta versions of the new operating system available so far, none of this has been seen. Only the early working version of the new Team 2.0, separate from Windows 11, was haunting the Internet. This is changing now, because like Microsoft AnnounceThe official testing of Teams in Windows 11 has now begun.
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Teams in Windows 11: Integrated chat functionality
The system tray in Windows 11 now contains a chat icon – a white camera in a purple speech bubble. Click on it or tap Windows key + C, a list of the most recently made chats opens – if available. Of course, you can also start new conversations or set up digital conferences from this window. At the bottom of the window there is also a button to start a full-size diff – regardless of the taskbar. There you will then find all the functions known from Teams so far. If Teams doesn’t start and you receive a chat message, it will appear as a system notification on top of the Windows clock. Right next to the message, you will see a small text field right in it, which you can use to respond quickly if needed. To add contacts, send an email invitation or SMS message to the person you want to talk to from within Teams. Or you can take over your existing contacts from Skype or Outlook. If Teams is installed on your smartphone, activate phone contact syncing with Teams there if necessary, and make multiple contacts available in Windows 11 chat in one swipe.
The difference in Windows 11: Not yet for all testers
The built-in chat doesn’t come with a new Windows 11 beta, but is quietly activated for some testers in the current build 22000.71. If you’re one of them, you’ll recognize it after you restart your PC with the new Teams icon in the middle of the taskbar. Little by little, Microsoft is distributing the chat button to other Windows 11 testers. As Microsoft mentioned in the announcement, this first release is still subject to some limitations. So, so far Windows 11 chat is only started in English and requires an internet connection. Not all messaging functionality is available; Microsoft is upgrading some of them in the coming weeks. Contacts syncing can take up to 24 hours and does not fully work if the contact has more than one email address or phone number. Also, sometimes the chat window stays open permanently due to an error.
