New Microsoft Teams Client Launches on Windows and macOS

Teams 2.0 Client Hero approved

Key Takeaways:

  • The new Microsoft Teams desktop app is now generally available for Windows and Mac users.
  • The new version of Teams consumes 50% less memory and 70% less disk space, offering a significantly faster experience.
  • The new Microsoft Teams client boasts feature parity with the classic Teams app, integrating AI-powered experiences like intelligent meeting recaps and Copilot.

The new Microsoft Teams desktop app that launched in preview earlier this year is now generally available for Windows and macOS. The company has also started rolling out the new version of Teams to Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and government cloud customers.

Since its launch in 2017, Microsoft has been listening to user feedback about Teams being a resource hog and problematic. The new Microsoft Teams client has been built on the React framework and Edge WebView 2 to improve speed and performance over the classic Teams app. Microsoft touts that the new Teams should consume 50 percent less memory and 70 percent less disk space.

“We have made notable progress since the launch of new Teams in public preview. New Teams now has full feature parity for almost all features, including custom line-of-business apps, third-party apps, breakout rooms, 7×7 video, call queues, PSTN calling, contextual search in chats and channels, cross-post a channel conversation, and more,” said Jeff Teper, President – Collaborative Apps and Platforms at Microsoft.

New Microsoft Teams Client Launches on Windows and macOS

In addition to the performance improvements, the new Microsoft Teams client brings AI-powered experiences such as intelligent meeting recaps. The app also supports Multi-tenant organizations (MTO) for people who work with different companies. The multi-tenant and multi-account (MTMA) feature also lets users collaborate across different organizations.

The new Microsoft Teams app brings significant performance improvements on Mac devices. Users should experience a faster scrolling experience and switching between chats and channels will be 1.7x faster. Microsoft introduced a containerized app model to boost security and streamline app updates through Microsoft AutoUpdate. There are also several web security enhancements, including Trusted Types and Content Security Policy.

New Microsoft Teams client to add Copilot integration

Microsoft will introduce its AI-powered Copilot assistant to improve the Teams chat and meetings experience. The feature generates a summary of the key points of discussions, action items, as well as decisions. It’s also possible to use natural language commands to create notes and highlight important details discussed during Teams meetings.

The Copilot tool also makes it easier to find content in presentations, documents, emails, notes, contacts, and calendar invites. Microsoft plans to launch Copilot support on November 1, which will be available at $30 per month per user.

New Microsoft Teams Client Launches on Windows and macOS

Lastly, the new Microsoft Teams app allows users to switch between dark and light themes on Windows and Mac devices. It’s also possible to quickly navigate between list items like chat threads and activity feeds with keyboard shortcuts.

Microsoft says that IT admins can enable the new Teams app for end users in their organizations today. Once enabled, Microsoft Teams users will see a toggle button at the top left to switch to the new experience on Windows and macOS.

Microsoft expects to make new Teams the default experience for all customers in the coming months. Going forward, the company plans to make new capabilities as well as enhancements to existing features exclusively available for the new version of Microsoft Teams.