Microsoft Starts Testing Unified Teams Client for Personal and Work Accounts

Teams 2.0 Client Hero approved

Key Takeaways:

  • Microsoft is developing a unified version of Microsoft Teams for both personal and work or school accounts.
  • The new Teams experience is currently available for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels.
  • Microsoft is also bringing other improvements such as updated notifications and easier access to meetings.

Last month, Microsoft announced its plans to roll out a unified version of Microsoft Teams, catering to both personal and work or school accounts. The company has started testing the new Teams client with Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels.

Microsoft has long offered two separate Teams desktop apps for Windows users. There is a free version of Teams that comes pre-installed on Windows 11 and is designed for personal Microsoft accounts. The other is a separate application that supports work or school accounts. Naturally, customers who use both personal and work accounts experience confusion. It’s one of the reasons why a unified Teams client has been a top requested feature from users, who will no longer need to switch between separate applications.

Now, Microsoft has launched an updated version of its Teams app that enables users to switch between different accounts by selecting the profile picture located at the top-right corner. The new version of Teams currently lets Windows Insiders use the app with both personal and work accounts, featuring separate icons on the taskbar.

“We received consistent feedback from personal and work users: you prefer a single Teams app that allows you to easily access and switch between personal and work accounts. This update lets you use one app for all kinds of Teams accounts,” the Windows Insider team explained.

Microsoft Starts Testing New Unified Microsoft Teams Client for Personal and Work Accounts
Teams personal account user interface over Teams work user interface.

New Microsoft Teams app to get better notifications and other improvements

In addition to support for multiple accounts, Microsoft Teams is getting several new features and enhancements. For instance, users will now be able to choose which account to use when joining meetings. Additionally, the new Teams client will have improved notifications that will show which account is receiving the call.

Microsoft Starts Testing New Unified Microsoft Teams Client for Personal and Work Accounts
A Teams notification that someone is calling.

Currently, the new unified Teams client is labeled as Microsoft Teams (work or school). However, the app will automatically be renamed to just Microsoft Teams in future releases. The company will also remove the Microsoft Teams (free) app for consumers from Windows devices.

The new unified Microsoft Teams app will begin rolling out to commercial customers in April this year. Microsoft plans to make the new Teams experience generally available with Windows 11 version 24H2 later this year.