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Comparing May 8, 2026 → Dec 12, 2025 Swap

MC1182004 - Microsoft Teams: Chat with anyone with an email address

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Metadata at Dec 12, 2025

Message ID

MC1182004

View in Message Center

Last Updated

Dec 12, 2025

Published Oct 31, 2025

Service

Microsoft Teams

Tag

Major change
Updated message
New feature
User impact
Admin impact

Roadmap ID

513271

View roadmap details

Platforms

Android
Desktop
iOS
Linux
Mac

Metadata changes

End date
May 13, 2026Apr 30, 2026
Platforms
Android, Desktop, iOS, Mac, WebAndroid, Desktop, iOS, Linux, Mac

Body changes

removed textadded text

Updated May 8, 2026:December 12, 2025: We are not releasinghave added additional content clarifying who is impacted by this feature at this time. We apologizefeature. Thank you for any inconvenience this may cause.your patience.

Introduction

Teams users in tenants with more open collaboration policies have long been able to start a chat with anyone who has an email address. However, recipients without a Teams account were previously asked to sign up for onean account before being able to collaborate. We're introducing a new capability in Microsoft Teams for (for certain tenants (see ‘Who is affected’ below)tenants) that allows these chat recipients without a Teams account to receive an email invitation to join the chat session as a guest— no account neededguest, enabling seamless communication and collaboration.

This means that Teams users can truly start a chat with anyone, who has an email address—even if they’re not currently using Teams and as long as it is allowed by the tenant’s existing policy configuration. This update simplifies external engagement and supports flexible work scenarios.

This capability is currently available only in public preview to a limited number of small and medium business customers with a Teams Essentials, Business Basic, Business Standard, or Business Premium license. Organizations without users enrolled in public preview or without users with these licenses may still see this communication to learn from customer feedback and interest.

This feature will be available across Windows, Mac, Web,Android, Desktop, iOS, Linux, and AndroidMac platforms.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 513271.

When this will happen:

  • Targeted Release: Rollout for users with the aforementioned licenses begun in early November 2025 and was completed in mid-November 2025
  • General Availability (Worldwide): We are not releasing this feature at this time. TBA

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected:

This capability is currently available only

  • Targeted Release: Only organizations that have Guest access chat enabled and do not restrict guest collaboration to small and medium business customers enrolled in public previewspecific domains. Within these organizations, Microsoft Teams users with a Teams Essentials, Business Basic, Business Standard, or Business Premium license. It also only affects organizations with guest chat enabled and that do not limit guest collaboration to specific domains. Organizations without users enrolled in public preview or without users with these licenses may still see this post even if they are not affected.

  • General Availability (Worldwide): TBA

What will happen for those who are affected:impacted:

  • After TeamsRecipients, who do not use Teams, of chats initiated by impacted users start a chat with someone who is not on Teams, the recipient will receive an email invitation inviting them to join thechats as guests.
  • The chat as a guest. Only Teams users inexperience will be governed by your organization can start the chat, as users without Teams accounts cannot initiate chats.organization’s Entra B2B Guest policy.
  • Chats will remain within your organization’s boundary.
  • This feature is will beenabled by default but willcan only be governed byused if your organization’s Entra B2B Guest policies and Teams Admin Center Guest Access policies.policies allow. It will not override any existing policy configurations.Teams Admin Center policies.

What you can do to prepare:

Compliance considerations:

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.