MC804771 - Microsoft Teams: Detecting and hiding inactive channels

Updated February 27, 2026:November 6, 2024: We have pausedupdated the rollout oftimeline below. Thank you for your patience.

Note: Users with EDU licenses assigned will not receive this item at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.change.

Note: Hiding inactive channels

Based on Admin feedback, we are updating the behavior for automated hiding ofComing soon: Microsoft Teams will automatically detect and hide inactive channels to be opt-in (suggestions) only. With this update, Teams will offer users suggestions on channels that are inactive, andyou have not interacted with recently. You can review the user is prompted to review their inactivelist of channels and hide them only if they choose. The user will also be ableunhide some or all of them. You can opt out of automatic hiding from Teams Settings or initiate the hiding process on demand. This message applies to view when they last visited the channel to help them decide if they would like to hide the channel. The settings support this opt-in workflowMicrosoft Teams for Desktop, web, and there are no changes to the on-demand hiding process.Mac.

This feature is enabled for targeted release, and we will roll out to General Availability targeting January 2026.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 325780.

When this will happen:

The feature is in public preview.

Targeted Release: Available now.We will begin rolling out mid-July 2024 and expect to complete by late July 2024.

General Availability (Worldwide) and all clouds:: We will announce via Message center when we are readybegin rolling out mid-August 2024 and expect to proceed.complete by mid-September 2024.

General Availability (GCC): We will begin rolling out late September 2024 and expect to complete by early October 2024.

General Availability (GCC High): We will begin rolling out early October 2024 and expect to complete by mid-October 2024.

General Availability (DoD): We will begin rolling out late October 2024 and expect to complete by late November 2024 (previously late October).

How this will affect your organization:

Before this rollout: Users had to manually manage their relevant channels list by hidinghide inactive and irrelevant channels.

After this rollout:

Manage preferences for automated suggestions via Teams Settings

If users prefer to manage channels manually, they can opt out of the auto-suggestions process. Simply go to Teams settings, select General, and toggle off "Suggestions for hiding inactive channels."

Hide inactive channels on demand when needed

Users can manually view which channels are inactive and choose to hide some or all of them whenever you need. This can be done from Settings, under General, by clicking the "Get Suggestions" button. Note that this action can be performed once every 24 hours.

Automated suggestions of inactive channels

With this, Teams will suggesthide channels that have been inactive forand notify the user. Onceuser with the message, "We're hiding some inactive channels are identified,for you." The user can select View changes to see the user is notified with the coach mark message, "Looks like you haven’t visited some channels lately. Hide them to help you focus."details (second screenshot):

The user can select Reviewkeep the channels hidden or show them again:

To initiate or stop channel hiding, go to Teams > Settings > Chats and channels > Hide to see the details and decide which channels they would like to hide. The user can choose not hide any channels by selecting Not Nowinactive channels:

If a user has less than or equal to 25 shown channels, no channels will be suggested for that user. This feature is on by default and all Teams users on the affected platforms will have access to it.

What you need to do to prepare:

Admins need to be aware of this feature, but no additional action is needed. This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before the rollout. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation as appropriate.