Mishap at Microsoft Build potentially unveils standout Teams feature for the year.
Microsoft Teams introduces a new feature for presenters on Windows and Mac, allowing them to engage with meeting chat messages during screen sharing without disrupting the audience's view. The new presenter chat panel, a separate overlay, can be freely moved around the screen and minimized as needed.
When a presenter shares their screen, they can open this chat panel to read incoming messages and participate in the conversation without revealing the chat contents to the audience. This private panel design enables presenters to stay connected with the meeting's chat without interfering with what is being displayed to attendees.
An update in May 2025 has also focused on other integration and chat features, such as the unified chat and channels experience and new notification options. However, the presenter chat panel specifically addresses the need for discreet message management during presentations.
Microsoft Senior Project Manager Elisa Meazza announced the feature on a blog post, emphasizing its potential to improve the presentation experience for users. The feature is currently under testing for Teams on Windows and Mac platforms.
While the new Teams feature has been announced, Microsoft did not mention its previous accidental leak of Walmart’s AI plans when announcing the new feature. The coincidental timing of the accidents raises questions about the security measures in place during presentations. However, the primary focus of the new feature is to enhance the presenting experience, and its initial implementation is limited to certain chats.
If you are a member of the Teams Public Preview or Microsoft 365 Targeted Release, you can already use the new feature in Teams for Windows or macOS. Admins can also enable it through targeted release.
- Microsoft Teams members using Windows or macOS can now engage in private chats during presentations, thanks to the new presenter chat panel added in Teams, as announced by Microsoft Senior Project Manager Elisa Meazza.
- In addition to this new feature, Microsoft 365 has recently undergone an update, focusing on integrating chat features such as the unified chat and channels experience and new notification options.
- Aspiring Xbox gamers will have to rely on software other than Teams for their live presentations, as the new presenter chat panel is currently only available for Windows and PC users.
- As Microsoft continues to shape the future of technology with updates in their extensive collection of software like Microsoft 365, users can look forward to more discoveries and advancements in presentation and communication tools.
