How to Disable Message Previews in Microsoft Teams on Windows 11

How to disable message preview in Teams

To disable message preview notifications in Teams on Windows 11, open the Teams app and go to its settings. Find the notification options and switch off the message preview. After that, pop-up banners no longer show the text of new chats while you are away from your desk.

You do not need to restart Windows. You can reverse it at any time by turning the same switch back on.

1. Open the Teams app from your Start menu ⊞. Teams should open on your chats or your last used view. If you are asked to sign in, use your usual account first.

   

2. If a mini window opens, click the expansion button to see the full screen. The Teams window should now fill most of your display, with the left-hand app bar and your profile area at the top visible.

   

3. Click the Settings and more (three dots) button next to your profile picture and select Settings. A settings window or page opens with a list of categories on the left.

   

4. Click the Notification and activity tab on the left side. The right-hand pane now lists your notification options. Depending on your Teams build, the tab may read “Notifications” or “Notifications and activity”.

   

5. Find the Message preview section. Toggle the switch to Off to hide message text. The switch should change to its off position. If you cannot find the option, update Teams to the latest version and look again. If your organization manages Teams, an admin policy may control what you see.

   

Cross-Platform and Version Differences

Disabling message previews works much the same across Teams versions and computers. The steps are very similar for the New Teams app and the older Classic version. The main differences are small changes to menu labels and layout.

On Windows 11, the equivalent check is covered in the troubleshooting section below.

Privacy During Screen Sharing

When you share your screen during a meeting or presentation, Teams automatically hides message previews to protect your privacy. You do not need to change anything for this to work.

If you want to be extra sure no notifications pop up, turn on Do Not Disturb. Click your profile picture at the top of Teams, open the status menu, and choose Do not disturb. Most notifications are then silenced until you set your status back to Available. This is useful for a presentation where one stray banner would be awkward.

Troubleshooting Notification Issues

If you have turned off message previews but still see message text, check these things in order:

1. Restart Teams. Right-click the Teams icon in the system tray, choose to quit it, then open it again. Teams sometimes needs this to apply the change.
2. Go back to Settings › Notification and activity in Teams and confirm the Message preview switch is still Off.
3. Check the notification settings in Windows 11 (Settings › System › Notifications). Look at the Microsoft Teams entry there, since Windows can show its own banners separately from Teams.
4. Update Teams, then check again. An old build may use different options or ignore the setting.
5. Check Windows Focus and Do Not Disturb settings if you see no banners at all, since those can also affect what you see.

If you are on a work or school account and the option is missing or keeps reverting, your organization's policy may control it. Ask your IT admin.

Summary

Keeping message previews off in Microsoft Teams is an easy way to protect your privacy and stay focused. This guide showed you how to turn off previews in Teams on Windows 11 and how the steps compare between the New and Classic versions. It also covered using Do Not Disturb for quick privacy and what to check when previews still appear.