How to update your connected service settings in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams connected services settings let you control features like link previews and GIF suggestions.

Connected services in Microsoft Teams use cloud data for extra features. For instance, connected services provide a preview when a user shares a web link. They also suggest animated GIFs from GIPHY. These services are not required to use Teams.

Users can turn off Microsoft Teams connected service notifications if these notifications distract users or if users have concerns about data privacy. For example, turning off a notification for a third-party app prevents that app from sending alerts to the user’s Teams account.

Adjusting these settings on your Windows computer allows you to choose exactly what extra help Teams provides during your chats.

Step 1Open Your Teams Settings

You can open your Microsoft Teams settings by clicking on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the app window.

Here’s how to find it:

• Find Your Profile Picture: Look for your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner of the Microsoft Teams window. It’s usually a small circle with your photo or the first letter of your name.
• Click for Options: Click on your profile picture. A menu will pop up with options for your account and the Teams app.
• Choose “Settings”: In this menu, click on “Settings.” This opens the main settings window for Microsoft Teams.

Step 2Change General Connected Experiences

You can change general connected experiences in Microsoft Teams, like link previews and GIF fetching, by going to the Privacy settings.

Here’s how to get there:

• Choose “Privacy”: Find and click on “Privacy” in the left-hand sidebar. This area lets you manage how Teams uses outside services and your information.
• Find “Optional Connected Experiences“: In the Privacy settings, look for a section or a switch called “Optional Connected Experiences.” This is where you control services like GIPHY and URL Preview (for non-video links).
• Use the Switch: To turn off these optional cloud services, click the switch next to “Optional Connected Experiences.” Turning this off stops many features that use Microsoft or other companies’ cloud services, including website link previews.

Disabling “Optional Connected Experiences” in Microsoft Teams impacts multiple functions. This change boosts user privacy by lessening dependence on outside services. However, disabling “Optional Connected Experiences” may turn off helpful features, like link previews that show a summary when you hover over a link or how other services work. If a relied-upon feature stops working, users may need to turn “Optional Connected Experiences” back on.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/teams/free/troubleshoot/how-to-update-your-connected-service-settings-in-microsoft-teams-free

Summary

You can control optional connected experiences in Microsoft Teams, like link previews and GIFs, by adjusting settings found under Privacy.