The recent update to Teams is causing issues to users

Question

The recent update to Teams is causing issues to users

td47 5

I saw the April locked topic on this, where MANY users were annoyed (like myself), at the recent update, which seems to have inadvertently hidden the favourites and chats.

The answer pushed by your volunteer, is to use the "move to" option. Unfortunately that is NOT available to my Teams app, running on Windows 11 Home edition. The Teams Version is: 26106.1906.4665.7308

I decided to check in Settings, and under Chats, I found a Filter option turned ON. I moved that slider to OFF, went back to CHATS, and there they were back!

I think this is a regression with the new design, and it needs fixing up. Microsoft should have warned users that they were changing Favourites to Pinned, and needed to ensure the Filter was OFF to use it. I had to PIN those users that I need to use, to make them always visible.

td47 5 Reputation points

2026-05-16T09:02:01.86+00:00

MY answer was (in my case), to turn the filter off, in Settings -> Chats.

The AI answer above DOES mention the Filter, but there is NO information I can see about "filters", or what they do!!

The AI generated items above also mentions Favourites, and Pinned, but does NOT make clear if one replaces the other, or if Favourites are now gone (as seems to be the case), or if some hidden "magic" method or setting will bring them back.

Pinned will work OK for me at the moment (until Microsoft decides to break it again with another unwanted change).

The AI ALSO assumes that people are, or want to, use the Screen Reader (like in the first reference link). I DO NOT.

The second and third links get a 404 error, so the AI needs to "do some homework and try again"!!

2 answers

Your answer

td47 5 Reputation points

2026-05-16T09:02:01.86+00:00

MY answer was (in my case), to turn the filter off, in Settings -> Chats.

The AI answer above DOES mention the Filter, but there is NO information I can see about "filters", or what they do!!

The AI generated items above also mentions Favourites, and Pinned, but does NOT make clear if one replaces the other, or if Favourites are now gone (as seems to be the case), or if some hidden "magic" method or setting will bring them back.

Pinned will work OK for me at the moment (until Microsoft decides to break it again with another unwanted change).

The AI ALSO assumes that people are, or want to, use the Screen Reader (like in the first reference link). I DO NOT.

The second and third links get a 404 error, so the AI needs to "do some homework and try again"!!

Answer 1

Hi @td47

I’m really glad you were able to track down what was causing it. I can understand how frustrating it must’ve been to suddenly not see your chats or favourites, especially when it wasn’t obvious why.

From what you described, it sounds like the issue was related to how the filter setting was applied. In the newer Teams experience, filters like Unread, Chats, and others can limit what's visible in the list which can make sections like Favourites appear empty or missing, even though the chats are still there. Turning the filter off would bring everything back to the expected view.

User's image

You can read more about how the new experience works here: Explore the new chat and channels experience in Microsoft Teams

Filter chats or meetings by name, unread, or muted

As a Microsoft user, if there's something you'd like to see improved or have a suggestion for a new feature, I'd encourage you submit feedback via Ideas – Community. That's the best way to make sure your voice reaches the product team. Feedback is the best way to push for a more integrated, long‑term improvement for Teams, the more voices they hear, the greater the chance we’ll see enhancements in future updates.

You can also submit feedback directly through Settings > Feedback in Teams as well.

User's image

Please note that as forum moderator, I am not directly involved in product design decisions and do not have access to the development roadmap. However, I want to assure you that your feedback has been acknowledged and is truly valued.

I apologize for the inconvenience this have caused you and thank you for your patience and understanding.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread

CHRISTA HARRISON 0 Reputation points

2026-06-22T14:49:19.0533333+00:00

I adjusted the settings as suggested, but the bar with Chat, Unread, and Meeting Chats did not come back. This bar was very useful to me. For unread, I get meeting activity alerts and often do not know what the new thing is, so isolating unread is helpful.
Jess-Q 12,335 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-23T14:29:36.44+00:00

Hi @CHRISTA HARRISON

To keep this discussion aligned with the original post about Microsoft Teams and make sure your issue gets proper attention, it would be preferable to create a separate Q&A thread for your scenario. Keeping issues in separate threads helps avoid confusion and makes troubleshooting more efficient.

To create your thread: go to Microsoft Q&A, click “Ask a question”,, and select Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for business | Chats | Other as the product/tag.

Thanks for helping keep the forum organized

Answer 2

The recent Teams updates introduced a new chats and channels experience that changes how Favorites, filters, and list views work. The behavior described matches these design changes rather than a Windows edition limitation.

Key points about the new experience:

Favorites vs Pinned

The previous “Pinned” concept in chats and channels has been renamed to Favorites in the new experience.
Favorites appear in a dedicated Favorites section at the top of the chats and channels list for quick access.
On desktop, a chat or channel can be added to Favorites from More options → Show in → Favorites in the chats/channels list.
Existing guidance to “pin” is now surfaced as using Favorites in the new UI, though some pin behaviors may still appear in certain views.

Combined vs separate list views

Teams now supports two layouts:
- Combined list view: Chats and channels appear together in a single Chats app, with sections for Favorites, Chats, and Channels.
- Separate list view: Chats and Teams are split into separate apps on the app bar, closer to the classic experience.
The default is the combined list view, which can make the layout feel different and can interact with filters.
To change the view (for example, on macOS with a screen reader, but conceptually the same setting on desktop):
- Go to Settings and more → Settings → Chat and Channels and choose between combined or separate views under the “Viewing chats and channels” options.

Filters can hide chats and Favorites

The new experience adds filters such as Unread, Chats, Channels, Muted, and Meetings.
When a filter is active, only conversations matching that filter are shown; others (including some Favorites) may appear “missing” until the filter is cleared.
In the documentation, filters are explicitly described as a way to limit conversations to:
1. Unread messages
2. Chats
3. Channels
4. Meeting chats
Turning a filter off (as done in Settings → Chats) restores the full list, which explains why Favorites and chats reappeared after the filter slider was disabled.

How to make important chats and channels always visible

Ensure no restrictive filter is active when expecting to see all chats and Favorites.
Add important chats/channels to Favorites so they appear at the top of the list:
- For channels: More options → Show in → Favorites.
- For chats: use the Favorites section and related options described in the new experience.
If channels are hidden, they can be restored via See all your teams and channels, then Show next to the channel.

Why this feels like a regression

The combination of:
- Renaming Pinned to Favorites,
- Introducing combined list view, and
- Adding filters that can hide items can make it appear that Favorites or chats have disappeared after an update.
The documented behavior confirms that filters are intended to narrow the view and that message previews and team names can also be toggled in Settings → Chat and Channels.

For ongoing use, the most reliable way to avoid “missing” items is to:

Verify filters are cleared when expecting a full list.
Use Favorites to keep key chats and channels at the top.
Adjust the view (combined vs separate) in Chat and Channels settings to match the preferred layout.

References: