Microsoft Teams - Updating settings and new features

Overview

Microsoft has made a new version of Microsoft Teams available. This new version includes many enhancements, new features, and quality of life improvements. A full list of changes and improvements can be found on Microsoft's "What's new in Microsoft Teams". The new version has some features that will require additional adjustments. Learn more about the known issues in the new Teams experience.

Please use the “Report a problem” tool if you find an issue not listed in this article.

1. Click the ellipses (three dots) to open the Settings menu.
2. Click Help to expand the options.
3. Choose Report a problem. A text box will load where you can describe the problem.
4. Click the Get Help button after you type the problem. You will be offered self-help article(s) when you click the Get Help button.
5. Click the Contact Support button to create a help ticket for Microsoft if the article(s) does not help.
   

Adjusting Teams layout setting

Choose how you want to navigate between Teams – Grid or List layout.

1. Click the ellipses (three dots) next to your profile icon in the top right corner of Teams.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Appearance and Accessibility.
4. Click List under Layout to display your teams and chats as a list rather than as a grid of icons.
5. Click on any icon on the left (Teams, Chat, etc.) to exit the settings menu. 

Mac: Adjusting Teams layout and notification settings

Instructions for adjusting Teams layout and Teams notification preferences for Macs is available in our knowledge base.

For additional information, see Microsoft’s guide, Customize channel notifications in Microsoft Teams. 

Windows: Adjusting Teams layout and notification settings

Instructions for adjusting Teams layout and notification preferences for Windows is available in our knowledge base.

For additional information, see Microsoft’s guide, Customize channel notifications in Microsoft Teams.

Windows: Adjusting how links open

By default, web links will open in Microsoft Edge browser. This can be changed to your preferred browser.

1. Open the Settings menu by clicking the ellipses (three dots) to the left of your profile picture.
2. Click Files and links.
3. In Link open preference, select the browser you prefer as Default.
4. Click on any icon on the left (Teams, Chat, etc.) to exit the Settings menu.
   

Customizing your Team picture

The Team picture can be changed to provide a custom look.

1. Click the ellipses (three dots) to open the More Options menu.
2. Select Manage Team.
3. Click the Settings tab.
4. In the Team details section, use the Change Picture option to upload or remove a picture. 
   

Return key sends chat message

The "return" key (enter key) in Teams is set up to automatically send messages when pressed, which can be bothersome if you're trying to make a list or add separate paragraphs. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to turn off this feature in Teams. But, there are a few tricks you can try to get around it.

Keyboard shortcut solution

Use the "Shift + Enter" keyboard shortcut to create a new paragraph without sending a chat message.

Format button

Use the "Format" button in the Teams chat window to expand the compose text box. You can now use the "return" key (enter key) to create a new paragraph.

Cannot close a file inside the Teams app

When you click on a file such as Word document, the document can open inside the Team app for convenience. However, sometime, the Close button on the file will not respond (cannot close a file). In these situations, restarting the Teams app may help clear the issue. Try the following steps.

1. Sign out of the new Teams app.
2. The app may automatically quit. Or you can close the Teams app fully by clicking on the X icon to close the app. Alternatively, you can choose the quit option by right clicking on the Teams icon in taskbar.
3. Reopen the Teams app.
4. Pick your Texas A&M account on the app to sign in. You may have to sign back in to Teams with your Texas A&M NetID and password.
5. Now try to open and close a Word document or other file within the app.
6. Test if the Close button is functional again.

If the above steps do not work, please Report the problem using the Help menu > Report a problem feature in the Teams app.