Resizable Teams Windows Will Be a Big Change for Users

Microsoft has been overhauling elements of the Teams user interface since the introduction of the Teams 2.1 client. Examples include the new chat and channels interface and hiding unused channels. Despite having had the chance to discuss the logic driving the decision to go with the new chat and channels interface with its designers, I remain unconvinced. Hiding unused (inactive) channels has also proved disruptive for some. Both examples prove the difficulty of introducing change to a client that’s literally used by hundreds of millions of people.

Two new steps to enhance the user experience in the Teams desktop clients (Windows and Mac) will land in mid-January 2025. The first is resizable windows (MC947051, 2 December 2024, Microsoft 365 roadmap item 470431). The second is the ability to pop-out windows the side panes used for chat, Copilot, and Notes in meetings (MC952888, 10 December 2024, Microsoft 365 roadmap item 421607).

I don’t think much needs to be said about pop-out windows in Teams because this facility has been available in different areas of the product for quite some time, Resizable windows are a different matter because the ability to resize the different panes used in the Teams interface has never existed before. It’s a huge change.

Like a Mobile Interface

The current implementation of the Teams desktop client limits the main window, the chat window, and the meeting stage to a minimum of 720 pixels wide. The new limit is 360 pixels by 502 pixels (width and height) or 502 x 360 with “no loss of functionality.” In other words, any menu option available in the old client interface is available in the new, even when windows shrink to the new minimum size.

Another big change is that it will be possible to zoom a Teams window out to a maximum of 400% (Figure 1) to make it easier for visually impaired users to access Teams content.

Both changes are part of Microsoft’s response to the European accessibility act. In this case, Teams comes under the part of the act intended to make computer systems more accessible.

Collectively, the changes can be compared to the kind of resizing possible for apps designed for the many different shapes found on mobile devices.

Snapping Resizable Teams Windows into Position

Like all UI changes, it will take users a little time to become accustomed to resizable windows. No one is forced to resize windows and it’s perfectly possible to continue working with Teams as before. Indeed, some users are likely to discover the availability of resizable windows by accident, perhaps after right-clicking the resize window button when they’ll see Teams offer the standard Windows snap layouts (Figure 2).

If that isn’t good enough, the panes in the Teams window are resizable to create just the right interface for whatever screen configuration you prefer. Figure 3 shows how the screen might look when the main chat window and the channel conversation panes are sized to the minimum width.

The Impact of Resizable Teams Windows on Apps

Notice the hamburger menu in the top left-hand corner. This reveals the apps pane to allow navigation to other areas of Teams, such as the new calendar, which can seem a little squashed when fitted into a small pane. Planner (Figure 4) is another app that benefits when its data is viewed using a wider pane.

Other apps are obviously unprepared for the advent of smaller panes, and developers might have to make some code adjustments to handle Teams resizable windows more elegantly than they will without any changes. This is understandable because I’m sure that none of the 2,854 apps currently available in the Teams app store were created with an eye on resizable windows.

The good news is that chats, meetings, and channel conversations work acceptably. Composing a new message in a small pane is a tad cramped, but if that’s what you need to do to make Teams work on a device, it’s OK.

All UI Changes Cause Some Upheaval

It’s a cardinal rule within the Microsoft Office ecosystem that UI changes cause some degree of upheaval for users. Muscle memory gets in the way when people encounter changes in the way that common applications work. Given that there’s 320 million monthly active users of Teams, the potential exists that a lot of people might need some help to master resizable windows.

As always, it’s best to be proactive about these things. Let people know that the UI change is coming. Explain the advantages for accessibility and sizing Teams for best display on large screens. Show that they don’t have to use resizable windows if they don’t want to, and how users can get back to “regular” Teams if resizing doesn’t work for them. This is a good change that is a positive advance for the client. The task now is to manage the introduction of Teams resizable windows without causing undue disruption for end users.