If Microsoft Teams is obtaining on your nerves in Windows 11—popping up when you log in, generally functioning in the background, or launching when you click on the “Chat” taskbar icon—here’s how to get rid of it.
Why Does Microsoft Want Me To Use Groups?
Teams is Microsoft’s collaboration and chat app. It supports audio and video clip phone calls, text-based mostly chat, team chat, and synchronizing schedules, among other capabilities. Groups is a competitor to expert services these as Zoom, Google Chat, and Slack, and can be considered a alternative for Skype, another Microsoft Item. Microsoft adds value to its Home windows platform by obtaining folks to use its services, which aids it make a lot more dollars. That’s why it wishes you to use Teams.
Although Groups can be helpful for some folks, if you don’t use it, obtaining it usually jogging on your system can be an annoyance. The good news is, it is possible to keep away from or disable Groups, although you just can’t eliminate it wholly with out perhaps harming your Home windows 11 installation, due to the fact Microsoft considers it an essential aspect of Home windows. We’ll go more than a number of approaches in the sections ahead—ranging from minimum-to-most drastic removal steps.
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Conceal the Teams Chat Taskbar Icon
By default, Home windows 11 reveals a Teams Chat icon in your taskbar (that looks like a purple word bubble with a digital camera icon inside of). If you’d like to cover it, correct-click on the taskbar and pick “Taskbar Configurations.” When Options opens to the Personalization > Taskbar website page, extend the “Taskbar Items” portion if necessary, then flip the change beside “Chat” to “Off.”
The Chat icon will vanish right away from your taskbar. This does not halt Groups from jogging in the track record, but it does place it one particular phase more out of sight.
Connected: How to Clear away the “Chat” Taskbar Icon on Home windows 11
Prevent Groups From Launching at Startup
If you have made use of Windows 11 for a though, you are going to observe that Teams likes to pop up anytime you log into your Home windows person account. The good news is it’s quick to make it cease. Initially, open Options by pressing Home windows+i. Or you can appropriate-click on the Get started button and select “Settings.”
When Configurations appears, click “Apps” in the sidebar, then choose “Startup.”
In Startup configurations, you’ll see a list of “Startup Apps” that start anytime you log in. Identify “Microsoft Teams” in the record and flip the swap beside it to “Off.”
Immediately after that, near Settings. If Teams is nevertheless functioning in the background, give up it by clicking the caret arrow beside the speaker and Wi-Fi icons in the taskbar (also, in the vicinity of the clock). When a tiny bubble menu appears, suitable-simply click the Teams icon (purple with a “T” on it) and click on “Quit.”
At this level, Groups will not run yet again except you start it manually, although it is continue to on your program. If that is a problem, move on to the up coming section.
Uninstall Microsoft Groups
If you’d like to clear away Microsoft Groups from your application listing, it’s pretty easy to do. Initial, open up Settings by urgent Home windows+i (or appropriate-clicking the Get started button and deciding upon “Settings”). In Options, click on “Apps,” then select “Apps & Characteristics.”
Scroll down in the Apps Listing and locate “Microsoft Teams.” Simply click the 3 vertical dots button beside its entry in and select “Uninstall.”
Settings will request you to confirm with a pop-up. Simply click “Uninstall” once again. Right after a instant, Microsoft Teams will wholly vanish from the checklist of set up Apps.
But surprise! Groups is not wholly gone from your process, since it’s an necessary component of how the “Chat” taskbar icon is effective. To hold Groups from coming back again, disable the “Chat” icon in the taskbar (see the area previously mentioned). If you click on that icon, Groups will routinely reinstall by itself once more and undo each individual stage in the sections over.
Similar: This is How Home windows 11’s Teams Chat App Performs
How to Reinstall Microsoft Teams
If you formerly uninstalled Microsoft Groups but you require to get it back again, it is actually just a simply click away. It looks that even if you uninstall Groups, Windows 11 often keeps a backup copy to load once again when you click the “Chat” icon in the toolbar.
To re-install groups, all you require to do is allow the taskbar Chat icon (if it is not previously) and simply click it. To see the Chat icon, open up Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and expand “Taskbar Objects.” Click the change beside “Chat” to switch it “On.”
Immediately after that, simply click the Chat icon (the purple phrase balloon) in your taskbar.
Teams will instantly reinstall itself—and will also make by itself launch at startup once more. If you have to have to disable any of these functions separately, see the sections over. Joyful chatting!
Connected: How to Use Groups Chat in Home windows 11