Organize chats

Hello Bogdan,

I understand that you receive both personal chat messages and group chat messages from multiple people and you are looking for ways to categorize them. Although directly grouping chats within Microsoft Teams isn't currently supported, there are several strategies that can help you manage your chats more effectively.

One approach is to use chat filters to sort and find specific types of chats. Microsoft Teams provides filters such as Unread, Mentions, Favorites, and More, which includes other categories like Files, Meetings, and Contacts. You can click the filter icon and choose the relevant filter to narrow your chats down.

Another strategy is creating custom folders or labels outside Teams to organise chats. For example, you can create folders or labels for chats related to different projects, teams, or topics in your email client. Use descriptive names for these folders to make it easy to identify the context of each chat.

You can also colour-code your chats based on their importance or category. Right-click on a chat and choose Change colour to assign a specific colour, such as red for urgent chats, green for personal chats, and blue for work-related chats.

Renaming group chats to something descriptive is another way to keep them organized. For example, if it's a project-related chat, you can name it after the project. To rename a group chat, click on the chat name at the top and choose Edit group details.

If you need to keep additional information related to a chat, consider using chat notes or external tools such as a note-taking app to store context, tasks, or reminders. You can create a separate note for each chat and link it to the relevant chat in Teams.

Lastly, you can provide feedback to Microsoft about the need for better chat organization features through the Help & feedback option in Teams. Additionally, you can upvote existing feature requests related to chat organisation on the Microsoft Feedback Portal.

Remember that Microsoft Teams continually evolves, and new features may be added over time. Until then, use these workarounds to keep your chats organized.

Kind regards, Segunfunmi.

I get both personal chat messages and group chat messages from several people and would like to categorize them. It's easy to do this for contacts, I want the same for chats.

Hello Bogdan T,

I'm Segunfunmi, an Independent Advisor and Microsoft user like you. Thank you for posting your query in this forum.

Certainly! Keeping your chats organized in Microsoft Teams can significantly improve your productivity. Here are some tips and features to help you manage your chats effectively:

Hide and Unhide Chats:

If you have chats you don’t need to see all the time but don’t want to delete them, you can hide them. Right-click on the chat you want to hide and select “Hide.” When you need to reference or respond to the chat again, you can search for and reveal the hidden chat, then “Unhide” it.

Delete Chats:

If you no longer need a specific chat (whether it’s a one-on-one chat, group chat, or meeting chat), you can delete it. Right-click the chat and select “Delete chat.” Once confirmed, the chat will be permanently removed.

Mark as Unread:

To save a message for later, right-click the chat and select “Mark as unread.” The chat will be bolded, making it easy to remember to come back to it.

Mute Chats:

Sometimes, notifications from active chats can be distracting. When you need to focus, right-click the chat and select “Mute.” You’ll still be part of the conversation, but notifications won’t bother you. You can always “Unmute” the chat when you’re ready to resume notifications.

Pin Important Chats:

If there’s a chat you need to keep an eye on and find quickly, right-click it and select “Pin.” It will be pinned to the top of your chat list. You can pin up to 15 chats. When you no longer need to keep it in sight, simply “Unpin” it, and it will return to the Recent chats list.

Remember, these features can be accessed by right-clicking a specific chat from your chat list. By using these tools, you can declutter your chat experience and focus on what matters most. Happy organizing!

Kind regards, Segunfunmi.