Microsoft has introduced a new unified Teams application that allows Windows and Mac users to switch between personal, work, and education accounts without having to install multiple apps.
The new Microsoft Teams app also helps users switch between accounts without logging out and back in, and allows them to join meetings without logging into an account.
“Today we’re announcing that the unified Microsoft Teams experience is now available on Windows 10 and 11,” said Amit Fulay, VP of Product at Microsoft.
“By signing up for Teams with a personal email address or phone number, you can connect and collaborate with anyone, anytime, for free.
“You can also join as a guest without logging in. Whether you’re joining a call to connect with a client or discuss your school’s fall fundraiser, simply select your preferred account once you join the meeting.”
This update is now available to all users and can be downloaded from the Microsoft website. Desktop apps that are already installed will be updated automatically.
Microsoft first announced in March that it would soon provide a single Teams app for Windows and macOS for all account types.
A preview build was also made available to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels running Microsoft Teams version 24057.2000.2723.3544 or later and was automatically deployed on new installations of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26080 and later.
“Microsoft Teams will be available as a single application and will enable users to seamlessly move between multiple cloud environments, tenants, and account types in both personal and work settings,” the Windows Insider team said.
The company has also improved notifications with the new app to show which Teams account they belong to and updated personal notification banners to show more details, making it easier to interact with alerts.
While the unified preview app experience was previously called “Microsoft Teams (work or school)”, Redmond has now switched to “Microsoft Teams” and further simplified the naming scheme by removing “Microsoft Teams (free)”, the former standalone consumer app for Windows 11.
