Microsoft Teams: Hiding inactive channels

Updated February 27, 2026: We have paused rollout of this item at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Note: Hiding inactive channels

Based on Admin feedback, we are updating the behavior for automated hiding of inactive channels to be opt-in (suggestions) only. With this update, Teams will offer users suggestions on channels that are inactive, and the user is prompted to review their inactive channels and hide them only if they choose. The user will also be able to view when they last visited the channel to help them decide if they would like to hide the channel. The settings support this opt-in workflow and there are no changes to the on-demand hiding process.

This feature is enabled for targeted release, and we will roll out to General Availability targeting January 2026.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 325780.

When this will happen:

The feature is in public preview.

Targeted Release: Available now.

General Availability (Worldwide) and all clouds: We will announce via Message center when we are ready to proceed.

How this will affect your organization:

Before this rollout: Users had to manually manage their relevant channels list by hiding inactive and irrelevant channels.

After this rollout:

Manage preferences for automated suggestions via Teams Settings

If users prefer to manage channels manually, they can opt out of the auto-suggestions process. Simply go to Teams settings, select General, and toggle off "Suggestions for hiding inactive channels."

Hide inactive channels on demand when needed

Users can manually view which channels are inactive and choose to hide some or all of them whenever you need. This can be done from Settings, under General, by clicking the "Get Suggestions" button. Note that this action can be performed once every 24 hours.

Automated suggestions of inactive channels

With this, Teams will suggest channels that have been inactive for the user. Once the inactive channels are identified, the user is notified with the coach mark message, "Looks like you haven’t visited some channels lately. Hide them to help you focus."

The user can select Review and Hide to see the details and decide which channels they would like to hide. The user can choose not hide any channels by selecting Not Now

If a user has less than or equal to 25 shown channels, no channels will be suggested for that user. This feature is on by default and all Teams users on the affected platforms will have access to it.

What you need to do to prepare:

Admins need to be aware of this feature, but no additional action is needed.