Microsoft Teams: Chat with anyone with an email address

Introduction

We're introducing a new capability in Microsoft Teams that allows users to start a chat with anyone who has an email address—even if they’re not currently using Teams. The recipient will receive an email invitation to join the chat session as a guest, enabling seamless communication and collaboration. This update simplifies external engagement and supports flexible work scenarios.

This feature will be available across Android, Desktop, iOS, Linux, and Mac platforms.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 513271.

When this will happen:

• Targeted Release: Rollout will begin in early November 2025 and is expected to complete by mid-November 2025.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in January 2026.

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected:

• All Microsoft Teams users in your organization.

What will happen:

• Users will be able to initiate chats with any external contact using their email address.
• External users will receive an email invitation and can join the chat as guests.
• The chat experience will be governed by your organization’s Entra B2B Guest policy.
• Chats will remain within your organization’s boundary.
• This feature will be enabled by default.

What you can do to prepare:

• Update internal documentation to reflect this new capability.
• Inform helpdesk and support teams about the change.
• To disable the feature, set the UseB2BInvitesToAddExternalUsers attribute of TeamsMessagingPolicy to false. Set-CsTeamsMessagingPolicy documentation here.

Compliance considerations:

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.