Microsoft launches unified Teams app to save you from having to install two versions of Teams
You can now switch between personal, work, and school accounts within a unified Teams app.
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What you need to know
After months of testing a unified Microsoft Teams app is finally available. The launch of the new app ends a confusing setup for Teams on PC that required juggling multiple applications if you relied on the communication service for both personal and professional use. The new app supports switching between different account types, including personal, professional, and education.
The new unified Teams app is available for Windows 11, Windows 10, and macOS. You can choose your preferred Teams account for joining meetings or sign in as a guest within the app. You can also select any of your accounts when joining a meeting, even if they aren’t your preferred account.
Microsoft unveiled the unified Teams app in March of this year. The app is a welcome change to a strange setup for a communication platform used by hundreds of millions of people. At one point, Windows 11 had a chat experience integrated with the taskbar that was powered by the person version of Teams. Microsoft later got rid of the chat experience, leaving two entirely separate Teams apps available, one for person use and one for professional or educational use.
Finding the correct app was more confusing than it should have been, since searching for Teams could show either version. One way to get around this was to memorize the respective icons of the different Teams, but that shouldn’t be required to open the right version of Teams.
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The unified Teams app will come preinstalled withWindows 11 2024 Update (version 24H2), though you don’t have to wait to get the app. If you have Microsoft Teams installed on your PC, the app will update to the new version automatically. The new Teams is also availablethrough Microsoft’s website.
An article I posted recently includes a poll aboutwhich communication apps you use in 2024. Votes are still coming in, so I won’t share specific figures yet, but Microsoft Teams is off to a strong start. The poll lets you pick all of the apps you use from a list and then rank them, giving a more compressive view measure of which apps our readers use.
Microsoft Teams | Free at Microsoft
The new unified app for Microsoft Teams supports personal, work, and education accounts. The app itself is free, though there are several business plans that provide additional features for paid subscribers.
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Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
