Microsoft Teams Feature: How to Delete User Chats

by HubSite 365 about Tony Redmond [MVP]

Principal at Redmond & Associates

Pro UserTeamsM365 Hot News

Microsoft rolls out Delete Chat feature on Teams Chat app, enabling users to declutter and efficiently manage their chat lists.

An Overview of Teams' New Delete Chat Feature

The subject at hand is Microsoft Teams' latest update, introducing the "Delete Chat" feature. This news, as informed by Tony Redmond's blog post, was announced on 12th November under the message center notification MC466199. According to the Microsoft 365 roadmap item 90723, the deployment for this feature, primarily facilitating tidiness in the Chat app, is expected to roll out in December 2022.

After six years, Teams has noticed that many users' chat lists have become cluttered, hence introducing the delete chat feature. This feature provides an easy way to reduce clutter by deleting access to 1:1, group, and meeting chats (bar webinar events). Now, end-users can remove chats that are long over and no longer of interest.

To remove a chat, a user can go to the […] menu and find the Delete chat option. It's important to note that this feature is only available if allowed by the Teams messaging policy linked to your account. Before deleting, the system will remind users to manually delete shared items separately as they are not removed with the chat.

The deletion of a chat removes a user's access while other chat participants retain full access, enabling uninterrupted collaboration. Leaving a chat differs from deletion, as the chat remains in the user's chat list, providing access to all messages posted before leaving. Equally, hiding a chat merely removes it from the chat list temporarily but resurfaces it once a new message is posted in the chat.

If a user deletes a group chat, they can be added again by one of the remaining participants but won't regain access to previous messages. In 1:1 chats, if the remaining user sends a message, the deleted party can rejoin without manual intervention but won't have access to previously exchanged messages.

Administrative controls are in place via the AllowUserDeleteChat setting in the messaging policy. This determines whether users see the Delete Chat option in the menu. On default, the setting is 'True', signifying that chats can be deleted. Updates to this setting can be managed through the Teams admin center or PowerShell.

If you would like to find out more about this new feature, please follow the link here for further information.

A Broad Look at Chat Management in Teams

The new Delete chat function adds to a range of options Teams offers to control user chat participation. Aside from normal course of action, users can mute notifications, hide, leave, or delete chats. These various options may require some user orientation to ensure they are used efficiently in managing clutter in Teams' chat lists.

Read the full article Teams Allows Users to Delete Chats

Teams - Microsoft Teams Feature: How to Delete User Chats

Learn about Teams Allows Users to Delete Chats

In today's digital era, communication methods have evolved significantly making it important for users to be able to manage their conversations. Microsoft Office 365 provides an application, Teams, to facilitate communication catering to individuals as well as organizations. One noteworthy feature is the 'Delete Chat' option, with its development announcement via message center notification MC466199 on 12 November 2022.

This feature was designed in answer to user feedback expressing the need to clean up cluttered chat lists. Ease of use was paramount in the enhancement, allowing users to delete their access to group or individual chats, scheduled to roll out in December 2022.

In order to delete a chat, an option under the […] menu is made available, provided the chat platform's messaging policy permits it. 'Delete Chat' aids in moving chats from the list that no longer hold interest or relevance.

It's crucial to note that before a user deletes a chat, they will be warned to delete any shared files, tasks, etc., independently.
In order to avoid detrimental disruptions, only the messages within the chat will get cleaned up by Teams, while other data will remain intact.

Moreover, making a clear distinction between 'Deleting and Leaving' chats is important for the users. On deleting a chat, they lose access while others can continue collaborating. However, while leaving, users maintain access to prior messages and the chat stays in their list.

Additionally, there are different options like 'Hiding' a chat which only removes the chat from the list while keeping it intact, and it's restored if a new message is posted. Though this doesn't aid in cleaning up the list. Users can also rejoin the chat lost due to deletion if added by a participant.

From the controller's perspective, the presence of 'Delete Chat' in the menu is controlled by the setting 'AllowUserDeleteChat' in Teams messaging policy. The default setting is True, enabling users to delete chats. The setting can be updated through the Teams admin center or PowerShell.

Notably, Teams also presents more ways to manage user participation in chats. Apart from usual chat proceedings, users can mute notifications, hide, leave or delete the chat. The differences between each option are subtle and might require some initial guidance for users in order to manage their chats and chat lists effectively.

With continuous updates and new features being added to Office 365, it is essential for all to stay updated to maximize benefits. Monthly insights along with new features and capabilities insights can be obtained by subscribing to Office 365 for IT Pros eBook.

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