Intune: Remove Teams Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar

Prajwal Desai
Posted by Prajwal Desai
Intune Remove Teams Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar

In this post, we will look at the steps to remove Teams Chat icon from Windows 11 Taskbar using Intune. You can manually turn off the Microsoft Teams Chat icon from your Windows 11 PC.

When you install Windows 11 or upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, you will find the new Microsoft Teams Chat icon on the taskbar. The Chat icon is pinned to the Windows 11 taskbar, and you can use your personal account to start a call or a chat session with your colleagues or friends.

The Intune Settings Catalog policy makes it easier for MEM admins to add, configure, customize and manage device and user policy settings. Using Settings Catalog Policy in Intune, you can remove Microsoft Teams Chat icon from Windows 11 taskbar.

According to Microsoft, there are two different versions of Teams on Windows 11:

  • The first one is a Teams app that is installed by default and is intended for personal use through a Microsoft account.
  • The second is for an enterprise environment in which the Teams app and infrastructure will be managed by an administrator. This version is intended to be used through a work or school account.

If the Windows 11 devices are enrolled in Intune and are managed by Intune (Microsoft Endpoint Manager), you can create a Configuration Profile and define settings to remove Teams Chat icon from Windows 11 Taskbar.

Ways to Disable Teams Chat Icon on Windows Computers

There are multiple methods that you can use to hide or disable Teams chat icon from Windows 11 taskbar:

  • Turn Off Microsoft Teams Chat Icon using Windows 11 Taskbar settings.
  • Hide/Disable Chat icon using Windows Registry.
  • Deploy a Group Policy to disable Teams chat icon.
  • Use a PowerShell script to hide/remove/disable the Chat icon.
  • For computers enrolled in Microsoft Endpoint Manager, deploy a profile and remove Teams Chat icon using Intune.

Hide Teams Chat Icon Option from Taskbar Removed

In the initial releases of Windows 11, Microsoft allowed the users to remove the chat icon from taskbar using hide from taskbar icon. However, in the latest Windows 11 version, you don’t get the option to hide chat icon from the Taskbar as that option is now removed.

Hide Teams Chat Icon Option from Taskbar Removed
Hide Teams Chat Icon Option from Taskbar Removed

Manually Turn Off Microsoft Teams Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar

On your Windows 11 PC, you can turn off the Microsoft Teams Chat icon from taskbar using these steps. Right-click on the Windows 11 Taskbar and select Taskbar Settings. Select Personalization > Taskbar and under Taskbar Items, turn off the Chat icon.

Manually Turn Off Microsoft Teams Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar
Manually Turn Off Microsoft Teams Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar

There are alternate methods available to hide or remove Teams chat icon from Windows 11 taskbar such as registry. You need to edit the Registry and make the changes which is not easy for home users. The above method works well on most Windows 11 versions.

Intune: Remove Teams Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar

Let’s see how you can hide or disable Windows 11 built-in Teams chat with Intune using Settings Catalog:

Create Intune Configuration Profile | Remove Teams Chat Icon
Create Intune Configuration Profile | Remove Teams Chat Icon

This new profile will apply for Windows 10 and later OS. The Profile type that we have selected here is Settings Catalog. Click Create.

On Create Profile window, specify the name of the profile as “Remove Teams Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar“. You can add a brief description of what this policy is all about. Click Next.

Create Intune Configuration Profile | Remove Teams Chat Icon
Create Intune Configuration Profile | Remove Teams Chat Icon

With Intune settings catalog, you can choose which settings you want to configure. You can include multiple settings in a single profile and deploy it to computers. To define new settings for the profile, select Add Settings.

Intune Settings Catalog - Add Settings
Intune Settings Catalog – Add Settings

You will be presented with Settings Picker window where you have to select the settings to disable control panel and PC settings for your computer.

In the search box, type “Configure Chat Icon” and click Search. Under Browse by category, select Experience. Select the setting “Configure Chat Icon” and close the Settings Picker window.

Settings Picker
Settings Picker

Configure Chat Icon Setting in Intune

The Configure Chat Icon setting allows you to configure the Microsoft Teams Chat icon and comes with following settings:

  • Windows Default: Honors the Chat Icon settings that you configure in Windows 11.
  • Show: The Chat icon will be displayed on the taskbar. The users can go to Windows 11 taskbar settings and turn it off when not required.
  • Hide: This option hides the chat icon from taskbar for all users. The users can turn off the chat icon display from taskbar settings and turn it on if required.
  • Disabled: This option disables the Chat icon completely. The users cannot enable it from Windows 11 personalization settings.
Configure Microsoft Teams Chat Icon
Configure Microsoft Teams Chat Icon

In this example, I am going to select Disabled option for Configure Chat icon. With this setting enabled, the Teams chat icon is disabled for users. Click Next.

Disable Teams Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar
Disable Teams Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar

On the Assignments tab, you must include the groups that you want to target this policy. Always select a test user group or pilot users so that you first test the working on this policy and then deploy it to a wider group.

Assign Intune Configuration Profile
Assign Intune Configuration Profile

Selecting Scope Tags in Intune are optional, and you may skip them. Click Next.

Intune Scope Tags
Intune Scope Tags

On the Review+Create tab, you can review the settings that you defined so far. Ensure all the settings are correct and select Create.

Intune Configuration Profile - Remove Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar
Intune Configuration Profile – Remove Chat Icon from Windows 11 Taskbar

A notification will appear automatically in the top right-hand corner with a message the following message Policy “Remove Teams Chat Button from Windows 11 Taskbar” created successfully. The policy is also listed under the Configuration profiles list.

You must wait for the Intune Policy to apply to the targeted groups and once the devices check-in with the Intune service they will receive your profile settings. You can also force sync Intune policies on your computers. Once the policy applies to the devices, you can see the Chat Icon has been disabled from Windows 11 taskbar. That completes the steps to remove teams chat icon using Intune.

Share This Article
Prajwal Desai
Posted by Prajwal Desai
Follow:
Prajwal Desai is a Microsoft MVP in Intune and SCCM. He writes articles on SCCM, Intune, Windows 365, Windows Server, Windows 11, WordPress and other topics, with the goal of providing people with useful information.
5 Comments