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MS Teams: Group Chats into folders is gone

Edward Chin 25 Reputation points
2025-08-21T12:57:50.4233333+00:00

I am writing to request the restoration of the chat grouping or “folders” feature in Microsoft Teams. This capability was essential for users who manage large volumes of chats, allowing us to organize conversations by project, department, or priority efficiently. The recent removal of this feature has resulted in a more cluttered chat experience and has made it significantly harder to keep teams and projects organized. Bringing back chat folders would greatly enhance productivity, streamline communication, and help users maintain the organizational workflows they have relied on. Please consider reintroducing this valuable feature in future Teams updates.

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for business | Chats | Search messages and conversations
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  1. Vicky-I 6,210 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-08-21T14:19:19.4366667+00:00

    Dear @Edward Chin,

    Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback regarding the removal of the chat grouping or “folders” feature in Microsoft Teams. We truly appreciate users like you who take the time to share how changes impact your workflow.

    We understand that the ability to organize group chats into folders was essential for managing high volumes of conversations, especially when coordinating across multiple projects, departments, or priorities. Your concern about the cluttered experience and reduced organizational efficiency is valid and shared by many users.

    While the traditional folder-based grouping has been retired, Microsoft Teams now offers several alternative tools to help you stay organized, I recommend you try my suggestions bellow:

    1. Custom Sections: You can now create personalized sections in your Chat view to group conversations by topic, project, or team. This offers a flexible way to organize chats similarly to folders. Learn more: The new chat and channels experience in Microsoft Teams.
    2. Favorites: Pin important chats and channels to the top of your list for quick access.
    3. Channels within Teams: For structured collaboration, consider using Channels. They support threaded conversations, file sharing, and app integrations, ideal for long-term projects or departmental communication.
    4. Copilot in Teams: If available in your environment, Copilot can help summarize long chats, extract action items, and automate follow ups.

    Your suggestion to reintroduce chat folders is valuable. We recommend submitting it directly through the Microsoft Feedback Portal via Ideas · Community or Microsoft Teams Setting > Feedback > Suggest a feature option in the Teams app: User's image

    This ensures your voice reaches our product team for consideration in future updates.

    Once again, thank you for your excellent feedback, Edward. We’re committed to improving your Teams experience and helping you stay productive and organized.

    Warmest Regards.

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  1. SimonD 26 Reputation points
    2025-08-25T04:57:49.2133333+00:00

    I discovered this feature on Friday and set up my groups and now they are gone on Monday - however the groups I made flash up very quickly then disappear whenever I switch to the chat panel. Copilot told me this about chat grouping. I haven't test workaround yet:

    ❌ Has It Been Removed?

    Yes — but not permanently. As of 21–22 August 2025, the feature disappeared for many users due to a UI bug or layout issue in the latest Teams update. Microsoft has acknowledged this as an active incident (Issue ID: TM1139221) affecting the visibility of chat groups.

    You’re not alone — many users reported that:

    Their chat groups briefly appear when opening the Chat tab.

    Then they vanish, reverting to a flat list of chats.

    The toggle to separate chats and channels is missing in Settings3.

    🔄 Is It Retired or Just Broken?

    It’s not officially retired. Microsoft moderators have confirmed:

    The feature is still part of the new Teams experience.

    The disappearance is due to a bug or layout conflict.

    A fix is being worked on, but no ETA has been provided4.

    🧪 Temporary Workaround

    Some users have had success with this method:

    Quit Teams completely.

    Go to:

    C:\Users<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams

    Delete the contents (this clears the cache).

    Restart Teams and quickly go to Settings > General.

    If available, toggle “Separate Chat and Channels”.

    This may restore the grouping view temporarily.

    2 people found this answer helpful.
  2. Edward Chin 25 Reputation points
    2025-08-21T15:07:54.85+00:00

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