When collaborating in Microsoft Teams, desktop notification banners (toasts) pop up in the corner of your screen whenever a colleague sends you a direct message, posts in a channel, or replies to a thread. By default, these notification banners include both the sender’s name and the opening lines of the message text. While this preview helps you decide whether a message requires immediate attention, it creates a severe privacy and security liability in professional environments.
When presenting your desktop display during a client meeting, running a webinar, or working in a busy open-plan office or café, sensitive information—such as salary discussions, confidential project updates, or personal messages—can suddenly flash across your screen for everyone to read. Fortunately, Microsoft Teams allows you to turn off message previews entirely. In this guide, you will learn how to configure Teams notifications so they alert you to new messages without exposing confidential text.
Why Turn Off Message Previews in Microsoft Teams?
Disabling message previews provides essential corporate security benefits:
- Protects screen-sharing presentations: Prevents embarrassing or confidential chat messages from interrupting live demonstrations and team webinars.
- Secures open-plan office work: Ensures passers-by and colleagues sitting behind your desk cannot read private messages over your shoulder.
- Maintains alertness without distraction: You still receive an audible chime and banner notification showing who contacted you, allowing you to check the message at an appropriate moment.
How to Disable Message Previews in the New Microsoft Teams (Desktop)
To hide message contents from notification banners in the modern Microsoft Teams client on Windows or macOS:
- Launch Microsoft Teams on your computer.
- Click the Settings and more button (represented by three horizontal dots
...) located in the upper-right corner next to your profile avatar. - Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the Settings window sidebar, click on Notifications and activity.
- Under the Display section, locate the toggle switch labelled Show message preview.
- Click the toggle to turn it Off (grey).
Once disabled, all future desktop notification pop-ups will display the sender’s name and profile image alongside the generic text “sent a message”, without revealing any words from the message itself.
How to Hide Message Previews on Teams Mobile (iOS & Android)
To safeguard your phone lock screen from prying eyes:
- Open the Teams app on your mobile phone.
- Tap your profile avatar in the upper-left corner and select Notifications.
- Under General activity, tap Alerts.
- Find Show message preview and switch it to Off.
Using Teams “When in meetings” Mute Setting
If you prefer having message previews while doing solitary work, but want them completely silenced while presenting in a video call:
- In Teams Settings > Notifications and activity, scroll to Meetings.
- Find Mute notifications during meetings and calls and toggle it On.