Let’s face it—notifications can be both a blessing and a productivity wrecker. Who hasn’t been in the zone only to have a notification pop up right in your line of sight, yanking your focus away? Well, Microsoft Teams now has a solution for that! Starting January 16, 2025, Microsoft rolled out a new feature in public preview that allows Windows desktop users to customize where those pesky-but-crucial notifications appear on their screens. What’s the big deal about this? Oh, let’s dive in because there’s more here than meets the eye.
Historically, Microsoft Teams notifications have been locked to the bottom-right corner of the screen. Every ping, pop-up, and alert would nestle itself there, waiting for you to engage. While convenient for some users, others found it disruptive—especially when trying to juggle tasks or multitask with multiple app windows open.
This new feature changes the game by letting you place notifications in any one of four locations:
For Targeted Release organizations, admins can allow early access for certain users or the entire company. That way, power users and early adopters can test and provide feedback.
By placing notifications in a less intrusive part of the screen, users can regulate when and how they engage with new information. Think about the possibilities in a work-from-home setup: You're screen-sharing in a Teams meeting, and all your notifications happily stack themselves in the top-left corner, unseen by anyone else.
Teams has also been on a feature spree lately:
Some possibilities include:
Being able to tuck alerts safely into corners of your screen means more focus, fewer distractions, and a desktop that feels a lot more like your workspace rather than another intrusion on it.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried the new feature. Does it live up to your expectations, or are there tweaks you’d still like to see?
Source: Petri IT Knowledgebase Microsoft Teams Lets Users Control Where Notifications Appear on Screen
What’s New? Moving Teams Notifications Around
Historically, Microsoft Teams notifications have been locked to the bottom-right corner of the screen. Every ping, pop-up, and alert would nestle itself there, waiting for you to engage. While convenient for some users, others found it disruptive—especially when trying to juggle tasks or multitask with multiple app windows open.This new feature changes the game by letting you place notifications in any one of four locations:
- Bottom-right (the traditional spot)
- Top-right (above the Start Menu’s corner, for example)
- Bottom-left
- Top-left (for that clean "out of the way" placement)
How to Customize Notification Placement in Microsoft Teams
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to setting this up if you're enrolled in the Teams public preview program:- Navigate to Settings:
Open Microsoft Teams and click your profile picture, then go to Settings. - Hit the Notifications Tab:
Under the Notifications and activity section, you’ll find the Display location setting. - Select Your Preferred Location:
You’ll have four choices: Bottom-right, Top-right, Bottom-left, or Top-left. Simply click on the one you prefer. - Apply Changes and Test:
That’s it! Now, wait for a notification to pop up and check out your newly customized placement.
Who Can Use This Feature?
As of now, it’s rolling out gradually to participants in Microsoft’s Targeted Release and users who have opted into the Teams public preview program. If you’re an IT administrator, enabling this for your organization involves activating the “Show preview features” policy in the Microsoft 365 admin center.For Targeted Release organizations, admins can allow early access for certain users or the entire company. That way, power users and early adopters can test and provide feedback.
Why This Matters: The Psychology of Disruption
Here’s why this update deserves more than just a passing glance: It taps into how our brains process interruptions. Research tells us that constant notifications, even quick pop-ups, can derail focus and cost us up to 23 minutes as we switch tasks and reset our mental flow. Worse, when notifications appear in high-visibility zones (like the bottom-right on most Windows desktops), they’re harder to ignore, even if they’re not urgent.By placing notifications in a less intrusive part of the screen, users can regulate when and how they engage with new information. Think about the possibilities in a work-from-home setup: You're screen-sharing in a Teams meeting, and all your notifications happily stack themselves in the top-left corner, unseen by anyone else.
Who Benefits the Most?
Let’s be real—this isn’t just for individual users. Entire organizations and IT administrators can take advantage of this:- Remote Workers: Keep interruptions to a minimum during critical tasks, like coding or drafting reports.
- Video Conferencers: Avoid that awkward ping during screen-sharing sessions.
- IT Departments: Gain another tool to promote workplace productivity without introducing draconian measures like notification blocking.
- Accessibility Users: Some individuals with screen-specific accessibility needs may find alternative positions more comfortable or visible.
Broader Implications: Customization as a Trend in Collaboration Software
Microsoft Teams’ push to let users fine-tune notification settings isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s part of a trend in enterprise software to balance usability with personalization. Think about how apps like Slack or even Windows itself offer granular settings for display customization. Microsoft is leaning heavily into this trend as it competes with rivals like Google Workspace and Zoom.Teams has also been on a feature spree lately:
- Control during screen-sharing: Empowering users to take over shared screens (great for quick collaboration).
- RTMP-In 708 captions for webinars and Town Hall meetings: Making Teams a gold standard for accessibility.
- Whiteboard updates for Android devices: Enhancing brainstorming features for cross-platform users.
Feature Comparison: How Does Teams Stack Up?
Just to put this in perspective, competitors like Zoom and Slack also allow customized notifications but typically focus more on muting or prioritization. Slack, for instance, offers channel-specific mute settings and keywords. However, the ability to alter placement itself is a relatively rare feature among mainstream collaboration platforms. This gives Teams an edge in user-experience design, at least within the work-app ecosystem.Can We Expect More Notification Updates Down the Road?
While this change is welcomed by many, it’s worth asking: Is notification placement the tip of the iceberg? Microsoft has been prioritizing user feedback through its Feedback Portal and Insider programs. It wouldn’t be surprising to see more notification-based updates aimed at streamlining work-life balance and productivity.Some possibilities include:
- Customizable contexts: Notifications that adjust their visibility based on whether you’re presenting, editing a document, or in Focus Mode.
- AI-Powered Summarization: Instead of pinging users constantly, how about one AI-generated summary at the end of the hour or day?
Final Thoughts
It’s often the simple updates that make a massive difference in how we work. Microsoft Teams’ notification placement feature might not be earthshaking, but by refining small aspects of the user experience, Microsoft is showing it understands what users want—and what they don’t.Being able to tuck alerts safely into corners of your screen means more focus, fewer distractions, and a desktop that feels a lot more like your workspace rather than another intrusion on it.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried the new feature. Does it live up to your expectations, or are there tweaks you’d still like to see?
Source: Petri IT Knowledgebase Microsoft Teams Lets Users Control Where Notifications Appear on Screen
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