Microsoft Teams does a lot for us: it’s a communication hub, video meeting tool, collaborative space for teams, an instant messenger, and a lot more.
But we’d be lying to you if we called it a perfect application.
There’s still plenty about Microsoft Teams that could use some refining or some polish. One of these things has been a frustrating inability to customize sound notifications — until now.
No, this isn’t massively groundbreaking news. But for many Teams users, it’s still a big deal. Here’s what to know about the latest Teams update and how it can improve your workday quality of life.
Notifications Now Have Multiple Sound Options
If you work with headphones on, chances are you like to get into the flow of work. You might even listen to music or background sounds (we’re beach waves people!) to help you focus.
But right in the middle of a focused work session, PING — there it is, the Microsoft Teams notification sound, ready to rip you out of focused work and over to some unimportant watercooler chat about someone’s favorite sports team.
Well, now you have options. (It’s not a ton of options, we know, but hey — it’s a place to start!)
In addition to the trusty old PING, Teams users can now choose a chime or a whoosh sound, both of which may be more subtle or easy on the ears than the classic ping sound.
Different Notifications Get Different Sounds
The update also gives you the ability to set different sounds for different kinds of notifications. Do you want your significant other, key reports, or your boss to cut through the noise? Give those contacts a priority sound effect, but relegate everyone else to a less intrusive sound. That way the people who should take priority over your deep work can still reach you, but run-of-the-mill messages and notifications get pushed deeper into the background.
Notifications Can Be Muted, Too
Teams also now allows users to set up a sort of “do not disturb” mode that automatically mutes incoming notifications. This is perfect for meetings or periods of intensely focused work — for example, maybe your most trusted contacts and close family can reach you via text message (where notifications are still turned on), while everyone else can reach you only through Teams (where notifications are silenced)
Don’t Forget About Focus and Do Not Disturb
In addition to these enhancements to Teams, Microsoft has also provided system-wide focus settings in Windows 11. These tools can be key for staying productive and undistracted.
When in Windows 11’s focus mode, you’ll notice several changes to the Windows environment:
- Do not disturb will automatically turn on
- Taskbar apps won’t send flash alerts
- Badge notifications on taskbar apps will disappear
- A focus timer (think Pomodoro) will appear onscreen
Focus mode also integrates with the Clock app and has music integration built in.
There’s also a less intense “Do not disturb” standalone mode, which still silences notifications but not taskbar flashing or badge notification counters. Helpfully, it defaults to turning on when you’re in full screen mode or duplicating your display (times when you usually don’t want notifications popping up). You can also toggle this on manually under Settings: System: Notifications.
Create the Ideal IT Environment with Blue Ridge Technology
These recent enhancements to Microsoft Teams (and to Windows 11 itself) are a great help for productivity-minded professionals who want better control and greater focus. But sometimes your broader IT environment is creating extra distractions, too.
Ready for a more holistic approach to IT, one that lets you do your best work and worry less about IT needs? That’s what we do. Reach out to our team to discuss how we can help.