Microsoft Teams Live Chat Is Shutting Down on October 5

Teams Live Chat retirement is now official, with Microsoft confirming that the customer communication feature will stop working on October 5, 2026.

Microsoft is shutting down the Live chat feature roughly 18 months after introducing it. The company says it wants to focus its resources on newer customer communication and engagement tools.

Microsoft already stopped organizations from creating new Live chat setups on August 6. Companies that currently use the service should remove their existing website widgets before the October deadline.

Any Live chat widgets that remain installed after October 5 will automatically become hidden.

Teams Live Chat connected website visitors with support teams

Live chat came with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium plans that included Teams.

Businesses could add a chat widget directly to their websites. Customers could then use the widget to contact employees or support teams without leaving the website, while agents managed those conversations through Teams.

The relatively short lifespan means Microsoft is retiring the feature less than two years after making it available.

Existing Teams Live Chat data will remain available

Once Microsoft retires Live chat on October 5, customer messages will no longer reach Teams.

Organizations will also lose support for new conversations, escalations, and other customer interactions handled through the service.

However, Microsoft will not remove the Teams channels previously created for Live chat. Companies will also retain access to customer information already stored through those conversations.

The retirement therefore, affects future activity rather than historical Live chat data.

Microsoft recommends Dynamics 365 and Copilot Studio

Microsoft is directing organizations that still need website-based customer support toward Dynamics 365 Contact Center with Live Chat.

The company also recommends Copilot Studio, which provides AI-powered capabilities for customer engagement and contact center scenarios.

Microsoft continues to expand other parts of Teams at the same time. Facilitator AI will soon be able to join Teams channel meetings, while Teams will also show Awards and Certifications as badges on user profile cards.

Via The Register