Microsoft Teams now shows chat in screen share mode, privately to the presenter

Microsoft has been constantly updating Teams with new features. Last week, the company added support for reacting to a message using multiple emojis. Now, Microsoft is making it easier to chat during screen sharing in Teams.

If you’ve ever shared your screen in a Teams call and struggled to keep up with chat messages, this update is for you. Microsoft Teams now lets you open a dedicated chat window while presenting. The best part? It’s only visible to you—even if it’s on the screen you’re sharing.

Thw new chat overlay lets you keep an eye on questions or feedback during your presentation without breaking focus. You can respond with a message or just drop a quick reaction, and the chat stays pinned wherever you place it. If it’s blocking something, you can move it or minimize it entirely.

“Many of you told us how important it was to be able to see and respond to chats while presenting in a Teams meeting – and now this is possible!” Microsoft noted in a Tech Community post. “This enables you to stay on top of participant input and looped into crucial conversations.”

To use the feature, start sharing your screen and click the “Chat” button on the meeting toolbar. You’ll get a message confirming that only you can see the chat window.

Also read: Microsoft Teams to block screen capture during meetings starting July 2025

The new chat experience is available now for users in the Teams Public Preview or Microsoft 365 Targeted release, as long as they’re using the new Teams client on Windows or macOS.