Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and communication platform developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity tools and provides users with a variety of features to facilitate communication and collaboration in the workplace. Some of its key features include Chat, Video and audio calling, file sharing, and more.
Microsoft wants you to use its Microsoft Teams app; that’s why the app is deeply integrated into Windows 11 as the native experience. However, if you don’t want to use it on your system, you can fully disable and uninstall Microsoft Teams from Windows 11. You can follow the methods outlined below.
How to Disable Microsoft Teams From Windows 11
Before we delve into the process of completely uninstalling Microsoft Teams from the Windows operating system, let’s first explore how to disable it without removing it. Disabling Microsoft Teams may be a preferred option for those who want to temporarily halt its functionality without entirely removing the application.
To disable Microsoft Teams on Windows, you can use the following methods:
1. Hide the Microsoft Teams from the Taskbar
The most straightforward method to disable Microsoft Teams is by deactivating it from the taskbar. If you’re not using Teams or simply prefer not to have its icon on your taskbar, you can remove it.
Here are the steps you can follow:
1. Right-click on the empty space on the Windows taskbar and select the Taskbar Settings option from the menu that appears. Alternatively, you can also click on the Start Menu and then select Settings.
2. Click on the Personalization tab from the left panel of the Settings window.
3. Then, look for the Taskbar option to the right of your screen and open it.
4. After that, expand the Taskbar Items section to access the Taskbar settings, where you can choose whether to display or hide the Taskbar’s items.
5. To remove Microsoft Teams from the Windows 11 taskbar, turn off the toggle option next to the Chat option.
Note
To turn the Chat icon back on, simply repeat these steps and toggle Chat back to on.
2. Disable from Startup
If you have used Microsoft Teams before and enabled auto-startup, the app will automatically start every time you turn on your system. To prevent this from happening, you need to remove Microsoft Teams from the startup list using the Task Manager. Here’s how:
1. Right-click on the Windows taskbar and select the Taskbar Manager to open it.
2. Click on the Hamburger menu and select the Start apps settings.
3. On the right panel, you will see a list of startup apps. Look for the Microsoft Teams app and right-click on it.
4. From the menu that appears, select the Disable option.
3. Remove Microsoft Teams from System Tray
You can also disable Microsoft Teams from the system tray by removing it. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Click on the System Tray icon.
2. Here, you can find the icons of the apps that are currently running in the background.
3. Look for the Microsoft Teams icon and right-click on it, then select Quit to remove it.
How to Uninstall Microsoft Teams From Windows 11
However, if you don’t want to just disable it, you can completely remove Microsoft Teams from your Windows 11 computer by uninstalling it. For that, you can follow any of the below-mentioned methods. So, let’s get started.
1. Using the Start Menu
The simplest method to uninstall Microsoft Teams is from Windows 11 using the Start Menu. Here’s how:
1. Click the Start Menu button.
2. Then search for Microsoft Teams in the search box.
3. After that, right-click on the Microsoft Teams app icon and select the Uninstall option from the context menu.
4. A confirmation window will appear, click the Uninstall button to uninstall the program from your Windows operating system.
2. Using Settings
Here is another handy and quick way to uninstall Microsoft Teams on Windows 11 using Settings. Here are the steps you can follow:
1. Open Settings on your system by pressing Win + I keys.
2. Click on the Apps tab from the left panel of the Settings window.
3. Then, select the Installed Apps options present to the right of your screen.
4. After that, on the search box, search for Microsoft Teams.
5. Click the three dots beside the app name and select the Uninstall button.
6. After that, click the Uninstall button again to confirm the action.
Conclusion
Microsoft Teams is a great tool for collaborating with others, but not everyone may find it necessary for their work. If you wish to disable or uninstall Microsoft Teams from your Windows 11 device, you can follow the steps outlined above.
Removing Microsoft Teams from your system not only frees up valuable system resources, but it also allows for a more personalized computing experience. That concludes this guide. I hope you found it helpful. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.
