Four Microsoft Teams features that can make everyday work easier

Microsoft Teams, a workplace communication platform built around chat and video calls, regularly gets new features that users often notice late. By Microsoft's own count, the platform has more than 320 million monthly active users. Here are four features that can help with remote work and meetings.

Countdown timer

The meeting timer arrived in mid-2025. To use it, select More in the top toolbar, then Timer. It appears in the top left corner of the meeting window, and time can be set for up to 100 minutes. Other attendees see it if they have presenter capabilities in the meeting. The timer turns red as time runs low and flashes when it runs out. It can be changed or cancelled, but it only works in scheduled meetings, not in live events, webinars or spontaneous calls.

Voice isolation

This feature uses artificial intelligence to reduce background noise during calls and meetings. First, a voice profile must be created: in settings, choose Recognition, then Create a voice profile, start voice capture, read a short paragraph and end the capture. During a call, the dropdown next to the microphone button lets you switch voice isolation on or off.

Live transcription

Transcription was introduced in 2021. According to Microsoft, it works in near real time and remains available after the meeting. It can tell speakers apart. The company has said it does not store the data or use it to train its own AI models. If an admin has allowed it, the organizer or presenter can turn transcription on under the three-dot menu, and everyone in the meeting is notified. Participants can turn off speaker attribution in accessibility settings.

Finding drafts

Since March 2026, the left panel of Teams chat has included a list of unsent drafts. It lets users find a message they started typing, return to the original conversation or discard the draft.