Updated July 14, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[What and Why]
To address customer feedback, Microsoft is introducing a new user-level setting in Microsoft Teams that allows individuals to disable file previews in their messaging experience. This gives users more control over how files are displayed while preserving the existing experience by default.
This message is associated with Roadmap ID 561321.
[Rollout Schedule]
- Targeted Release: Rollout will begin in early June 2026 and is and is expected to complete by mid-June 2026.
- General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin mid-June 2026 and is expected to complete by end of July 2026 (previously late June).
[Impact on Your Organization]
Who is affected:
All users in Microsoft 365 tenants who use Microsoft Teams.
Platforms / Services:
- Microsoft Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams for the web
What will happen:
- A new setting called “Enable file previews” will appear under Settings > Files and links.
- The setting is ON by default, so there is no change to existing behavior.
- Users can turn the setting OFF to disable file previews for themselves.
- This setting applies per user; other users will still see file previews if enabled.
- The setting applies only for the current client and needs to be set for each client (for example, desktop and web).
[Action Required / Recommendations]
- No admin action is required.
- Notify helpdesk staff about this change.
- Optionally inform users that they can manage file previews in Teams settings.
[Compliance considerations]
| Area | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed? | The change affects how file previews are rendered in Microsoft Teams at the user level. File storage, permissions, and access controls are unchanged. |
| Does the change include an admin control? | The feature is enabled by default at the tenant level and managed through user settings, without requiring new admin configuration. |
| Does the change allow a user to enable or disable the feature themselves? | Users can turn the “Enable file previews” setting on or off in Teams under Settings > Files and links. |