Using the Teams Meeting Controls bar

The Meeting Controls bar appears at the top of the window when you are in a Teams meeting. This article shows the location and function of the various controls available.

Camera

Use the Camera toggle button to turn your webcam on or off. When set to off, the icon will change with a line through the camera. In this state, other members in the meeting will be unable to see you.

Microphone

Use the Microphone toggle button to turn your microphone on or off. When set to off, the icon will change with a line through the microphone. In this state, other members in the meeting will be unable to hear you.

Share your screen

You can share your screen using the Screen Share button. You can choose to share your whole screen or just a certain window or application. Simply click the Screen Share button and select the screen or window you want to share. Check the Include System Audio box to share the sound from your PC too.

Raise your hand

You can click the Raise Hand button to indicate to other members of the meeting that you would like to contribute without interrupting the conversation. Click the button once to raise your hand. Click the button again to lower it.

Chat

Use the Chat button to open the meeting’s text chat window. In here you can share links and files with all members of the meeting, as you would within a standard Teams text chat.

View participants

Select the View Participants button to see who is present in the meeting. You can also invite other people into the meeting from this window.

Recording

To record a meeting, select the ellipsis (…) and choose Start Recording. The resulting video file will appear in the meeting chat once the recording ends. All other members of the meeting will be notified that the meeting is being recorded.

Background effects

Background Effects can be used to blur out the rest of the room visible behind you or to replace it with an entirely different background. To do this, select the ellipsis (…) and select Apply Background Effects. You can select from the default Microsoft backgrounds or upload your own.

Video Modes

You can choose the number of people to see on screen at once with various video options. The default Gallery view will show a maximum of 9 people in a 3 x 3 grid. Teams will automatically prioritise the people who are currently speaking.

Large Gallery Mode: you can select Large Gallery mode by click the ellipsis (…) and selecting Large Gallery. This will switch to a larger grid showing a maximum of 49 people in a 7 x 7 grid.

Together Mode: With this mode, Teams will places all members of the meeting in a virtual auditorium. This can help to make meetings feel more natural with everyone gathered together rather than in individual boxes. To enable this mode, click the ellipsis (…) and select Together Mode.