Microsoft Teams Rolls Out Threaded Conversations and Multi-Emoji Reactions in Public Preview

Microsoft Teams is stepping up its game with the rollout of threaded conversations, now available in public preview. After promising the feature earlier this year, Microsoft is delivering one of its most-requested updates to improve how users communicate in channels.

The new threaded conversations feature is designed to bring clarity to long discussions, allowing users to focus on relevant threads and easily follow decisions. “You can follow the threads that matter most to you, and when an important update or decision is made, you can send it back to the main conversation, so everyone stays aligned without requiring them to sift through every reply,” said Noga Ronen, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft Teams.

Unlike Slack’s more flexible threading, Teams will require channel owners to choose between a “posts” or “threads” layout for each channel. This means the threading experience may be more structured, depending on how a team uses its channels.

Teams also introduces a followed threads view, where users can keep track of conversations they've engaged with. “By default, you’ll only follow threads you’ve started, replied to, been mentioned in, or explicitly chosen to follow,” Ronen added. Noisy threads can be easily unfollowed from this view.

In addition to threading, Microsoft is enhancing reactions with multiple emoji support per message, now live in public preview. This allows for richer expression in chat, expanding beyond the traditional single-reaction limit.

The update also brings improvements to slash commands, including the ability to search for GIFs using the /gif command, making Teams a more dynamic and engaging collaboration platform.

These new features signal Microsoft’s continued efforts to refine Teams as a competitive and user-friendly workspace solution.