How to mute on Microsoft Teams
We’ve heard the call from the mountaintops—remote work is here to stay! To keep everybody connected from wherever they are, we can expect online meetings and digital engagements to continue, and with them, more potential for embarrassing moments.
Like the time that lawyer in Texas couldn’t remove the kitten filter during his court appearance. Or the surgeon who dialed into his hearing while he was operating on a patient. And what about those even more cringe-worthy moments of, ahem, a more personal nature?
With so many different meeting tools, it can be hard to keep track of how each one works. Here at mütesync we’ve used them all! In the past we shared all the obvious, and not-so-obvious, ways to mute on Zoom and now we’re tackling Microsoft Teams.
How to Mute Microsoft Teams on Mac and Windows
During a Teams meeting there is a phone icon in the top right that can be used to mute your microphone. Simply click to toggle your mute status. If you begin sharing your screen then the mute functionality will appear in a small black meeting control panel that will stay on screen even while you are presenting. Once again the phone icon is the mute button.
If you are the host, the participant panel can be used to mute participants using the three dot menu. You can show the participant panel by clicking the leftmost icon (the icon looks like an outline of two torsos) in the top right icon section in Teams. Note: You can only show comments or the participant list, not both at once.
From the participant menu you can only mute participants, not unmute them. I often find myself trying to mute/unmute myself from the phone icon or three dot menu on the participant panel but alas, you cannot mute yourself from the participant panel.
If grabbing your mouse and finding your cursor is too slow you can use the Microsoft Teams hotkey to mute and unmute.
On Windows, press Control+Shift+M while in the meeting and it will toggle your mute status.
On Mac the keyboard shortcut, Command+Shift+M will toggle your mute status on Teams.
Why Do Companies Use Microsoft Teams?
In the wake of the global pandemic, companies everywhere sent employees out of the office and home to work. We’re working remotely, meeting virtually, and leveraging digital tools to maintain productivity and facilitate meaningful connections.
Microsoft Teams is just one tool among many. But since millions of companies run on Microsoft, using Teams for meetings and chats just makes sense. Since it’s integrated with the entire Microsoft ecosystem, it provides employees with a seamless workflow. There’s no more switching back and forth between Zoom or Google, and all scheduling can be handled without leaving the Microsoft environment.
Microsoft Teams makes it easy for teams to collaborate, connect, share, and innovate on a single, unified platform that’s connected to all company files and systems. The time you save by not having to jump around from app to app translates to fewer errors made, less backtracking, accelerated timelines, increased productivity, improved employee engagement, and better-quality connections overall.
The problem is, not everybody is as tech-savvy as they need to be in today’s digital landscape. We use so many different apps to connect, and video conferencing tools are a big part of the toolkit in 2021. Whether it’s Zoom, Google Meet, Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, Discord, or a combination of all of the above, these incredible tools make it possible for people to stay productive and safe, despite working remotely.
But even though these apps all do similar things, they each have a slightly different interface, and therein lies the problem. The controls look and act a bit differently from app to app, which makes it easy to get confused about where certain functions and buttons are on the toolbar.
There’s an Easier Way to Know Your Mute Status and Toggle Mute
The mütesync virtual mute button is a free app that adds a small icon that is always visible, no matter what meeting app you’re using. If you’re a Mac user, the mütesync icon lives on your toolbar at the top right of the screen. For Windows, you’ll see the icon clearly in the system tray at the bottom.
When the microphone icon is red, your mic is live. When it’s yellow you are muted. To mute your microphone, you can use your meeting app or simply just click on the mütesync icon in your system tray. The icon will toggle your mute status and change color to indicate status.
If you’re looking for a solution to help you easily mute Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Discord and more, you can use the free mütesync virtual mute button.
Physical Mute Button for Microsoft Teams
Do you need something a little more prominent and obvious to mute Microsoft Teams? Something your housemates, partner, parents, or coworkers can see so they know when you’re in a meeting and your mic is live? If so, the mütesync physical mute button might be just what you’re looking for.
Meet our physical, lighted mute button—an outboard peripheral device that connects directly to your computer via standard USB. The big red button lights up when your mic is live.
The physical mute button is handy for multitaskers who have a ton of files and applications open on their desks. It’s one of those “you can’t miss it” kind of things, and face it, as busy as we all are these days, we need all the help we can get.
Microsoft Teams users and remote workers everywhere, your mute solution has arrived. Download the free mütesync app or order the physical mute button today and never worry about your hot mic faux-pas ever again.
