Microsoft has released a new unified Teams app to allow users to switch between accounts within the same application. It is available on Windows 11, Windows 10, and macOS – and is being automatically rolled out to all desktop users now.
The tech giant says the new unified Teams has been created in response to feedback from users who wanted a way to manage multiple accounts without needing separate applications installed on their machine. It follows the rollout of a new Teams app for Microsoft 365 Business users earlier in the year, which used the same architecture but kept personal and work accounts separate in two different apps.
The new unified app offers the ability to switch between personal and work profiles without signing in and out again or requiring both the ‘Home’ and ‘Work’ versions of Teams installed alongside each other. Now with a simple click on the profile picture, each account will open in windows from the same app.
“Microsoft Teams will be available as a single application, enabling users to seamlessly switch between multiple cloud environments, tenants, and account types,” the Windows Insider team explained.
This integration could be convenient for those who juggle multiple communications channels, but there are potential risks to be noted. Having multiple accounts so closely linked could lead to data overlap or unintended access to sensitive information. IT administrators can enforce sign-in restrictions to help mitigate these risks, and the app will ask you to select your preferred account whenever you join a meeting, but the possibility of data bleeding between work and personal accounts remains a consideration for both organisations and end users.