But how does Microsoft Teams’ Together Mode work, and how do you enable it? Let’s find out.
What Is Together Mode in Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams Together Mode is a tool introduced to make remote meetings more engaging. It embeds visuals from separate lenses into a shared environment that gives you an in-conference effect. In addition, Microsoft Teams uses AI mapping to cut out your face and shoulders from your respective screens and create an avatar.
Fortunately, Microsoft Teams is now available for personal use, so you can host a video conference on Microsoft Teams with your friends or have virtual family get-togethers as well.
You can choose from virtual spaces like a library, auditorium, or office, and the avatar slots itself into your chosen virtual space. It also allows you to high-five with your co-workers and tap people on the shoulder as well. A meeting must have at least two attendees for you to be able to use Together Mode.
If you’re wondering how to use Together Mode on Microsoft Teams, we have you covered. This article will walk you through the steps for both Microsoft Teams App and the web version.
How to Use MS Teams Together Mode
If you’re using the desktop client, follow these steps to enable Together Mode:
Go to Settings and check the box beside Turn on new meeting experience. You need to do this only on older versions, though. You won’t see this option on newer versions because the new meeting experience is enabled by default. Join a meeting and hover your cursor over the ellipses icon at the top right of the screen. Select Together Mode.
How to Use Microsoft Teams Together Mode on the Web
For enabling Together Mode on the web version, you’ll need to follow more or less the same process except for one difference. The position of the settings panel is slightly different from the desktop client. On the web version, it’s placed at the bottom corner.
Join a meeting from Microsoft Teams web version. Sign in and join a meeting. During the call, you’ll find a panel at the bottom of the Teams screen. Click on the ellipsis icon. From the list that opens, select Together Mode, and that should do it.
Note that you may need to check with the administrator and find out if they have allowed the Together Mode for you.
When you’re done, you should be able to see all your team members in a view of your choosing.
When Do You Need Microsoft Teams Together Mode?
The Together Mode offers a more inclusive environment in a world where remote work has become the norm. Here’s when using Together Mode would add value to your MS Teams experience:
When the number of attendees is high: Using Together Mode will make you feel connected in a virtual space and carry out natural conversations as if you would in a physical world. For instance, if you have 30 attendees, you could use an auditorium background where all faces appear to be occupying the seats in an auditorium. When your calendar is packed with back-to-back meetings: Employees face meeting fatigue when they have to hop from one conference to another. With Together Mode, conferencing becomes less exhausting and gives you a feeling similar to an in-person meeting. When you want a more engaging experience: Together Mode provides a more engaging experience, especially for the host. Microsoft Teams assembles the attendees as they would look in an actual conference hall to give as close an experience to the real thing as possible.
Other Things to Know About Together Mode
You will need at least two attendees to activate the Together Mode, and Teams can accommodate a maximum of 49 attendees in a single meeting. When you enable Together Mode, it doesn’t affect any other attendee’s view. They continue to see the standard Microsoft Teams screen.
Of course, only the users with the latest version of Microsoft Teams can enable Together Mode, assuming the organizer or the presenter has enabled it. All participants with the latest version can see Together Mode as long as the organizer or the presenter has enabled it. If the presenter hasn’t allowed Together Mode, you’ll need to request them to enable Together Mode.
Make Your Meetings Come Alive
You can install Microsoft Teams on Linux, Windows, iOS, and Android devices. You can also use a browser like Chrome or Edge to use the web version if you have a one-off MS Teams meeting. In addition, Together Mode offers a more engaging environment where participants can experience meetings as they’d happen in a workplace. Together Mode is only one of the many features to arrive on Microsoft Teams in 2021, though.
