Microsoft Teams is launching a chat feature in Outlook

Users of Microsoft Outlook will soon be able to enjoy a more collaborative experience thanks to a new update for Microsoft Teams.

The video conferencing service is working on a feature that it says will bring Teams chat into Outlook to enable a meeting-style approach within the email client.

These new "Outlook meetings" will allow participants to send a quick message, or review a chat, without having to open up Microsoft Teams separately, meaning users won't need to switch between the applications.

Microsoft Teams in Outlook

In its entry on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the company notes that the new feature will provide, "an easy Teams chat experience from Outlook in the context of a meeting for participants".

There's not much detail on exactly how the feature will work just yet, but it looks likely to be an expansion to the Teams functions already integrated within Outlook. Users have the Teams add-in for Outlook automatically enabled when both apps are installed on a device, giving them the option to quickly message their contacts.

The feature is currently listed as being "in development", with its general release  expected March 2023. When launched, it will be available for all Outlook web users.

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The news is the latest step in bringing Microsoft Teams and Outlook together as the company looks to simplify its communication tools.

Recently, it announced a new feature that will let users run apps built for Microsoft Teams within Outlook. It hopes this will make for a more seamless online collaboration experience, as users won't need to constantly switch between Teams and Outlook to stay on top of their work.

Users will also be able to acquire and use these updated Teams apps (including personal tabs and/or search-based message extensions) without leaving the email platform.

Another new app means that Microsoft Teams users will soon be able to integrate their calendars with Outlook, which syncs across the entire Office 365 suite to help users manage their time and pinpoint availability for online meetings.

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