💡 Our Technical Review in summary
Microsoft is updating the “Manage what attendees see” feature in Microsoft Teams (typically used in Town Halls and Webinars) to provide organizers and presenters with greater control over shared content. Currently, when a presenter shares their screen or a window, it is automatically pushed to the attendee view. This update introduces a manual “staging” step where shared content first appears in the Manage screen’s side panel, requiring an organizer or presenter to manually bring it on-screen for the audience. This change is tracked under Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 483486.
#### Impact
- Enhanced Content Control: Shared content will no longer interrupt the live feed automatically. It will reside in the left-hand panel alongside off-screen presenters until specifically moved to the stage.
- Presenter View Improvement: Presenters will now see a preview of the actual content they are sharing rather than a static text message stating they are sharing content.
- Mobile Experience: Organizers and presenters joining from mobile devices will experience a cleaner interface, seeing only the participants and content that have been brought on-screen, rather than the full list of presenters.
- Exceptions and Limitations:
- PowerPoint Live: This remains an exception; PowerPoint Live presentations will continue to be brought on-screen automatically.
- Legacy Clients: Users on older versions of Microsoft Teams will not see these changes and will experience the legacy behavior where content is automatically shared.
- Rollout Timeline: Targeted Release begins early April 2025. General Availability is expected to complete by mid-May 2025.
#### Action Required
- No Admin Configuration: This feature will be enabled by default for all meetings and events created or updated after mid-April 2025. No tenant-level admin action is required to activate the update.
- Update Internal Documentation: IT Admins should update internal training materials and “How-To” guides for event producers and presenters to reflect the new manual “Bring on screen” step for shared content.
- User Training: Notify frequent organizers of Town Halls and Webinars about this change to prevent confusion when shared content does not immediately appear to the audience.
- Pilot Testing: It is recommended to conduct a test session using a meeting with “Manage what attendees see” enabled to familiarize the event team with the updated workflow before managing high-profile live events.
Microsoft Official Update
Service: N/A
Category: planForChange
Severity: normal
Updated April 28, 2025: We have updated the timeline below. Thank you for your patience.
The “Manage what attendees see” feature in Microsoft Teams helps organizers deliver polished events more easily by simplifying the attendee view and keeping the focus on participants who have been brought on screen. We’re introducing a new enhancement that gives organizers and presenters even more control over when shared content becomes visible to attendees.
Currently, when a presenter shares content, it is automatically displayed for attendees. With this update, shared content will first appear in the Manage screen’s left panel alongside other presenters. An organizer or presenter must manually bring it on screen, providing greater control over the attendee experience and preventing unintended interruptions.
Once shared content is brought on screen, the presenter sharing it will now see their content displayed instead of a text message indicating they are sharing.
Additionally, organizers and presenters joining from mobile will only see participants or content that has been brought on screen. Previously, users would see all organizers and presenters on their mobile devices.
Limitations:
- Users joining through older Teams versions will continue to see the existing behavior, where shared content is automatically brought on screen.
- PowerPoint Live will automatically be brought on screen and will not appear in the Manage screen panel.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 483486.
[When this will happen:]
Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out early April 2025 and expect to complete by mid-April 2025.
General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out early May 2025 and expect to complete by mid-May 2025.
[How this will affect your organization:]
Any new meetings or events created or updated after mid-April 2025 will receive the new improvements to the “Manage what attendees see” feature by default.
[What you need to do to prepare:]
This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before the rollout. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation as appropriate.
We recommend you review Manage what attendees see in Teams meetings for a comprehensive overview of the feature and conduct a test session with the feature turned on to get acquainted with the new controls.
