Microsoft Teams will now allow up to 98 people to in a meeting

Microsoft Teams Update
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is expanding the number of people you can view on your screen at once during a Teams meeting. Currently, you're limited to a small number of participants per video feed. Teams has been updated to support a 7x7 grid format that will allow you to see 49 people simultaneously,. And soon the Teams app will allow for a 98-person view. 

The new feature is currently available in a public preview. It works by creating two 7x7 grids that users can flip between by using the provided navigation arrows. This feature could be expanded to add another grid to let users view more people in the future, but who really wants to toggle between multiple views? However, if you make the user's feed images too small, it will ruin the overall experience, especially on smaller phone screens or laptop displays. 

Microsoft, Google, and Zoom have all been working diligently to improve the user experiences on their respective video conference applications. Many people had to switch to working remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That being said, larger meetings are becoming the norm, and being given the option to view more individuals improves the overall experience. 

With Microsoft adding the 7x7 view and navigation arrows allowing users to toggle between multiple groups, the company will allow hosts and users to identify more viewers and interact with them on a whole new level. 

Mark Anthony Ramirez

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.