Microsoft Office Portal: How to Exclude Microsoft Teams from New Installations of Microsoft 365 Apps

In recent updates, Microsoft has started including Microsoft Teams with new installations of Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise users. However, if you don't want to include Teams in your existing installation, there are several options available.

Instead of using a text editor to create your configuration.xml file, we recommend that you use the Office Customization Tool (OCT) to exclude Teams from being added to your existing installation. You can also use the OCT with the ODT to configure the settings before updating to the new version of Microsoft 365 Apps.

Another option is to let Teams be added during the installation process but use Group Policy to prevent it from automatically starting when users sign in to their devices. Additionally, you can use Group Policy to prevent Teams from installing altogether.

If you don't want Teams included with new installations of Microsoft 365 Apps on devices running Windows, there are several options available depending on your update channel:

* Monthly Enterprise Channel and Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview)

* Office Beta Channel and Current Channel (Preview)

The date that Teams was included with new installations of Microsoft 365 Apps depends on which update channel you're using. After the installation, users can switch back to classic Teams by selecting the 'New Teams' toggle switch.

In some cases, such as shared computers or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments, you may need to follow specific instructions for installing and configuring Teams. For these scenarios, see Shared computer and VDI environments with Microsoft Teams.

If you're using Office for Mac, you can find additional information on Microsoft Teams installations on a Mac.

In the future, Microsoft plans to allow users in GCC High or DoD environments to install Teams along with Microsoft 365 Apps without needing to use the separate MSI-based installer. However, currently, you need to exclude Teams from being installed with Microsoft 365 Apps if you're in one of these environments.

By following these steps and using the available options, you can control whether or not Teams is included with new installations of Microsoft 365 Apps for your enterprise users.

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