How to Pop-out Chats and Apps in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams keeps growing beyond its basic functionalities as a chatting and meeting application because of its app integration, collaboration on SharePoint, and multitasking capabilities. There are two main features of this app that make it possible to do several things simultaneously - pop-out chats and pop-out apps.

What Are the Benefits of Using the Pop-Out Chat Feature in Microsoft Teams?

The biggest advantage of the pop-out chats and apps feature is the possibility to carry out several processes simultaneously. This means that one can remain on the main interface and work on other apps and chats within separate windows.

According to Microsoft's Work Trend Index survey results, employees switch between tasks and applications multiple times per day. Pop-out windows reduce the need for context switching by keeping important discussions and applications always within the reach.

What Activities, Apps, or Processes Can You Pop Out in Microsoft Teams?

The pop-out option is available in chats, which include one-on-one and group conversations, in addition to meetings and applications. This option is particularly helpful if you are involved in another activity at the same time, such as having a conversation when you are in a meeting or a phone call.

• How Do You Use the Microsoft Teams Pop-Out Chat Feature?

  Follow these steps to pop out a chat in the Teams desktop app:

  1. Using the More Options menu: Select Chat on the left sidebar, choose the conversation you want to pop out, click the More options icon (three dots), and select Pop out chat. The chat opens in a separate, resizable window.
     
     
     
  2. By double-clicking: Double-click any chat in the Chat list to instantly open it in a separate window. This is the quickest method.
  3. Using the pop-out icon: Hover over a chat to reveal the pop-out icon (arrow out of a box) and click it. The same icon appears in the top-right corner of each open chat.
     
     
  4. Using the /pop command: Type /pop in the Teams command bar. Teams will prompt you to choose a chat to pop out.
  5. By double-clicking a profile picture: Double-click a contact's profile picture in any conversation to pop out a direct chat with that person.
     
  
  

How Do You Pop Out Meetings and Calls in Microsoft Teams?

Meetings and calls automatically pop out into another window. Microsoft Teams had an "Turn on new calling and meeting experiences" option under General settings that could be unchecked to prevent meetings and calls from popping out automatically. However, recent changes have caused that setting to disappear for many Teams accounts. To prevent meetings and calls from automatically popping out, see if your Teams account has that option under Settings.

How Do You Pop Out Apps and Tabs in Microsoft Teams?

Teams' app integrations let you work in other Microsoft or third-party tools without leaving the platform. Find the app you want in the Teams app center, install it, and pin frequently used apps to the app bar for quick access.

To pop out a pinned app from the sidebar:

1. Find the app pinned to your Teams left sidebar (app bar).
2. Right-click the app icon.
3. Select Pop out app. The app opens in its own resizable window.
4. Navigate to the channel or chat containing the app tab.
5. Click the tab to view the app content.
6. Select the pop-out icon in the top-right corner to open it in a separate window.

To pop out an app tab from a channel or chat:

1. Navigate to the channel or chat containing the app tab.
2. Click the tab to view the app content.
3. Select the pop-out icon in the top-right corner to open it in a separate window.

What Should You Know About the Pop-Out Feature Before Using It?

Using pop-out functionality isn't complicated, yet there are a few things to consider before using it. You cannot pop out two chats or applications at once, but you may have a couple of different chats and apps open simultaneously. If you have to schedule meetings, install new applications or share documents, you will have to return to the main screen of the application. At present, pop-out feature is available for the desktop application of Microsoft Teams for Windows and Mac computers.

If you're an admin in the organization, there is one more thing to consider related to pop-out functionality – its availability depends on the settings of your Teams' policy. As admins are able to control the installation and usage of certain applications inside Teams, availability of pop-out function for some third-party or custom apps depends on the permission level. If your team uses some contracts management tools such as Dock 365 which are integrated natively into Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Outlook, then the pop-out feature allows keeping the contract negotiation chat in one window while reviewing the document in another window.

Now you know how to pop out chats, meetings, calls, apps, and tabs to multitask more efficiently in Teams. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.