New Microsoft Teams upgrade is a must have for video call pros

A small but very significant Microsoft Teams update is currently being worked on by the computing giant designed to fix one of the most annoying, commonly experienced problems on video calls.

That's because, as detailed in a new entry to the Microsoft 365 roadmap (where Microsoft details what new features it is working on for its software), a new keyboard shortcut is soon coming to Teams that allows a user to mute and unmute themselves during meetings.

The shortcut, which is listed as "Ctrl Spacebar", will allow users on Teams call to mute or unmute themselves quickly and simply, thereby both shortening the amount of time it takes for someone to be heard on a call, reducing "we can't hear you as you're on mute" delays, as well as make it easier for people to cut off their audio stream, thereby removing the possibility for unwanted background noises.

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The new muting or unmuting feature is listed for launch in "October" this year, so we've now got just a matter of weeks to wait until it goes live.

Here at T3 our take on this update is: why has it taken so long to properly implement? Yes, we know that Microsoft Teams already had a shortcut for muting and unmuting, which was Ctrl, Shift, M, but it was something that was not known by many users and therefore not used commonly at all. A three-button shortcut is also arguably too complicated for such an essential feature.

After all, most people will have experienced how bad video calls and meetings can be when nobody mutes their microphones, with background noise often making it hard to hear what's been said. And it's also super annoying when you're trying to have a meeting if one person can't unmute themselves.

But with this new two-button shortcut that's super easy to remember and actuate, it looks like it's going to be easier than ever to have productive video calls and meetings, which is something we think all working professionals can get behind.

As mentioned above, the new Microsoft Teams update is set to go live in October, so be sure to check for a new version of the app then to bag this new functionality.

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