How to Disable Read Receipts in Microsoft Teams: Mobile and Desktop

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Easily disable read receipts in Teams with this simple tutorial

Written by Stan Kats | Edited by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: October 21, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Teams & Teams Free (Desktop)
|
• Teams Free (Mobile)
|
• Teams (Mobile)
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• Troubleshooting
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• Video

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Do you want to turn off the little line of text under a Microsoft Teams message that states if you've read that message? These messages are called read receipts, and they are pretty easy to turn off if you know where to look. In this article, we'll teach you how to turn off read receipts in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Teams Free for desktop and mobile, plus we'll go over a few troubleshooting tips if you're struggling with disabling read receipts. Read on to learn more.

Turning Off Read Receipts in Teams

To disable read receipts in Teams for desktop, open Settings and go to Privacy, then toggle off Read receipts. For Microsoft Teams Free on mobile, open Settings and go to Chats and channels to toggle off Read receipts. For Teams on mobile, go to Settings > General, then toggle off Read receipts.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Microsoft Teams & Teams Free (Desktop)

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1. 
   1
   Open Microsoft Teams and click Settings and more. This button is located near your profile picture. These steps will work on any desktop version of Microsoft Teams, including Teams and Teams Free for both Windows and Mac.
2. 
   2
   Click Settings > Privacy. The exact location of the Privacy button may vary depending on which version of Microsoft Teams you have, but it will always have a little lock icon next to it.
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3. 
   3
   Toggle off the Read receipts option. This option has an icon of a piece of paper next to it, and it will have a toggle. If the toggle is blue and says "On," read receipts are turned on. If the toggle is gray and says "Off," read receipts are already turned off.

   • If you want to turn read receipts back on, go back into this menu and click the read receipts toggle again so it turns blue.
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Section 2 of 4:

Microsoft Teams Free (Mobile)

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1. 
   1
   Open Microsoft Teams and tap your profile picture. It's in the upper-left part of the app.
2. 
   2
   Tap Settings. It's near the middle of the menu, and it has an icon of a gear.
3. 
   3
   Tap Chats and channels. It's near the top of the menu, under your name, and it has an icon of a speech bubble.
4. 
   4
   Toggle off the Read receipts option. This option has an icon of a piece of paper next to it, and it will have a toggle. If the toggle is blue and says "On," read receipts are turned on. If the toggle is gray and says "Off," read receipts are already turned off.

   • If you want to turn read receipts back on, go back into this menu and click the read receipts toggle again so it turns blue.
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Section 3 of 4:

Microsoft Teams (Mobile)

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1. 
   1
   Open Microsoft Teams and tap your profile picture. It's in the upper-left part of the app.
2. 
   2
   Tap Settings. It's near the middle of the menu, and it has an icon of a gear.
3. 
   3
   Tap General. It's at the top of the menu, and it also has an icon of a gear.
4. 
   4
   Toggle off the Read receipts option. This option has an icon of a piece of paper next to it, and it will have a toggle. If the toggle is blue and says "On," read receipts are turned on. If the toggle is gray and says "Off," read receipts are already turned off.

   • If you want to turn read receipts back on, go back into this menu and click the read receipts toggle again so it turns blue.
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Section 4 of 4:

Troubleshooting

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1. 
   1
   Why can't I find the option to disable read receipts? If you use a work device or account to access Microsoft Teams, the option to turn off read receipts may be disabled by your organization. You'll need to contact your organization's IT department for more assistance with this issue.
2. 
   2
   Can someone with read receipts enabled see if I saw their message? If you've disabled read receipts, no one will be able to see if you've read a message, even if they have read receipts enabled.
3. 
   3
   How do I turn read receipts back on? To enable read receipts again, go back into your Microsoft Teams settings menu, then toggle Read receipts back on. If the toggle is blue, then read receipts are enabled.
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