Answer: In Microsoft Teams, hidden chats can reappear automatically when new messages arrive – this is by design and cannot be fully disabled. However, you can reduce interruptions and visibility by muting, hiding, or blocking contacts (depending on whether they are inside or outside your organization).
If you’ve ever hidden a chat in Microsoft Teams to declutter your chat list, only to see it reappear again, you’re not alone. Many users run into this frustrating behavior, especially when old conversations pop back into view after someone sends a new message.
In this guide, we’ll explain:
- Why hidden chats reappear in Teams
- The exact Microsoft policy behind this behavior
- Step-by-step ways to mute, hide, or block chats
- What’s possible for external contacts vs internal colleagues
- Links to official Microsoft documentation for advanced options
Why Your Hidden Chats Reappear in Microsoft Teams
According to Microsoft’s official documentation, hidden chats in Teams are automatically unhidden when new activity occurs.
Hide, unhide, mute, add a chat to Favorites, or mark a chat as unread in Microsoft Teams: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/hide-unhide-mute-add-a-chat-to-favorites-or-mark-a-chat-as-unread-in-microsoft-teams-9aee02ef-713d-495b-8a73-9762d8e4b066
That means:
- If someone sends you a new message in a hidden conversation, Teams puts it back into your chat list.
- This is intended behavior — there’s no built-in setting to change it.
Unfortunately, clearing cache or reinstalling Teams will not change this.
However, if you would like to Clear the MS Teams Cache
Solution 1 – Mute the Chat to Stop Notifications
If your main concern is constant pings, muting a chat can help.
- Right-click the chat -> Mute.
- You’ll still see the chat appear when new messages arrive, but without notification pop-ups or sounds.
Microsoft explains muting here:
Hide, unhide, mute, add a chat to Favorites, or mark a chat as unread in Microsoft Teams: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/hide-unhide-mute-add-a-chat-to-favorites-or-mark-a-chat-as-unread-in-microsoft-teams-9aee02ef-713d-495b-8a73-9762d8e4b066
Solution 2 – Block External Contacts
If the chat is with someone outside your organization (a guest or external contact), you can block them entirely:
- Open the chat with that person.
- Click their name -> Block contact.
- Hide the chat from your list.
Once blocked:
- They cannot message you in Teams or Skype.
- They cannot see your online status.
- The chat will no longer resurface.
Full guide: Block or unblock people outside your org in Microsoft Teams: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/block-or-unblock-people-outside-your-org-in-microsoft-teams-5b590992-c938-4ed9-933b-37ee1fb84d32
You may also find this useful - How to Fix Microsoft Teams Chat History Missing or Disappear
Solution 3 – For Internal Colleagues, Ask Your IT Admin
If the chat is with someone inside your organization, the situation is different:
- By default, Teams for Business does not allow blocking internal members.
- Your IT Administrator can configure chat blocking, but it must be enabled in the Microsoft Teams admin center.
Relevant guides:
- Accept or block chat requests from people inside your organization: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/accept-or-block-chat-requests-from-people-inside-your-organization-in-microsoft-teams-69faae57-c112-47cc-9b37-38d87d8a4f0f
- Block incoming chats (Microsoft Learn): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/block-incoming-chats
If this is important for your workflow, contact your IT support team and request that they configure this feature.
Another post you might enjoy How to Fix the Microsoft Teams Auto Away Status
Final Takeaway
Hidden chats reappearing in Microsoft Teams isn’t a bug – it’s the way Teams handles new messages. If you truly don’t want to see or hear from a specific chat:
- External contact? Block + Hide it.
- Internal colleague? Mute it, or ask IT to enable blocking.
By combining these steps, you can keep your Teams environment cleaner and distraction-free.