By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.
Microsoft is releasing its Windows 11 2023 Update today, which was originally supposed to be one of the biggest updates to Windows 11. But Microsoft went ahead and released a lot of the features in the Windows 11 2023 Update (23H2) a little early last month, including the new Windows Copilot, AI-powered updates to Paint, Snipping Tool, and Photos, RGB lighting support, a modernized File Explorer, and more. So, the main change to the Windows 11 2023 Update is the removal of the Microsoft Teams integration named Chat.
“Chat is now Microsoft Teams (free) and is pinned by default to the taskbar,” explains John Cable, VP of program management for Windows servicing and delivery. “When you click to launch Microsoft Teams, you will discover a mini communications experience that makes it possible to chat, call, meet, and create a space for community groups to come together, organize and share ideas in just a click or two.”
The original Microsoft Teams integration was deeply woven into the operating system and enabled in the taskbar by default. You couldn’t simply unpin it like you do most apps, as you’d have to head into settings to disable it from the taskbar. Chat was always a confusing part of Windows 11 and was weirdly limited to just consumers, making it useless for the vast majority of Microsoft Teams users that use the work version of the app.
The Windows 11 2023 Update also includes some changes to how apps are managed. Windows 11 system components now have a “system” label and are separated into a new section in settings. Built-in apps like the Microsoft Store, Game Bar, Phone Link, and Tips apps are all listed there, and it looks like Microsoft is getting ready to allow Windows 11 users to remove these system components at some point.
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