How to Block Someone on Teams? (Step by Step)

Microsoft Teams is perfect for business collaboration and personal communication. However, someone constantly nagging or spamming on the app can ruin the experience.

To ignore the annoying users on Teams, you use the built-in block feature. Jump onto the next sections to learn how to block someone on teams.

Part 1. Can You Block Someone on Teams?

Before we discuss how to block someone on Microsoft Teams, it is essential to understand the two versions of the app. Microsoft offers Teams for Work and Teams for Home to cater to different requirements of users.

Teams for Work was originally developed for large groups as a powerhouse for collaboration, offering various options like channels, teams, and OneDrive integrations in the work account. It comes with the ability to set rules and policies to run the groups.

Teams for Work accounts are managed by administrators who add users to the team by sending invites. Therefore, the chances of having an unknown person onboard are quite low.

Still, if any user harasses or annoys you in the group, you can only report it to your senior or IT manager because the work accounts don’t allow blocking someone on Teams. You can either hide or mute them on the app.

Teams for Work has removed the block feature due to its misuse in the past. Some users abused the option by blocking contacts from their team to ignore important discussions. But if you are receiving unwanted notifications for a group chat where you don’t fit in, it is best to leave it.

Whereas Teams for Home is for small businesses or personal use where you can contact anyone, chat with friends or family, and conduct audio and video calls. It has a simple interface with no channels, apps, or integrations.

Part 2. What Happens When You Block Someone on Teams?

If you are annoyed by the unknown messages and insane notifications on Teams, it is time to block the user behind these activities. Blocking someone on Teams creates a barrier between you and the other party, preventing unnecessary communication.

When you block someone in Teams, they are not able to:

Send you messages
Call you
Add you to a new group chat
Add you to the community
Mention you in a group chat
See your presence or availability status in Teams

Moreover, you stop receiving any notifications from the blocked contacts on Teams. However, your profile picture is still visible to them.

Part 3. How to Block Someone on Microsoft Teams?

Blocking contacts on Microsoft Teams for personal or small business accounts is pretty simple and straightforward.

Here’s the method on how to block someone on Microsoft Teams:

Launch the Teams app and navigate to the Chat section from the left bar on the screen.

Look for the contact you want to block in the chat thread. You can also use the search option to locate the user.

Click on the user’s name to access more options. Press on these three dots toward the right.

From the drop-down list that appears, select the Block option.

Next, click on Block in the confirmation pop-up to confirm your selection.

click block to confirm to block someone on teams in teams

After following this method, the selected contact will be blocked on your Teams app. However, it is important to note that if this user is present in a group chat, you will continue receiving messages from their end in that group.

Part 4. How to Unblock Someone on Teams?

After you block someone in Teams, you can still search for them. Also, you can unblock them whenever you change your mind.

Here’s the process to unblock users on Teams:

Navigate to the Settings and More option or simply the three vertical dots towards the right of your profile icon.

From the list that appears, click on Settings.

From the menu in the left bar, click on Privacy.

Next, click on Manage Blocked Users in Privacy.

manage blocked users in privacy in teams

Search for the user you want to unblock and hit the Unblock button.

In this way, you can get in touch with your blocked contacts and start communicating with them once again.

Part 5. Why Can’t I Block People on Microsoft Teams?

You can’t block people on Microsoft Teams if you have a work or school account. The block option is only available for personal or small business account holders on Teams, as almost anyone can message there anytime.

Teams for Work users could block guests added to the groups previously. It was removed after people misused the option to ignore important conversations.

However, if you want to avoid some users on Teams for Work accounts, you can mute or hide those contacts.

Part 6. How Do You Know If Someone Has Blocked Me on Teams?

If someone blocks you on Teams, you don’t receive any notification. You can still send messages to those users, but they will not receive them. Moreover, a single tick indicating the sent status will appear next to your messages rather than an eye symbol for the seen status.

Another way to find out if someone has blocked you on Teams is to try adding them or mentioning them in a group chat. If you are able to do one or both, you have not been blocked by that person.

Final Words

Microsoft Teams has become the hot virtual meeting platform used extensively worldwide. With the massive user network, anybody can contact you and send you requests on your personal Teams account.

Receiving constantly nudging notifications and cringy messages from unknown users can be seriously frustrating and distracting. Therefore, this guide has thoroughly discussed how to block someone on Teams. So, follow the simple steps discussed above and get rid of annoying users right away.