Microsoft Teams will show 49 video call participants, matching Zoom

Microsoft Teams is expanding the number of video call participants shown on the screen from up to nine participants (3×3 grid) to up to 49 participants (7×7 grid). The change is rolling out in preview this month and will hit general availability in the fall. The announcement comes as part of a bigger update for educators — Teams for Education is getting Breakout Rooms so students can meet and collaborate in small groups, a hand-raising feature for students, Attendance Reports, and Class Insights. It will also get new options to prevent students from starting meetings unattended and limit who can present, as well as a lobby to verify who is trying to join.

Microsoft Teams is the company’s Office 365 chat-based collaboration tool that competes with Slack, Facebook’s Workplace, and Google Chat. But lately Microsoft has shifted its competitive focus to Zoom, which has exploded during the pandemic to lead the video calling space. Indeed, Microsoft’s grid view will match Zoom’s, which currently has a 49 on-screen participant limit. It will also hurdle over Google Meet, which supports up to 16 video call participants (4×4 grid).