Teams Suggested Chats

Question

Teams Suggested Chats

Josh Mould 0

Hi all, I have an issue where user accounts that are no longer active (Disabled Sign-in, hidden from GAL, shared mailbox, etc...) still show in the Teams suggested chats.

What can I do to hide/remove these from the suggested chats, or is this suggested chats something I can disable entirely? I have taken a look but I don't believe this is possible.

2 answers

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Answer 1

Anonymous

Hi @Josh Mould

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum

I understand you are facing the issue that an inactive user still appears in Teams suggested chats.

To better understand, may I clarify a few details:

1.What version of Microsoft Teams are you using (e.g., Teams for work or school, desktop app version, web, mobile)?

2.What type of user accounts are affected (e.g., only disabled sign-in, or also converted to shared mailboxes)?

3.How long have they been in this inactive state?

4.Does this issue appear for all users in your organization, or only specific ones?

5.Are the inactive users visible in other Teams areas, like the member list of existing channels/groups, or just in suggested chats?

1.Verify User Account Status in Microsoft Entra ID:

-Log in to the Microsoft Entra admin center (entra.microsoft.com).

-Search for the affected user > Properties > Ensure "Account Enable" is unchecked.

-Under "Assigned roles" or "Licenses," confirm no active licenses are assigned (e.g., remove Microsoft 365 E3 if present).

2.Clear Teams cache:

-If Teams is still running, right-click the Teams icon on the taskbar, and then select Quit.

-Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows logo key +R.

-In the Run dialog box, enter:

%userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams

-Select OK.

-Delete all files and folders in the directory.

-Restart Teams.

(Reference Clear the Teams client cache - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn)

3.Review and Adjust Teams Privacy (optional)

As a workaround, you can block the inactive user from communicating with your organization. If you are an IT admin with appropriate permissions, follow these steps:

-Log in to the Teams admin center (admin.teams.microsoft.com).

-Navigate to Users > External access.

-Locate and enable the option Block specific users from communicating with people in my organization by toggling it to On.

-Click Block a user, then enter the email address of the inactive user.

-Click Save to apply the changes.

Additionally, if you have recently inactivated the user, Teams may need some time to sync these updates across the system depending on the environment and any ongoing directory sync processes. If the user still appears in suggested chats shortly after inactivation, please allow additional time for the changes to propagate fully, and consider clearing the Teams cache again if needed.

The initial response may not fully address your needs, but it will help me better understand your situation and try to find the root causes. Thank you for your patience while we work through it

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Josh Mould 0 Reputation points

2025-10-02T12:12:31.1833333+00:00

Hi, thank you for the advice and steps to follow!

Please find some notes I made from these below:

This is the Windows Teams desktop app I believe, possibly Work or School

The user accounts showing are both shared mailboxes and disabled sign-in wise

Many of them for a good few months at least

As far as I am aware only 1, but this could affect others

We have removed them from elsewhere, so now I believe just suggested chats

Account enabled in Entra ID shows as no, no assigned licenses or roles

We have cleared the Teams cache multiple times but will try this again

I have blocked a disabled user on the Teams admin centre to test this

I will contact the user and ask them to restart to see how this goes!
Anonymous

2025-10-02T15:11:47.0266667+00:00

Hi Josh Mould

Thank you for providing the detailed update on your situation

I appreciate the effort you have made to figure out the issue with us.

For now, I will also conduct further research into your specific scenario to see if there are additional solutions or insights to address the inactive users appearing in Teams suggested chats. I’ll get back to you if I find anything new or have further suggestions.

However, as a moderator, my resources are limited in accessing backend information to investigate this issue thoroughly. If you need more in-depth technical assistance, I suggest raising a support ticket with Microsoft Support. This will allow a technical support engineer to perform a remote session and investigate the situation directly, ensuring a comprehensive resolution. For detailed instructions on how to get support, please refer to Get support - Microsoft 365 admin.   

Thank you for your patience
Josh Mould 0 Reputation points

2025-10-02T15:13:24.98+00:00

Thank you, this did not work I'm afraid, what is the best method to raise this with Microsoft?
Anonymous

2025-10-05T14:48:11.26+00:00

Dear Josh Mould,

Thank you for your response. I sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding caused by my previous message and regret if my earlier suggestions led to confusion.

I’d like to provide clearer guidance for requesting Microsoft Support

-If you are an End User (not an Admin): If you are using a Microsoft 365 business account and do not have admin privileges, please contact the Global Admin of your organization. The Global Admin has the authority to submit support requests on your behalf through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

Note: If you’re unsure who the Global Admin is within your organization, you can find guidance on locating them here: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

-If you are the Global Admin: I’d greatly appreciate your input on where you encountered difficulties or what specific issues you faced while attempting to create a support request. Could you please share more details about the problem? This will enable me to assist you more effectively.

Additionally, as a Global Admin, you also have the option to contact Microsoft Support directly by phone. Please visit the following link to find the appropriate contact number for your region: Global Customer Service phone numbers - Microsoft Support

Thank you for your patience
Anonymous

2025-10-10T14:28:13.9+00:00

Hi Josh Mould

Just checking in to see how things are going with your Teams suggested chat issue. Were you able to reach Microsoft Support team for assistance?

If you have any updates, feel free to let me know
Josh Mould 0 Reputation points

2025-10-10T14:34:13.9066667+00:00

Hi, I did reach them and they advised that this is not a feature that can be disabled as of yet, they suggested that this is a functional decision and that the workaround may be clearing the cache for Teams.
Anonymous

2025-10-13T15:28:04.6966667+00:00

Hi Josh Mould

Personally, I completely agree that having an option to disable the suggested chats feature in Microsoft Teams would be a great improvement, especially for managing inactive user accounts. Unfortunately, as this feature isn’t currently available and no further support can be provided here, I strongly recommend submitting your suggestion to the Microsoft 365 Feedback Hub This will help bring attention to the need for such a feature.

Thank you for your understanding, and I hope this feature will be become a reality

Answer 2

B 0

Go to https://myaccount.microsoft.com > Settings and privacy > Privacy > Manage contact suggestions and discovery > Discovered Contacts > Off

Restart teams.

I also cleared data for both imported contacts and discovered contacts as well.

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Teams Suggested Chats

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