Here’s a Way to Get Microsoft Teams M1 Mac Native Fast in 2024

Credit: Microsoft

An Apple Silicon-native version of Microsoft Teams is set to arrive in the coming months. Microsoft bared that it leveraged the latest M1 and M2 chips to optimize the business communication platform with Mac devices. As such, the advanced chipset will bring in a performance boost, which comes in handy when working with multiple monitors during video conferences and meetings.

The Microsoft Teams M1 Mac native platform is a significant upgrade over the regular version of the app found on the App Store. With many Teams users requesting native support, Microsoft decided to heed the call and develop an upgrade to the existing platform. Running on Apple’s Rosetta 2 emulation, the regular app was sometimes plagued with lag, slowdowns, and other related performance issues, resulting in users going with the web app version. The use of the more advanced M1 and M2 chips in the Apple Silicon version resolves these concerns.

This isn’t the first time Microsoft developed Apple-native versions of its software. In 2020, the tech giant created M1 Mac-optimized versions of Word, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, and Outlook. At the time, Teams was oddly missing from the lineup until Microsoft recently revealed its development.

Microsoft announced that the rollout of the Apple Silicon version of Teams will happen in increments over the next few months. So, not everyone will receive the upgrade at the same time. However, users who are curious can obtain early access through the Microsoft Teams Preview Program.

Accessing the New Microsoft Teams Preview

Microsoft’s public preview of the new Teams can be accessed by adjusting some of the platform’s settings. First, users will have to sign on to Microsoft Teams admin center. The “Teams” menu should be selected, and then “Teams Update policies.”  After which, users have to add a new policy or update the global policy and pick “Show preview features.” Select the default setting “Follow Office Preview” to gain access to the preview. Users can also select “Enabled.”

With the updated policy adjusted, go back to the Teams main screen and then select the three dots to access the menu. From here, select “About,” ” Public Preview,” and then “Switch to Public Preview.”

Accessing the preview enables users to test and be familiarized with the features of the new Microsoft Teams. However, the functionalities found on the preview might be incomplete and are subject to change based on the results of its beta testing. In addition, they are not yet supported in the Government Community Cloud of Office 365.

Microsoft is still gathering feedback on the operability of the video conferencing software before finalizing the features of the publicly released version. Meanwhile, IT teams can check the build and configuration of the new Microsoft Teams on Github.

Should the Apple Silicon version of Microsoft Teams prove to be a success, it could open the door to other SaaS vendors to follow suit and develop Apple-native versions of their products. Utilizing the advanced chipset of Macs potentially irons out performance kinks and ultimately improves user experiences. Given Apple’s expansive user base, pursuing an upgrade can reap significant returns.