---
title: "Remove the Teams Chat icon and consumer Teams from Windows 11"
description: "Windows 11 shipped with a Chat icon on the taskbar and the consumer version of Microsoft Teams, which starts with Windows. What it changes and how to undo it."
url: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/remove-teams-chat
author: Frost LIVE, Founder of Frozen Tweaks
published: 2026-10-08
updated: 2026-10-08
category: "Windows"
source: Frozen Tweaks (https://frozentweaks.com)
---

# Remove the Teams Chat icon and consumer Teams from Windows 11

**Short answer:** Windows 11 shipped with a Chat icon on the taskbar and the consumer version of Microsoft Teams, which starts with Windows. This tweak hides the icon by policy, removes the consumer Teams app for all users and stops it from starting automatically. In the registry it sets ChatIcon to 3 under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Chat.

## In the app

- Switch: Disable Teams (Chat + AutoStart) (Windows, Pro, Standard)
- Undo: One-way. Switching it off shows Chat again and tries to reinstall Teams, which needs winget.
- Catalog row: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks#t-1112

## What it does

Windows 11 shipped with a Chat icon on the taskbar and the consumer version of Microsoft Teams, which starts with Windows. This tweak hides the icon by policy, removes the consumer Teams app for all users and stops it from starting automatically.

In the app the switch is called "Disable Teams (Chat + AutoStart)", described there as: Hides Chat icon, removes Teams consumer app for all users, and kills auto-start.

## When it helps

- Reclaiming the memory Teams holds after every sign-in, on PCs that never use it.

## When it hurts

- It is one-way: switching the tweak off does not reinstall Teams. You would get it again from the Microsoft Store.
- Work or school Teams is a different app and is not removed.

## What it writes

Read from the app's source. "Switching it off" is what the app writes when you turn the tweak off again.

Registry values:

| Key | Value | With the tweak | Switching it off |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Chat` | `ChatIcon` | `3` | 1 |

- Deletes the value `com.squirrel.Teams.Teams` under `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run`.
- Deletes the value `Microsoft Teams` under `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run`.

Source: Tweaks/tweaks_copilot_teams.hpp in the app's source, app 2.0.0, checked 2026-10-08.

## The same change by hand

Run in a Command Prompt opened as administrator. Make a restore point first.

```bat
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Chat" /v "ChatIcon" /t REG_DWORD /d 3 /f
```

Put it back:

```bat
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Chat" /v "ChatIcon" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
```

See what it is set to now:

```bat
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Chat" /v "ChatIcon"
```

## How to undo it

This tweak is one-way in the app: switching it off does not put things back. Switching it off shows Chat again and tries to reinstall Teams, which needs winget.

## Verdict

A good cleanup if you do not use personal Teams.

## Questions

### What does the "Disable Teams (Chat + AutoStart)" tweak change in Windows?

In the registry it sets ChatIcon to 3 under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Chat.

### What is the standard value of ChatIcon?

Frozen Tweaks writes 1 when you switch the tweak off, which is the value it treats as the Windows standard. With the tweak on, ChatIcon is 3.

### Is "Disable Teams (Chat + AutoStart)" safe to switch on?

A good cleanup if you do not use personal Teams. The main cost: It is one-way: switching the tweak off does not reinstall Teams. You would get it again from the Microsoft Store.

### How do I undo it?

In the app this one is one-way. Switching it off shows Chat again and tries to reinstall Teams, which needs winget.

### Is "Disable Teams (Chat + AutoStart)" free in Frozen Tweaks?

It is part of Frozen Pro and Elite. You can also make the change by hand with the values on this page.

## Related guides

- [Windows 11 Gaming Optimization: What Still Works in 2026](https://frozentweaks.com/guides/windows-11-gaming-optimization)
- [How to Increase FPS on PC: The Complete 2026 Guide](https://frozentweaks.com/guides/how-to-increase-fps-on-pc)

## More tweak explainers

- [Startup programs](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/clean-startup-programs)
- [StartupDelayInMSec](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/startup-delay)
- [Driver updates through Windows Update](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/stop-windows-update-installing-drivers)

---
Written by Frost LIVE, founder of Frozen Tweaks. Canonical version: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/remove-teams-chat