Table of Contents
Summary
- Microsoft Teams will respect hidden user attributes, eliminating the need for Scope Search to manage user visibility.
- Guest users set to not show in the address list will no longer appear in People Search.
- Admins should review and configure hidden user attributes to ensure proper visibility management.
- This change aligns Teams behavior with Outlook and Exchange, simplifying user management.
- Communication and updates to internal documentation are recommended for support teams.
Admin Impact: Medium
User Impact: Low
Release Start: 01 Oct 2025
Release End: 31 Oct 2025
Services: Teams
Category: Plan for change
Tags: Feature Update, Admin Action
History
10/8/2025: Item Added to Message Center
Microsoft Message
Introduction
To improve consistency across Microsoft 365 services and reduce reliance on Scope Search, Microsoft Teams will now respect hidden user attributes—such as ShowInAddressList and HiddenFromAddressListsEnabled—without requiring Scope Search. This change aligns Teams behavior with Outlook and Exchange, simplifying user visibility management and resolving issues caused by Scope Search, such as difficulty locating Call Queues and Auto Attendants.
When this will happen
Rollout begins early October 2025 and is expected to complete by late October 2025.
How this affects your organization
Who is affected: Admins managing Microsoft Teams user visibility, especially those who previously used Scope Search to hide users.
What will happen:
- Teams will respect hidden user attributes (e.g., ShowInAddressList, HiddenFromAddressListsEnabled, msExchangeHiddenFromAddressList) without requiring Scope Search.
- Guest users with ShowInAddressList set to False will no longer appear in People Search.
- Scope Search is no longer needed to hide users.
- If Scope Search is used for Information Barriers (IB), it should remain enabled.
- This change aligns Teams behavior with Outlook and Exchange.
What you can do to prepare
- Review your current use of Scope Search. If used solely to hide users, disable it.
- Ensure hidden user attributes are correctly configured:
- Online: HiddenFromAddressListsEnabled
- On-premises: msExchangeHiddenFromAddressList
- Guest users: Set ShowInAddressList to True if they should appear in search results.
- Communicate this change to helpdesk and support teams.
- Update internal documentation to reflect the new behavior.
For more details, refer to Microsoft Teams admin documentation.
Compliance considerations:
| Compliance Area | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Alters how existing customer data is processed | Teams will now use hidden user attributes to determine visibility, changing how user data is surfaced in search. |
| Includes an admin control | Admins can manage visibility using hidden attributes (as mentioned above). |
| Allows user visibility to be controlled indirectly | Guest users and others can be hidden or shown based on attribute configuration. |