Channels with thread layout not becoming bold with unread messages in threads

Question

Channels with thread layout not becoming bold with unread messages in threads

Justyna T 20

Hello everyone!

I’ve encountered an issue after setting up a private channel with the threads layout: The channel name in the left-side menu is not highlighted in bold when there are unread messages within threads.

Here’s what I’ve tested so far:

All notification settings are enabled (both general and channel-specific).
Tested in both browser and desktop app.
Desktop app is up to date, reinstalled, haven’t clear the cache tho.

Scenarios where the issue occurs:

New messages in a thread from other users
1. Even if I follow the thread or get mentioned, the channel is not highlighted.
2. I do see “Mentions” and “Followed threads” in bold, but with many channels, this is inefficient - checking the channel directly is faster.
3. No notification banner appears either (though it could be system issue, macOS waiting for an update).
Using “Mark as unread” in a thread
1. The channel still isn’t highlighted.
2. Only “x replies” under the message inside the channel is bold, which is easy to miss.
3. In the browser, the tab name should update while using this option (e.g., show “(1)”), but this doesn’t happen for threads.

Question: Is there a way to make unread messages in threads more visible at the channel level? Thanks in advance for any insights!

Answer accepted by question author

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Answer 1

Hi @Justyna T,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you for reaching out and providing your testing with us.

Based on your description, I understand how inconvenient it is when unread messages inside threads do not appear clearly at the channel level, especially when you rely on the bolded channel indicator to quickly identify new activity. After reviewing this behavior in the new threaded channel experience in Microsoft Teams, it is by design.

In the thread-based model, Teams intentionally separates channel-level and thread-level activity to keep the channel list more focused. The design goal is to avoid channels appearing unread every time an individual thread receives replies. As a result:

Unread replies inside threads do not cause the channel name to appear in bold in the left navigation.
“Mark as unread” applies only within the thread and does not escalate to the channel.
Only Mentions, Followed Threads, and Activity feed items show bold indicators.

This is the expected behavior in the current Threads experience, and there is no available setting to change it.

To help make thread activity more visible, the following workarounds can improve discoverability:

Follow the important threads so updates appear under Activity and in the Followed Threads view.

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Use Activity feed filters, such as Unread, Replies, or Mentions to quickly review new thread activity.

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Set the channel to “All activity” to increase how many signals you receive, even though the channel itself will not bold.
Pin key channels so they remain easy to monitor when checking for updates.

I completely understand how helpful the bold channel indicator is for quickly spotting new activity, and why it feels less intuitive when thread replies don’t surface there. In the new threaded channel experience, Teams is designed to separate channel-level and thread-level activity to keep the channel list more focused. Because of this design approach, unread replies in threads don’t trigger the channel name to bold.

To make updates easier to notice, you can follow important threads so they appear in your Activity feed, use Activity filters like Unread or Replies to scan for new messages, pin key channels for quicker access, or set the channel to “All activity” to surface more signals. These options help ensure thread updates remain visible even though the channel indicator itself doesn’t change.

As a forum moderator, I hope you understand that I don’t have the ability to modify or escalate product issues directly. However, I strongly recommend submitting your feedback through the Microsoft Teams - Community Portal. This is the most effective way to ensure your voice reaches the product team and can be considered for future improvements.

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Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility.

Additionally, since many other users have expressed similar concerns but may not know where to submit feedback, if my response has helped you better understand the situation and guided you toward a possible next step, please mark it as the “Accepted Answer.” Your action will help pin this post to the top, making it easier for others in the community who are experiencing the same issue to find your feedback and support it.

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern.

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

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Justyna T 20 Reputation points

2025-12-15T08:19:16.4833333+00:00

Hello Jay,

Thank you for your explanation. I truly hope this is something the product team will consider in the near future, as it significantly impacts usability for those managing multiple channels.

From my perspective, the ideal solution would be to introduce the following scenarios as configurable options (via a toggle):

When someone mentions you in a thread (even if you do not follow it) --> Channel name appears in bold.

When a new message is added to a thread you follow --> Channel name appears in bold.*

*If a user follows all threads, this would mean all new messages trigger bold highlighting - an option for those who need maximum visibility.

Currently, my notifications do not consistently work (I tested this recently and did not receive alerts for thread activity despite having all settings enabled). Even when notifications do appear, they are easy to miss. A bold channel name is a clear, unobtrusive indicator that something requires attention. Personally, this approach is far less disruptive than multiple notifications, which can fragment focus.

The most critical gap for me is that the channel does not appear in bold when I am mentioned with @ in a thread. This feels counterintuitive and makes it easy to overlook important messages.

I’ve shared this feedback here: Feedback Portal Link.

Thank you for considering this improvement - it would make a meaningful difference for users who rely on threads for structured communication.
Jay Tr 6,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-15T23:41:58.31+00:00

Hi @Justyna T,

Thank you for your response and taking the time to share such a detailed and thoughtful perspective.

We sincerely appreciate you outlining both the specific challenges you are experiencing and the practical scenarios that would improve usability for managing multiple channels and threads.

Your suggestions around configurable bolding behavior for channels, particularly for @mentions in threads and activity in followed threads, are very clear and well reasoned. We also understand your concern regarding notification reliability and how visual indicators such as bold channel names can provide a more reliable and less disruptive way to surface important activity. Feedback shared at this level of detail is especially valuable to the product team, as it clearly connects user experience gaps with actionable ideas.

Thank you as well for submitting this through the Feedback Hub. That is the best way to ensure your input is formally tracked and reviewed by the product team, and it helps reinforce the importance of this scenario for users who depend on threaded conversations for structured communication.

If you have any further questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out. I'm ready to help.

Wishing you a great day ahead.
Justyna T 20 Reputation points

2025-12-16T09:03:40.5233333+00:00

Hi Jay!

One last thing - I've posted the feedback, wanted to add more details but it was not an option, so I've deleted it. Now I cannot post it again, I get "You do not have the correct permissions to perform this action" error.

Tried with both my work and personal Microsoft account, in incognito tab as well. I've noticed that the site reloads in a strange way during submitting the feedback, which could be an indicator of an issue.

Can you advise here? Thank you!
Jay Tr 6,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-16T21:34:02.4+00:00

Hi @Justyna T,

Thank you for your update and effort to provide feedback to Microsoft.

If you encounter an error while posting your feedback, you can also do it in your Teams app. Here's how:

Open Microsoft Teams.

Click More (...) on the top right.

Select Feedback.

Choose Suggest a feature.

Write your message and submit.

I hope this information is helpful. Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

Answer 2

It seems that you are experiencing an issue with unread message notifications in private channels using the threads layout in Microsoft Teams. Currently, the behavior you described—where the channel name does not become bold when there are unread messages in threads—is by design. Notifications for unread messages in threads may not highlight the channel name in the left-side menu, even if you have notifications enabled and are following the threads.

Unfortunately, there is no specific setting or workaround mentioned in the available documentation to make unread messages in threads more visible at the channel level. You might want to keep an eye on updates from Microsoft, as they frequently enhance their applications based on user feedback.

If you continue to face issues, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support or checking the Microsoft Community for any updates or similar experiences from other users.

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Channels with thread layout not becoming bold with unread messages in threads

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