Unable to pin channel to favourites

Question

Unable to pin channel to favourites

Craig Dixon 35

Hi. My team has lost the ability to pin our main comms channel in favourites, which makes our comms slow and frustrating. This happened in the past 15 hours or so. Some of our favourites remain. But the problematic one disappears into a collection of channels. We're making do with workarounds but we're a busy news organisation, so fast internal messaging is crucial. Our own tech help desk is mystified.

Craig Dixon 35 Reputation points

2026-03-31T22:47:47.1866667+00:00

I've been through the suggested fix but the channel simply doesn't show in Favourites, despite the pop-up message that it's been added to Favourites. Any other suggestions?
Grant A 10 Reputation points

2026-04-01T11:37:24.8033333+00:00

This has also just started happening for me - I noticed that a Channel I often use was missing from the Favourites list, then when I located the channel and selected Add to Favourites it still doesn't appear. Started happening in past 24 hours or so. Version is latest 26043.2016.4478.2773
Grant A 10 Reputation points

2026-04-01T12:29:13.5866667+00:00

Update - it's started working again. I didn't restart Teams or clear the cache, it's just worked - I'd give it another go Craig
Craig Dixon 35 Reputation points

2026-04-01T21:28:17.7166667+00:00

Thanks Grant A. Glad yours self-healed. We had a bit of that yesterday but it soon became an issue again and still is today.

2 answers

Your answer

Craig Dixon 35 Reputation points

2026-03-31T22:47:47.1866667+00:00

I've been through the suggested fix but the channel simply doesn't show in Favourites, despite the pop-up message that it's been added to Favourites. Any other suggestions?
Grant A 10 Reputation points

2026-04-01T11:37:24.8033333+00:00

This has also just started happening for me - I noticed that a Channel I often use was missing from the Favourites list, then when I located the channel and selected Add to Favourites it still doesn't appear. Started happening in past 24 hours or so. Version is latest 26043.2016.4478.2773
Grant A 10 Reputation points

2026-04-01T12:29:13.5866667+00:00

Update - it's started working again. I didn't restart Teams or clear the cache, it's just worked - I'd give it another go Craig
Craig Dixon 35 Reputation points

2026-04-01T21:28:17.7166667+00:00

Thanks Grant A. Glad yours self-healed. We had a bit of that yesterday but it soon became an issue again and still is today.

Answer 1

Charanjeet Sharma 5

Looks like a bug and affect older private channels only as when we create a new one, it works perfectly fine.

We did a bit of testing when I try to pin an old Private Channel into my MS Teams Apps in the 'Favorites' section, it appears for like half a second then disappears, from both the section and the main Teams Channel. It was 'Hidden' somehow on the main teams channel, I changed it back to 'Show'. Adding it in again to the section does the same thing. We have tried deleting local cache on my MS Teams App and the bug is still there.

Workaround is using the browser version, adding the private channel to your favorites there (still disappears from the browser interface) , looking at the MS Teams App where it sticks this time but still technically 'hidden' (text is italized), making sure it is on 'Show'. This ensures it is pinned on the MS Teams app, but not on the browser (which I assume should be pinned properly too so looks like it's not syncing)

SlackUser 0 Reputation points

2026-04-08T01:20:50.3566667+00:00

Affected my non-private channels too, both the sections thing and the show/hide thing.

Your workaround worked for me though, thanks.
Jan Ulman 0 Reputation points

2026-04-08T07:15:36.11+00:00

We're experiencing the same issue in our organization — our private channels disappear from Favourites immediately after being added. We were able to use the browser workaround to get the channel to stick in the Teams desktop app, however the inconsistency between the browser and the app is a problem in itself: the channel shows correctly in the app but not in the browser, which suggests the two clients are not syncing properly. Several of our private channels are business-critical, so missing notifications from them is a serious issue. Could you clarify whether there is any official acknowledgment from Microsoft on this bug, and if so, is there an expected timeline for a fix?
Murri Michael, DIAI 5 Reputation points

2026-04-08T07:42:58.87+00:00

We have the same problem, and it has already resulted in relevant messages not being seen. Creating a new channel is not possible because all the data is stored in this channel.
Jade Ng 10,495 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-09T04:29:52.78+00:00

Dear @Jan Ulman, @Murri Michael, DIAI,

Based on my verification, this appears to be an issue affecting only some users. Specifically, the channel that I tested above is still successfully pinned in Microsoft Teams on my side. Therefore, I recommend that you report this issue directly via Microsoft Teams so it can be escalated to the Product Team, allowing them to investigate and address the issue as soon as possible.
Jan Ulman 0 Reputation points

2026-04-09T08:44:12.1+00:00

Dear @Jade Ng ,

Thank you for the update. We have already submitted reports via Settings > Feedback > Report a Problem in the Teams app, both myself and several colleagues did so last week. However, this does not feel like it leads anywhere in practice, as we have received no acknowledgment or feedback from Microsoft whatsoever. Is there any way to track the status of such reports, or a more direct escalation path that would actually result in a response from the product team?

Answer 2

Jade Ng 10,495 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear @Craig Dixon,

Thank you for reaching out. I understand how disruptive this behavior is, especially in a fast‑paced news environment where rapid internal communication is essential.

I have tested this in my test environment, and the Favorites functionality is working as expected. In my tests, a channel can still be added to Favorites using the steps below:

In Microsoft Teams, locate the channel you want to pin.
Click the three dots (More options) next to the channel name.
Select Show in.
Choose Favorites.

After completing these steps, the channel should appear under the Favorites section for quick access (as shown in the screenshot).

Untitled

Regarding your issue, may I kindly ask a few questions so I can understand your issue better:

Does this error occur on desktop, web, or both?
Could you please confirm which version of Microsoft Teams you are currently using?
Could you confirm if any changes were made to the Teams policy settings recently, either at the user or organizational level?
If could, please take a screenshot of the issue you're experiencing so I can better assist you.

In the meantime, please kindly try these troubleshooting steps:

Microsoft Teams: update to the latest version.
Sign out and log back in: This will refresh your account linking and may resolve the issue.
Clear Teams cache: Cached data can sometimes cause problems. Clear the Teams client cache - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn
Reinstall Teams: If the problem persists, try completely uninstalling and reinstalling it.

Uninstall first: Uninstall Microsoft Teams

Then reinstall: Download Microsoft Teams Desktop and Mobile Apps | Microsoft Team

Note: If none of the above solutions work, let me know for further investigation. Please note that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

Your understanding and co-operation are highly appreciated. Thank you for your precious time. I am looking forward to your response!

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.

Craig Dixon 35 Reputation points

2026-04-01T21:30:43.41+00:00

Thanks so much for your response, Jade. Tried your troubleshooting tips without success, unfortunately, so we're doing what we can with workarounds. Will try to get back to you later with more information.
Jade Ng 10,495 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-02T02:00:35.2266667+00:00

Dear @Craig Dixon,

Thank you for your response!

May I kindly confirm whether you see the option Select Show in > Choose favorites in your Teams interface? If the option is available, please let me know whether the channel appears under Favorites after you select it, or if it does not show up despite being added.
Craig Dixon 35 Reputation points

2026-04-02T02:06:24.01+00:00

Yep, we do see that option. Been trying it since yesterday and the channel doesn't appear in Favourites, although we get the popup message that it is now in Favourites. Sometimes the channel briefly - like, for half-a second - appears in favourites then disappears again.
Jade Ng 10,495 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-02T02:54:55.5066667+00:00

Dear @Craig Dixon,

In this case, I recommend reporting this issue directly to the Teams product team by navigating to: Settings > Feedback > Report a problem

Your company’s Global Admins can also report the issue in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center via Service Health, as shown in the screenshot below.

If you're willing, I sincerely recommend you contact your Microsoft 365 administrator, follow steps in this article to create a support ticket with Online Support. The support team over there has higher permission than us, they can help check the situation on your side, involve more resource to collect logs and help you do troubleshoot. This would be a more efficient way in handling this case for you.

For reference: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin?

I completely understand your frustration. Please note that I have escalated this issue to my supervisor. However, as a community moderator, my role is to provide guidance and simple fixes; I do not have the ability to directly influence or expedite the engineering team's troubleshooting process. I appreciate you're understanding on this matter.

Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated as Microsoft works to fully resolve this.

Please know that your feedback has been heard loud and clear. I am grateful for your patience and advocacy, and we will follow up with updates as soon as they are available.

Thank you again for your time and understanding. Hope you have a great day!
Grant A 10 Reputation points

2026-04-02T09:48:15.0833333+00:00

Right Craig I've got another thing for you to try. Try adding the channel to a custom folder first (direct from its initial location), and then add it to Favourites. This is working across my company so mebs it'll work for you also.
Charanjeet Sharma 5 Reputation points

2026-04-07T03:15:10.65+00:00

Looks like a bug, It only seems to affect older private channels as when I create a new one to test, it works perfectly fine. I try to pin an old Private Channel into my MS Teams Apps in the 'Favorites' section, it appears for like half a second then disappears, from both the section and the main Teams Channel and it was 'Hidden' somehow on the main teams channel so I changed it back to 'Show'. Adding it in again to the section does the same thing. I have already tried deleting local cache on my MS Teams App and the bug is still there.

Workaround is using the browser version, adding the private channel to your favorites there (still disappears from the browser interface) , looking at the MS Teams App where it sticks this time but still technically 'hidden' (text is italized), making sure it is on 'Show'. This ensures it is pinned on the MS Teams app, but not on the browser (which I assume should be pinned properly too so looks like it's not syncing)
Todd Shilhanek 0 Reputation points

2026-04-08T14:59:26.3733333+00:00

Jade Ng:
What you show in your answer used to work. It does not work any more. I had a private channel pinned to my favorites it disappeared on 3/31 like everyone else. I have tried the solutions suggested and I cannot get my channel to pin to favorites. I use this channel multiple times a day and it has been pinned to favorites for months. Please fix this.
Jade Ng 10,495 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-09T04:27:58.71+00:00

Dear @Todd Shilhanek,

Based on my verification, this appears to be an issue affecting only some users. Specifically, the channel that I tested above is still successfully pinned in Microsoft Teams on my side. Therefore, I recommend that you report this issue directly via Microsoft Teams so it can be escalated to the Product Team, allowing them to investigate and address the issue as soon as possible.
Lehmann, Carlos-MGB 20 Reputation points

2026-04-09T13:13:06.9233333+00:00
None of the mentioned "troubleshooting steps" did resolve this on our end. My observation:

only private channels are affected

creating a new private channel does not change the situation. Behaviour: adding to favorites does work for 0.5 seconds then drops out of favorites and channel moves to hidden

when channel is hidden, no notification is being sent (boom: I don't get any information anymore)

sometimes it works and I can add the private channel but then I start Teams another day and suddenly the favorites are gone again & hidden

Behaviour does not change if create a separate list and add it there (so not just tied to favorites but any list)

This problem exists cross OS and Teams version. It doesn't matter if Mac or Windows (everyone of our Team Members is affected)

There were no recent changes on the private channel configuration, this has been working for the last 1.5 years until about 2 weeks ago when suddenly this started to create problems

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Unable to pin channel to favourites

2 answers

Your answer