A new Windows feature is tested by Microsoft. Its aim is to handle video calls a lot easier. A video mute/unmute software toggle is added by the company which is positioned directly in the taskbar on the new operating system. It allows users to turn the microphone on or off during a video call with ease.

At that moment, the feature is available only for users who are part of Microsoft’s Windows Insiders program for testing features before they are deployed to everyone. According to Techradar, it is now available as part of the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22494.

The company commented: 

“We are beginning to roll this experience out to a subset of Windows Insiders with Microsoft Teams for work or school installed and ramp it up over time. This means not everyone will see this right away with their Teams calls.”

The microphone mute toggle will appear in the taskbar, as soon as a video call is joined. It will be placed on the bottom right corner of the screen next to the wireless and volume switches.

It seems that the microphone mute toggle will initially only work with Microsoft’s Teams collaboration app but Microsoft is hoping to expand the option in the future to software outside of Teams.

The feature also has a privacy component which makes it really convenient, especially for office workers who are working remotely or are switching to a hybrid work model. Microsoft stated that users will be also given the opportunity to quickly identify which applications are accessing the microphone and will be able to see what is their call status.

For those who don’t want to use a mouse, or a fingerprint on a touchscreen-enabled PC to access the microsoft mute toggle, they can use a keyboard shortcut: Win + Alt + K