How can I run the new Microsoft Teams on macOS Monterey 12.7.6 if it's now marked as incompatible?

In a nutshell, Microsoft only provides updates for current Microsoft 365, Office 2021 or Office 2024 for Mac installations on Sequoia, Sonoma, and Ventura. Microsoft no longer provides updates for any of its products on macOS Monterey (nor does Apple) and this is not Apple's operating system that needs to be updated.

If you want current versions of Teams that do work, then you need to upgrade macOS to a Microsoft supported release, or contemplate a newer Mac that does support that operating system upgrade and Microsoft support.

One of the three most recent versions of macOS. You can find information about the latest macOS versions, and how to upgrade your version of macOS, here. For example, when a new version of macOS is released, the new version and the two immediately preceding it become the supported versions.

Sorry but macOS 12 Monterey does not fall in the category of the last 3 Most Recent versions of macOS

Sequoia, Sonoma and Ventura do

FYI, I am still able to use the old version of Teams with Big Sur although it has been a couple of months since I have done so. This may be an option if you still have the old version of Teams.

Another option may be to use Teams through the web browser.

octopi wrote:

Microsoft have deliberately blocked it from working. If I am on Catalina, I can still run Teams Classic with one warning when I boot it. It's something MS have put server-side to block it. We have 8 Macs here that are unable to go any higher but this is absolute nonsense from MS. I have trawled through the code but it is at their end so we are stuck.

Interesting. This Microsoft Support article would seem to suggest that if you already had Microsoft 365 running on Monterey, you could continue to use it. But you wouldn't receive any updates, and if you ever needed to do a clean reinstall, that might be blocked.

Microsoft Support – Upgrade macOS to continue receiving Microsoft 365 and Office for Mac updates

... and all the other apps, you can.

On our Monterey Macs we have older Outlook, Excel and Word, all still running fine but can't be updated.

With Teams, it's a different matter. At first (about 3 weeks ago) you were directed to the web version with no other option but if you immediately quit and went back in, it worked fine. Then you had to reboot the app (not the whole machine) twice... for a while. Then about six times, until now, when you can boot and quit the app 100 times you get the splash screen that says you can only use the web version. The actual version of Teams has not changed.

Fairly annoying seeing how much this company are paying MS to use all of this.

At the moment, if you take all traces of Teams 2 out, drop the old Teams Classic in the applications and boot it, you will get warnings and an option to 'switch' (which you can't because the OS is not supported) then the option to contunue using Classic Teams. Choose to continue using Classic Teams and it's up and running and functioning fine. So it is a deliberate block from MS.

How long this Teams Classic trick will last is anyones guess though.

I have found a workaround, though it may be temporary as who knows what MS will do in July, using TEams Classic.

If you happen to have the Teams Classic app around, on a backup etc.

Ditch all remanents of New Teams, Teams 2, whatever you want to call it. If you boot Classic Teams with new Teams ANYWHERE on your system, it will find it and try to boot it. So put it in the trash and empty the trash.

Next, go to your User/Library folder and to the Containers folder - ditch anything mentioning Teams

Next, go to your User/Library folder and to Group Containers folder - ditch UBF8T folers that have .microsoft.teams at the end.

Empty your Trash.

Run Classic Teams from anywhere and it will boot. It's a little glitchy. After you log in the first time you'll see you're logged in but the window may be white and blank, with no info. Just quit Teams (don't just close the window) go back in and your info should populate ok.

Status blob sometimes takes a minute or so to switch to Green but I have it working, for now, on 5 Monterey Macs.

It will ask you if you want to continue using Teams Classic a few times, just say yes. You can even say 'Switch when I'm not using' as it cannot switch.

Not ideal but I hope this helps someone.

Thank you @Octopi but I cannot find:

"User/Library folder and to the Containers folder - ditch anything mentioning Teams"

"User/Library folder and to Group Containers folder - ditch UBF8T folders that have .microsoft.teams at the end."

Could you show me the to access those folders with a screenshot eventually?

Efteeme wrote:

Thank you @Octopi but I cannot find:

"User/Library folder and to the Containers folder - ditch anything mentioning Teams"

"User/Library folder and to Group Containers folder - ditch UBF8T folders that have .microsoft.teams at the end."

Could you show me the to access those folders with a screenshot eventually?

They are referring to the hidden Library folder within your own home user folder. Usually that is depicted as "~/Library" with the tilde "~" referencing your home user folder.

You can access the hidden Library folder within your home user folder by Option-clicking the Finder's "Go" menu. If you press & release the Option key while the Finder's "Go" menu is selected, you will see the hidden Library folder appear & disappear as an option. I really dislike Apple hiding so much stuff in the GUI like this since it is hard to know when pressing the Option key will reveal some hidden options or settings.

That's annoying... Are you getting the splash screen in Teams with the ufo type picture?

You should be getting a splash screen with 'Try new Teams on the web' but underneath, continue using Classic Teams option.

If you're getting the ufo splash screen with only a web option then Teams 2 app is still somewhere on your computer. It could be in the downloads folder, trash... anywhere. I have now done this on 8 Macs running Monterey and it IS frustrating. First couple I found the new Teams app still lurking somewhere. Took me a while to track it down.

Wish I could have a look to try and help you further.

Yes @Efteeme what HWTech said.

Apologies, I should have spelled it out in greater depth.

Like HWTech, I find it odd and very annoying that Apple have hidden a users own Library file from them. They have even disabled the terminal commands to make it permanently visible for no good reason at all.

Hi!

The solution from @octopi worked for me - I already figured out that Classic Teams are working (just with mentioned annoying popups to switch).

What I've seen is that Classic can still be used but only until July 2025 - I guess afterwards it's only Teams on Web for us.. It's a shame that we cannot use the last compatible version with our OS (even if it's not supported anymore).

Cheers

[Edited by Moderator]

octopi wrote:

MS should just stop blocking the last compatible version for Monterey and let it run with a 'You may not be getting the newest features' and let us decide. Afterall, we are paying for it.

It's not quite that simple. If Microsoft has changed the back end sufficiently that the older versions won't work, they would need to keep running two different versions of the server-side software. They would need to keep insuring compatibiity between the two systems. In addition to the cost both in money and time, it would be a logistical nightmare that would only get worse with time. There are limits to how long most companies are willing to support that.

I would agree with your comment if it wasn't for the fact that I can, quite successfully, run Classic Teams under Monterey. Classic Teams being a version that they stopped 'supporting' over a year ago.

If I simultaneously run the neweset version of Teams on a different Mac that can run Sequoia, any changes in status, messages or calls I make in one version are reflected in the other. I.E. They are talking to the same server.

I completely get that companies cannot support cetain platforms forever, however, this is not the case with Teams. They are deliberately blocking it.

octopi wrote:

I would agree with your comment if it wasn't for the fact that I can, quite successfully, run Classic Teams under Monterey. Classic Teams being a version that they stopped 'supporting' over a year ago.

If I simultaneously run the neweset version of Teams on a different Mac that can run Sequoia, any changes in status, messages or calls I make in one version are reflected in the other. I.E. They are talking to the same server.

I wasn't saying that you couldn't. I was addressing the larger issue that, at some point, you won't be able to and that to expect otherwise is just going to lead to disappointment.

I completely get that companies cannot support cetain platforms forever, however, this is not the case with Teams. They are deliberately blocking it.

Sounds like the first step to stopping support to me.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Sounds like the first step to stopping support to me.

With all due respect, stopping support and stopping something from functioning are two completely different things.

When Microsoft stop supporting Windows 10 in Octopber it will still work on people's computers. It will stop recieving security updates and it will be up to the user what they do. Support ends, it still functions, the user makes the choice.

On one of my Macs I have a very old version of Outlook that has not been supported for a long old time now, nigh on 2 years. It still works fine although does not have all of the features of the newer versions. I don't miss those features on that particular machine but at least I have the choice. All users who can't update their Macs beyond Monterey are asking for is the choice.