The Chat app in Windows 11 is a great way to communicate with others without having to open any app. A lite version of Microsoft Teams personal, it’s a place where you can forge and foster connections. You can connect with your friends and family in a jiffy in Windows 11, all thanks to the Chat app.

But when you’re using the Chat app, there can be some nuisances. Like a ‘Meeting with [your name]’ chat thread that pops up in the Chat flyout window. Every time you start a meeting using the ‘Meet’ button in the Chat app, Microsoft Teams creates a new chat thread.

Of course, it isn’t always a nuisance. It has the meeting chat, and many times you’ll find yourself going back to a meeting chat to find something important. But not always. And sometimes, even when the chat is empty, the thread is just hanging there. It’s hogging precious real estate that could otherwise be occupied by your contacts or groups that you’d like to instantly connect with. It can be really annoying.

Fortunately, there’s a completely simple solution to this problem. And it only takes a minute! From the chat flyout window, click the ‘Open Microsoft Teams’ button at the bottom to open the app.

Then, go to ‘Chat’ from the navigation pane at the left.

Your chats will open. Go to the chat panel that shows all your chat threads and find the chats you’d like to get rid of (temporarily or permanently).

Hover over the chat and a ‘More options’ icon (three-dot menu) will appear; click it.

Then, select ‘Hide’ from the menu that appears.

The chat will not only be hidden from the chat list in the Microsoft Teams app but also the Chat app in the taskbar.

When you hide a chat, it’ll stay hidden until someone posts a new message to it. You can also unhide it yourself at any time. So, it won’t get in your way in the Chat app but it won’t be permanently gone.

You can also permanently delete. Select ‘Delete’ from the ‘More options’ menu.

To unhide a chat, go to the ‘Search’ bar at the top of the Teams app and search for a person or a phrase that’s in the chat.

Click the message from the search results.

The chat will open. Then, click the ‘More options’ icon from the chat panel again. But this time, select ‘Unhide’ from the menu.

If someone posted a new message to the chat, it’ll automatically appear in the chat list so you won’t have to go search for it. But you’ll still have to manually unhide it from the More options menu. Otherwise, when you read the new message and get out of the chat, it’ll automatically hide again.

Getting your entire Chat flyout window hogged with unnecessary Meeting chats can defeat the entire point of the Chat app. If your contacts aren’t available to chat or call from the Chat flyout window itself, what’s even the point. Luckily, you can still get things under control.