In Microsoft Teams, “change voicemail” can mean replacing your personal greeting, deciding whether callers can leave a message, changing where unanswered calls go, or editing a call queue’s greeting. The main personal voicemail controls are in Settings and more (⋯) → Settings → Calls → Manage voicemail.
This guide covers Teams desktop and the web app, then explains what to check if the options are missing or calls still behave differently from your settings.
Change your personal voicemail greeting
- Open Microsoft Teams on your computer or in a browser.
- Select Settings and more, the ⋯ button beside your profile picture.
- Select Settings.
- Open Calls.
- Find Manage voicemail.
Under Voicemail greeting, you can record a greeting, use text-to-speech, or change the language of Teams’ default greeting.
Option 1: Record a new greeting
- In Manage voicemail, locate Voicemail greeting.
- Select Record a greeting.
- Follow Teams’ recording instructions.
- Save or confirm the recording when Teams finishes.
A recorded greeting takes priority over a typed custom greeting. If you have already recorded a greeting, Teams plays that recording instead of reading the text-to-speech version.
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Option 2: Use a typed greeting
Enter your message in the custom-greeting text box. Teams converts the text to speech when the call reaches voicemail.
If Teams continues playing an older recording after you type new text, the recording is overriding the text. Replace or remove the recording, if the available controls in your account allow it, and then save the text-based greeting.
Change the default greeting language
In the voicemail settings, use the language dropdown for the default greeting. This changes the language Teams uses for its default voicemail prompt. It does not automatically translate a custom greeting that you recorded or typed.
Change what happens when a call reaches voicemail
Teams normally plays your voicemail greeting and lets the caller record a message. You can change that behavior under Call answer rules in Manage voicemail.
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| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Let the caller record a message | Plays the greeting and provides the normal voicemail recording option. |
| Let the caller record a message or be transferred to someone else | Gives the caller the option to leave a message or transfer to a specified destination. |
| End the call without playing your greeting | Disconnects the call without playing your voicemail greeting. |
| Play your greeting and end the call | Plays the greeting but does not let the caller leave a message. |
| Transfer the call to someone else | Sends the caller to a specified person or destination instead of your voicemail. |
- Go to Settings and more → Settings → Calls → Manage voicemail.
- Open Call answer rules.
- Select the behavior you want.
- If you choose a transfer option, specify the destination under Where should they be transferred?
- Save the change if Teams displays a save control.
Set an out-of-office voicemail greeting
Teams can use a separate out-of-office greeting when you are away.
- Open Settings and more → Settings → Calls → Manage voicemail.
- Find the out-of-office voicemail section.
- Select when the out-of-office greeting should play.
- Type your custom out-of-office greeting in the text box.
- Save the setting.
A useful out-of-office message should state when you will return and give the caller a practical alternative. For example: “You’ve reached Alex Morgan. I’m out of the office until Tuesday, 14 May. Please leave your name, number, and reason for calling, or contact the support desk at 555-0100.”
Check your voicemail after changing the settings
Changing voicemail settings and listening to voicemail messages use different areas of Teams. To review messages:
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- Open Calls.
- Open History.
- Select Voicemail in the upper-right area of the call-history experience.
- Select a message.
Depending on what your organization has enabled, the selected voicemail can show playback, summaries or transcripts, a callback option, and voicemail customization controls.
Do not use Calls → History → Voicemail as the main route for changing your personal greeting. The current settings path is Settings and more → Settings → Calls → Manage voicemail.
Change where calls go instead of changing the greeting
If your actual problem is that calls are reaching the wrong person, number, or voicemail box, change call handling rather than the greeting.
- Select Settings and more beside your profile picture.
- Select Settings → Calls.
- Open Call handling and forwarding.
- Review When you receive a call.
Teams can send calls to voicemail, a phone number, a contact, a call group, or delegates. The Calls app may also show a forwarding quick menu at the bottom with options such as:
- Don’t forward
- Forward to voicemail
- Forward to [name/number]
- Forwarding to call group
- Forwarding to delegates
- More Settings
There is an important interface trap here: when Also ring is configured, the quick menu might say Forward to [name] even though your own Teams phone still rings. For the real behavior, check Settings → Calls → Call handling and forwarding → When you receive a call.
Redirect external phone calls
For external incoming phone calls only, open Call handling and forwarding and look for Redirect external phone calls. This setting lets you choose whether external calls are redirected to voicemail or treated as unanswered. Microsoft says the control is off by default. If it is not shown, ask your administrator whether it has been enabled.
Teams Phone Mobile: check the incoming-call setting
Teams Phone Mobile has a separate incoming-call control. It determines whether incoming calls are handled by the cellular phone or the Teams app; it does not replace the voicemail greeting settings.
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- In the Teams mobile app, tap your profile picture.
- Tap Settings → Calling.
- Under the Microsoft tab, open Incoming call settings.
- Choose Cellular phone or Teams app.
This option appears only when your IT administrator allows users to change it. Teams Phone Mobile forwarding settings are managed in Teams, not in the smartphone’s native Phone settings.
Also check whether Outlook or Viva Insights Focus Mode is active. Focus Mode can suppress Teams call notifications and send incoming calls directly to voicemail. Turn it off temporarily when testing whether calls reach you before voicemail.
Change a call queue or auto attendant greeting
If the greeting callers hear is for a company number, department, reception line, or support queue, it may not be your personal voicemail greeting. Call queues and auto attendants have their own greetings.
Call queue greeting
- Select Settings and more → Settings → Calls.
- Select the relevant call queue line.
- Choose one of No greeting, Add a greeting message, or Play an audio file.
- If you add text, type the message. If you use audio, upload a supported file.
- Select Save.
Call queue exception handling is configured separately under Exception handling. Available destinations include Disconnect, Redirect to person in organization, Redirect to external phone number, Redirect to voicemail, and Redirect to voicemails (shared). A person selected as a destination must be voice-enabled.
Auto attendant greeting
- Select Settings and more → Settings → Calls.
- Select the auto attendant line.
- Choose No greeting, Add a greeting message, or Play an audio file.
- Enter the text or upload the supported audio file.
- Select Save.
Auto attendants can use different controls for business hours and after hours. Open Call flow for business hours or Call flow for after hours under the selected attendant’s settings to change the relevant greeting and routing.
Team members and leads cannot change auto attendant voice commands or operator settings. Those changes require an IT administrator. Holiday dates also require authorization for every auto attendant that uses the holiday schedule.
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Why the voicemail controls are missing
Your account may not have the required calling license
If call-forwarding options are absent, Microsoft identifies the likely cause as a missing Enterprise Voice or Business Voice license. After a license is added or changed, the settings can take up to 24 hours to appear.
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Your organization may control the setting
If Redirect external phone calls is not shown, the feature may not have been enabled by your IT administrator. Queue, auto attendant, operator, voice-command, and holiday settings can also be restricted to administrators.
You may be using Teams Free
The documented Calls → Manage voicemail interface is for Teams calling accounts. Microsoft provides separate guidance for Teams Free, so do not assume that the work or school voicemail controls will appear in a personal Teams account.
The client interface may differ
Microsoft’s current documentation applies broadly to Microsoft Teams and does not specify a particular desktop build, web-client version, Windows release, or macOS release. If a label is missing, update Teams, try the web app, and ask your administrator whether your account is provisioned for Teams Phone.
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Microsoft also documents forwarding codes for Teams SIP devices. These codes change forwarding; they do not record or edit a voicemail greeting.
| Action | Code | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Forward all calls | *33* followed by the destination number | *33*+14257222217 |
| Forward on timeout | *34*, optional timeout, *, destination | *34*10*14257222217 |
| Reset forwarding | *32* | *32* |
The timeout must be rounded to the next 10 seconds and can be no more than 60 seconds. These codes may not apply to your Teams client or account, so use the Teams settings interface unless your organization specifically uses Teams SIP devices.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Test the new voicemail behavior
- Call your Teams number from a different phone or account.
- Wait for the call to reach voicemail, or test the forwarding rule you selected.
- Confirm that the greeting is the new recording or the expected text-to-speech message.
- Check whether the caller can leave a message.
- If you configured a transfer, verify that the selected person or destination receives the call.
- Open Calls → History → Voicemail to confirm that a test message appears.
When testing Teams Phone Mobile, check both the Teams incoming-call setting and Focus Mode. Either can make a correct voicemail greeting appear to be a call-routing problem.
FAQ
Where do I change my voicemail greeting in Teams?
Go to Settings and more (⋯) → Settings → Calls → Manage voicemail. Under Voicemail greeting, choose Record a greeting or enter a custom text-to-speech greeting.
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Why is Teams playing my old greeting after I typed a new one?
A recorded greeting takes precedence over a typed text-to-speech greeting. If a recording exists, Teams plays it instead of reading the custom text.
How do I stop callers from leaving voicemail messages?
Open Manage voicemail → Call answer rules and select Play your greeting and end the call. You can also choose End the call without playing your greeting if you do not want a greeting played.
Is Calls → History → Voicemail where I change the greeting?
That area is primarily for reviewing voicemail messages. Use Settings and more → Settings → Calls → Manage voicemail to change personal voicemail settings.
Why can’t I see call forwarding or voicemail options?
Your account may not have an Enterprise Voice or Business Voice license, your administrator may have restricted the feature, or you may be using Teams Free. After a relevant license change, Microsoft says the settings can take up to 24 hours to appear.
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A call queue or auto attendant has a separate greeting. Open Settings and more → Settings → Calls, select the queue or attendant line, choose a text or audio greeting, and select Save. Some changes require administrator permissions.
The Bottom Line
For a personal Teams voicemail greeting, use Settings and more → Settings → Calls → Manage voicemail. Record a greeting or enter text, then review Call answer rules if callers should be transferred or prevented from leaving messages. If the issue is where calls go, use Call handling and forwarding instead. Company lines, call queues, and auto attendants use separate greeting settings.
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