As of April 1, 2026, Microsoft is implementing a number of licensing changes for Microsoft Teams, Teams Premium, and Microsoft Places. The changes relate to access to event functionality, workplace coordination, and the management of shared spaces. Below, we list the most important changes.
Expansion of Microsoft Places
Microsoft Places offers AI-powered workplace functionality that allows employees to find and book colleagues, rooms, and services at the office. Until now, some of this functionality was of limited availability. Starting April 1, 2026, the following end-user features will become available for all licenses that provide access to the calendar in Outlook and Teams — including Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium, Outlook 365 E1, E3, and E5, Exchange Online, and various Teams licenses:
Places Finder — Users can search for meeting rooms based on capacity, location, and availability, supplemented with information such as images, floor plans, and available technology. This replaces the existing Room Finder functionality.
New agenda experience — A revamped calendar view with integrated Places Finder for quickly finding available rooms.
Places Explorer — Map-based view of work locations, including information about colleagues present, rooms, and facilities. Accessible via the Places app in Outlook and Teams.
Renamed license: Teams Shared Space
The former Teams Shared Devices license is being renamed the Teams Shared Space license. In addition to existing capabilities — such as managing a shared phone, a Teams Panel, a shared space, or a hotdesking device — Microsoft is adding the ability to manage up to four desks with a single license.
The license includes features for desk reservation in advance, management of room and desk reservation policies, automatic room release, and usage reporting. Existing customers with a Teams Shared Device license do not need to take any action for the transition but must assign additional desks separately via a free license.
Expansion of town hall and webinar to Teams Enterprise
Microsoft is making a range of features that were previously exclusive to Teams Premium licenses available to all users with a Teams Enterprise license. These include:
Streaming chat, reactions during events, real-time insights for hosts, customization of meeting themes and emails with organization branding, Enterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN) for stable streaming to large groups and immersive events in custom 3D environments.
Starting April 1, 2026, all Teams Enterprise users can host events for up to 3.000 participants by default, including interaction options such as reactions, chat, raise hands, and polls. For events where participants use their camera and microphone, the limit is 1.000 concurrent participants.
New Attendee Pack licenses for large events
For organizations wishing to host events for more than 3.000 attendees, Microsoft is introducing the Attendee Pack license as an add-on. These licenses scale from 5.000 to a maximum of 100.000 attendees and are available in various sizes. Assignment is handled through the Teams Admin Center.
What remains exclusive to Teams Premium?
The above expansion does not mean that Teams Premium no longer offers added value. Advanced communication features in Teams meetings, meeting security, Intelligent Recap, the Queues app for Teams Phone, Advanced Collaboration Tools for administrators, and extensive capabilities for Bookings and virtual appointments remain exclusively available via Teams Premium.
What does this mean for your organization?
The changes effective April 1, 2026, offer organizations more functionality within existing licenses, particularly in the areas of workplace management and events. At the same time, Microsoft is introducing new add-on licenses for scalable event organization. It is advisable to review your current license portfolio in light of these changes and determine whether additional licenses are necessary or desirable.
As an independent licensing specialist, we are happy to help you map out the impact for your specific situation. Contact us for a no-obligation consultation.