Teams Gains 3D Meeting Capability as Microsoft Retires Mesh Platform
Microsoft has moved its Mesh 3D meeting capabilities into Teams through a new immersive events feature, now generally available. The company retired its standalone Mesh platform as of Dec. 1.
The change allows organizations to run avatar-based, 3D virtual events directly in Teams without deploying separate Mesh applications. Immersive events operate through the Teams calendar and support customizable environments on Windows, macOS, and Meta Quest headsets. Organizers can add corporate branding, embed videos, include 3D models, and sequence content without using code. Microsoft is also offering templates for common scenarios such as company meetings and training sessions.
A new Action Groups capability lets presenters trigger animations, play media, or switch visual elements during an event. According to Microsoft, "Immersive events can help drive enhanced engagement and connection for your workforce across multiple points of interest in a single branded event with a tailored experience — ideal for all hands, showcases, company events, new employee onboarding, and trainings."
Hosting immersive events requires both a commercial Teams license and a Teams Premium subscription for the organizer. Attendees and co-organizers can join with standard Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 licensing. Organizations already using Teams Premium for features such as intelligent meeting recaps or advanced meeting protection will see immersive events included under their existing plans.
The move comes less than two years after Microsoft positioned Mesh as a major step in its collaboration strategy. Mesh, introduced in 2021, supported large-scale 3D environments built in Unity and allowed up to 330 participants. Immersive meetings in Teams currently support up to 16 participants in standard sessions.
Microsoft has been reducing its metaverse-focused initiatives over the past two years, including ending development of HoloLens hardware and discontinuing its related Army contract in 2024. With Mesh retired, its functionality now appears as a Teams meeting feature rather than a standalone platform.
For administrators, the migration relies on existing Microsoft 365 identity, security, and compliance controls. Meta Quest devices can be enrolled through standard mobile device management for enterprise access.
Organizations using Mesh must transition their experiences to Teams. As of Dec. 1, Mesh apps for PC and Quest no longer operate, the mesh.cloud.microsoft site has been removed, and the Immersive space (3D) view in Teams meetings is no longer available.
Creating an immersive event in Teams involves selecting New event in the Teams calendar, choosing Immersive event and customizing the space before sending invitations.
Industry adoption will depend on whether organizations choose to license Teams Premium and whether 3D environments meet their collaboration needs compared with traditional video meetings.
For more information, read the Microsoft blog post.