Fix Classic Teams Is Still Launching after Upgrading to New Teams

You upgraded to the new Microsoft Teams, but the classic Teams app still opens when you click a meeting link or press the Teams shortcut. This happens because Windows registry entries, startup policies, or cached shortcuts still point to the old Teams executable. In this article, you will learn why classic Teams persists and how to force Windows and Microsoft 365 to launch only the new Teams client.

Why Classic Teams Still Opens After You Install New Teams

Classic Teams and new Teams are separate programs. The upgrade process installs new Teams but does not always remove every shortcut, registry entry, or policy that points to the old executable. When you click a Teams meeting link in Outlook or a web page, Windows may still route the request to the classic Teams app because the file association or the protocol handler has not been updated.

Another common cause is the coexistence mode in the Teams admin center. If your organization sets the coexistence mode to “Islands” or “Classic Teams only,” Windows will intentionally launch classic Teams even if new Teams is installed. This is a deliberate policy, not a bug.

Finally, cached shortcuts on the desktop or in the Start menu may still point to the classic Teams executable. These shortcuts can survive the upgrade and will open the old app when clicked.

Steps to Force New Teams to Launch Instead of Classic Teams

Follow these steps in order. Each step removes one layer of the problem. Do not skip the registry step, because it is the most common reason classic Teams keeps opening.

Step 1: Check and Set the Coexistence Mode in the Teams Admin Center

1. Sign in to the Teams admin center
   Go to admin.teams.microsoft.com and sign in with an account that has Teams administrator permissions.
2. Open Teams upgrade settings
   In the left navigation, select Teams > Teams upgrade settings.
3. Change the coexistence mode
   Under Coexistence mode, select Teams only. This tells Windows to launch new Teams for all meeting links and chat actions.
4. Save and wait
   Click Save. The change can take up to 24 hours to apply to all users. If you are testing on your own machine, restart Teams afterward.

Step 2: Delete the Stale Registry Value for New Teams

1. Open Registry Editor
   Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Confirm the User Account Control prompt.
2. Navigate to the Teams key
   Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Teams. If the key does not exist, right-click Office and select New > Key, then name it Teams.
3. Delete the EnableNewTeams value
   In the right pane, find EnableNewTeams. Right-click it and select Delete. Confirm the deletion. This value sometimes stays as 0, which tells Windows to use classic Teams.
4. Close Registry Editor
   Exit regedit and restart your computer.

Step 3: Disable the Classic Teams App Execution Alias

1. Open Windows Settings
   Press Win + I and select Apps.
2. Go to Advanced app settings
   Click Advanced app settings and then App execution aliases.
3. Turn off the classic Teams alias
   Find the entry named Teams.exe that is labeled as the classic version. Toggle it to Off. Leave the new Teams alias enabled.
4. Test a meeting link
   Open a meeting invite in Outlook and click Join. New Teams should open now.

Step 4: Remove Old Desktop and Start Menu Shortcuts

1. Open the classic Teams installation folder
   In File Explorer, go to %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Teams. If this folder exists, the classic app is still installed.
2. Delete the shortcuts
   Right-click the Teams shortcut on your desktop and in the Start menu, then select Delete.
3. Uninstall classic Teams
   Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, search for Microsoft Teams, and select Uninstall. Choose the version that does not say “new”.

If Classic Teams Still Launches After the Main Fix

Sometimes the coexistence mode change takes time to propagate. If you still see classic Teams, check the following specific scenarios.

Meeting Links in Outlook Open Classic Teams

Outlook uses the default protocol handler for msteams links. If new Teams is not set as the default, classic Teams will open. To fix this, open new Teams, go to Settings > General, and check the box that says Register Teams as the chat app for Microsoft 365. Then restart Outlook.

Classic Teams Opens When You Press the Windows Key and Type Teams

Windows Search may still show the classic app as the top result. After you uninstall classic Teams and disable the alias, the search result should point to new Teams. If it still shows the old icon, restart the Windows Explorer process or reboot the computer.

Your Organization Forces Classic Teams Through Group Policy

If your company sets a policy that blocks new Teams, you cannot change it on your own. Contact your IT administrator and ask them to set the coexistence mode to Teams only in the Teams admin center.

Classic Teams vs New Teams: Key Differences

Item	Classic Teams	New Teams
Performance	Uses more memory and CPU	Faster startup and lower resource use
Installation	Separate MSI or per-user install	Built into Windows 11 or downloaded from Microsoft
Coexistence mode	Works in Islands or Classic mode	Requires Teams only mode to be the default
Meeting join	Opens via msteams protocol handler	Uses the same protocol handler but with a new executable

You now know how to stop classic Teams from opening after you upgrade. Start by changing the coexistence mode in the Teams admin center, then delete the stale registry value and disable the app execution alias. If you manage multiple computers, use the Teams admin center to enforce the Teams only mode for all users. For a quick test on your own machine, press Ctrl + Shift + M in new Teams to open the meeting join dialog and confirm the new client is active.