As digital collaboration becomes increasingly the norm, trust between organizations and users is more essential than ever. Microsoft Teams, as the benchmark communication and collaboration platform, introduces a new feature to reinforce this trust: trust indicator badges. Trust indicators in Teams are designed in several visual formats, to remain effective yet unobtrusive in all user experiences. There are three badge variants:
- Full badge
- Truncated badge
- Single icon
What is a trust indicator badge?
Trust indicators are visuals integrated into the Teams interface that enable users to quickly see whether an organization complies with certain security, compliance and confidentiality standards. These badges appear in the profiles of external users (guests or members of other organizations) and provide key information about their Microsoft 365 environment.
Why is this important?
Trust indicator badges allow you to :
- Enhance transparency in inter-organizational exchanges.
- Make it easier to decide whether to share files or sensitive information.
- Improve safety by quickly identifying less secure environments.
- Promote collaboration with partners who respect high standards.
How do I activate this feature?
Badges are enabled by default for organizations that use Microsoft Teams and have configured the security and compliance services mentioned. No manual configuration is required, but it is recommended to :
- Check that services such as Microsoft Purview, Defender for Office 365 and DLP are deployed.
- Inform internal users about the meaning of badges.
- Update external collaboration policies in line with displayed confidence levels.
Warning banner
In addition to badges, Teams displays an alert banner in the message-writing area when an external participant is present:
- Neutral gray: at least one external user is present.
- Red: if a user is External-Unfamiliar or Unverified.
Availability
This feature is currently in public pre-release, with general availability scheduled for late November 2025, and completion in early January 2026.
In conclusion
Trust indicator badges in Microsoft Teams are an enhancement for more secure and transparent collaboration. They enable users to better understand the level of data protection in the organizations with which they interact, while reinforcing the overall security posture.
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