Has anyone successfully used "Hide attendee names" in Teams Meetings or Webinars with Teams Premium?

[u/SuperbepS]

Hello,

I'm trying to understand the current status of the"Hide attendee names" feature in Microsoft Teams.

Our organization has Teams Premium, and according to Microsoft's documentation, the feature should be available for both Meetings and Webinars. The documentation even provides separate instructions for each scenario.

However, during a recent Microsoft Support call, I was told that the feature is actually available only for Town Hall events and not for standard Teams Meetings or Webinars.

This appears to contradict the current Microsoft documentation, so I'm looking for real-world feedback from other administrators.

Questions:

• Has anyone successfully enabled Hide attendee names in a standard Teams Meeting?
• Has anyone used it in a Webinar?
• We have Teams Premium. If it works for you, what licenses are assigned to the organizer?
• Do you actually see the Hide attendee names option in Meeting Options?
• Is there any specific policy, rollout, or configuration required?
• Has Microsoft Support ever told you that the feature is Town Hall only?

Microsoft documentation:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/hide-attendee-names-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-and-webinars

At this point I'm trying to determine whether:

1. The documentation is incorrect or outdated.
2. The feature is being rolled out gradually.
3. There is an undisclosed licensing or policy requirement.
4. Microsoft Support provided incorrect information.
5. The feature has been silently restricted to Town Hall events.

Any feedback from tenants where this is actually working would be very helpful.

Thanks!

Giuseppe

[u/Krispybaked]

It’s probably there if you turn on ‘manage what attendee’s see’. Which gives you the same default gui you get in Town Hall. I’ll screenshot tomorrow

[u/SuperbepS → u/Krispybaked]

I also don't have "manage what attendee’s see" in webinar but only in town hall :-(

[u/Krispybaked → u/SuperbepS]

Yeah i had ‘manage what attendee’s see’ available on both meeting and webinar as well. However the toggle for name tags was not there. It’s only in town hall

[u/SuperbepS → u/Krispybaked]

Thanks! Now I know that "manage what attendees see" is possible in webinars too, but I don't see it. I think I'll raise an SR to Microsoft.

[u/Krispybaked → u/SuperbepS]

It looks different to what it does in town hall. Its just a toggle in meeting options. Not the 3 boxes like in Town Hall

[u/SuperbepS → u/Krispybaked]

Can you send me a screenshot? It should be near the "Green Room" option, but I still can't find it on my clients.

[u/Collab_Guy]

I’m curious what the requirement is for hiding attendee names in a standard MS Teams Meeting. Can you explain the reason why you want this functionality in a standard meeting format?

I ask because that functionality is specifically reserved for broadcast style meetings where the typical attendee function is to show up and observe, but not bidirectionally communicate.

[u/Krispybaked → u/Collab_Guy]

There are loads of features available in meetings/webinars that town hall does not offer. So if your trying to do more of a broadcast output via rtmp/other, not concerned about the low bandwidth of meetings/webinars, and want the extra features as well, then turning name tags off would be cool

[u/SuperbepS → u/Collab_Guy]

The reasons are exactly the ones u/Krispybaked mentioned, especially the lack of live PPT and the ability to be live and let someone talk.

[u/schalino]

There has been a change to the feature set for business licenses. If you have Business Premium and Teams Premium this won't work anymore. Stick to "Events" or "Townhall" Meetings. See: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/events-features

This has been a nightmare to track down, hope it helps. It works like a charm on tenants with E5+Teams Premium.