How to Pin Someone in Teams (2026)
Pinning in Microsoft Teams locks one person’s video as your main view so they don’t drop off when someone else talks. It only changes what you see — for everyone, that’s Spotlight. Here’s how to pin, unpin, and the difference between the two.
Pin Someone on Desktop
- In the meeting, find the person’s video tile.
- Hover over it and click More options (the …) — or right-click the tile.
- Click Pin for me.
Their video now stays front and center for you, no matter who’s speaking. You can pin multiple people the same way to keep them all on screen.
To unpin: open the tile’s … menu again and choose Unpin.
Pin Someone on Mobile (iOS/Android)
- Tap and hold the person’s video tile (or tap the tile, then …).
- Tap Pin.
- To undo, tap and hold again and choose Unpin.
Pin vs. Spotlight — What’s the Difference?
| Pin for me | Spotlight | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it affects | Only your own screen | Everyone in the meeting |
| Who can do it | Any participant | Organizer / presenter only |
| Best for | Focusing your own view | Putting a speaker front-and-center for all |
To Spotlight (organizer/presenter): right-click the tile or open … > Spotlight for everyone. Use Spotlight for the active presenter so all attendees see them; use Pin for me when you just want to control your own layout.
Troubleshooting
”Pin for me” isn’t in the menu
Make sure you’re opening the tile’s menu (hover the video > …), not the main meeting menu. In Together mode or very small windows, switch to Gallery view first.
My pin keeps changing to the speaker
You’re seeing automatic speaker switching without an active pin. Re-pin the person — a real pin overrides the auto layout.
I want everyone to see one person
That’s Spotlight, not Pin — and only the organizer or a presenter can do it. Ask them to spotlight the speaker.
Pin disappeared when screen sharing started
Sharing changes the layout. Re-pin the person after the share begins, or adjust the split between shared content and video.
Pinned video is small
Pinning controls who stays on screen, not the size. Hide non-video participants or collapse the chat/people panel to give the pinned tile more room.
Quick Reference
| Goal | What to do |
|---|---|
| Keep one person on your screen | Tile … > Pin for me |
| Pin several people | Repeat for each tile |
| Pin on mobile | Tap and hold the tile > Pin |
| Show a speaker to everyone | Organizer: … > Spotlight for everyone |
| Undo | Tile … > Unpin |
Related Teams guides: How to raise your hand in Teams · How to turn off your camera on Teams · How to record a Teams meeting · How to share your screen on Teams · The best AI note takers for Zoom, Teams & Meet
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