How to Spotlight in Teams (2026)
Spotlight in Microsoft Teams locks one or more video feeds as the main view for everyone in the meeting. Only the organizer, co-organizer, or a presenter can spotlight, and you can highlight up to seven people at once. Here’s how to do it, and how it differs from pinning.
Spotlight One Person
- On the meeting toolbar, click People to open the participant list.
- Find the person you want to feature (hover over their name or their video tile).
- Click More options (the …).
- Select Spotlight for everyone.
- Click Spotlight to confirm.
That person’s video is now the main feed for every attendee until you stop it. You can spotlight your own video the same way — open More options on your tile and choose Spotlight for everyone.
Spotlight Several People
To highlight multiple speakers (for a panel or Q&A):
- Spotlight the first person as above.
- For each additional person, open their More options > Add spotlight.
- Repeat for up to seven people total.
Everyone sees the spotlighted feeds prominently, side by side.
Stop Spotlighting
- One person: open their More options > Stop spotlighting.
- Everyone at once: open the … at the top of the participant list (or any spotlighted tile) and choose Stop spotlighting to clear all.
Spotlight vs. Pin
These look similar but work very differently:
| Spotlight | Pin | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it affects | Everyone in the meeting | Only your own screen |
| Who can do it | Organizer / presenter | Any participant |
| Use it for | Speakers, presentations, events | Keeping one person in view for yourself |
Spotlight is a meeting-wide control. Pin is a private viewing choice that no one else sees.
Troubleshooting
I don’t see the Spotlight option
You must be the organizer, a co-organizer, or a presenter. Attendees can only pin (for themselves), not spotlight. Ask the organizer to make you a presenter.
Spotlight is greyed out before anyone shares video
You can only spotlight a feed that has video on. If a person’s camera is off, their tile can still be spotlighted, but it will show their name/avatar rather than a live image.
Can I spotlight in a channel meeting?
Spotlight works in standard scheduled meetings and channel meetings. Some controls (like assigning presenters) behave differently in channel meetings — make people presenters from Meeting options beforehand if you can’t change roles live.
Spotlight stopped when screen sharing started
Sharing content takes over the main stage. Spotlight resumes on the chosen feed once sharing ends, or you can re-apply it.
How is this different from pinning someone?
Pinning only changes your view. Spotlight changes the view for everyone — use spotlight when you want the whole room looking at the same person.
Quick Reference
| Goal | What to do |
|---|---|
| Spotlight one person | People > person’s … > Spotlight for everyone |
| Add more spotlights | Each person’s … > Add spotlight (up to 7) |
| Spotlight yourself | Your tile … > Spotlight for everyone |
| Stop one | Person’s … > Stop spotlighting |
| Stop all | Participant list … > Stop spotlighting |
Related Teams guides: How to make someone a presenter in Teams · How to share your screen on Teams · How to record a Teams meeting · The best AI note takers for Zoom, Teams & Meet
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