Microsoft Teams defaults to showing swear words in captions, except for government users
Microsoft Teams has turned off its profanity filter by default for live captions, so most users will now see swear words uncensored. Government and defense users will have to wait until the end of August 2026 for the change.
The toggle, which originally let each user decide whether to hide bad words, was introduced in 2023 to replace swearing with asterisks. Microsoft opted to disable the filter by default in May 2026 for reasons it partly explained in its post: "This change ensures captions more accurately reflect spoken content, supporting accessibility needs and aligning with regional regulatory requirements (including the EU)."
Users retain full control and can switch the filter on or off at any time. Microsoft added that "no admin action is required, but informing support teams and users is recommended."
According to TechRadar, the rollout for Government Community Cloud (GCC), GCC High, and US Department of Defense customers has been extended until the end of August 2026. Microsoft offered no explanation for the delay, though such environments typically involve extra security checks and operational constraints.
The announcement is the latest in a series of Teams updates focused on user expression and convenience. Microsoft recently introduced badges for user profile cards and is working on a feature that auto-updates a user's work location when they connect to an office Wi-Fi network.