One of the questions I often get from customers is why the raise hand feature does not work in Teams Town Halls. It is such a basic function in regular Teams meetings that many assumed it would already be part of Town Halls too.
In a Town Hall you manage participant roles very carefully. Attendees cannot just unmute or turn on their camera whenever they want, which makes sense in large events where control is key. But until now, there has been no easy way for attendees to signal that they wanted to take part. In this kind of managed environment, raising a hand is the natural way to show that you want to interact and be invited to speak.
According to this roadmap entry, starting in September 2025, this will finally be possible. Microsoft is adding the raise hand feature to Teams Town Hall for Teams Premium users. Organizers and presenters will be able to see when someone raises their hand, and then decide if that person should be brought on screen with the option to use their microphone and camera.
Town Hall or Live Event?
Teams Town Hall has been lacking in functionality for a long time, especially compared to what we had with Teams Live Events. At the same time, you cannot make a one to one comparison between the two. Live Events was more of a one way broadcast, while Town Hall is designed to be interactive and feel closer to a real meeting experience. Still, this update shows that Town Hall is catching up and becoming a stronger choice for large scale communication.
This has probably not been the most requested feature, but it has been an obvious gap. The ability to raise your hand is a basic function that really should have been there from the very beginning. Now that it is coming, Town Halls will feel more natural, interactive, and human.
