Viva Engage is Microsoft's enterprise social networking app, built inside Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams. It's where employees join communities, ask questions, share knowledge, and hear directly from leaders, giving hybrid and frontline teams one place to connect. Formerly Yammer, it's now part of the Microsoft Viva employee experience suite and includes Microsoft 365 Copilot for catch-ups, trending themes, and writing help. This post explores what Viva Engage does, its key features, and the benefits it offers for your workplace. Download our Ultimate Viva Engage Guide to learn more about best practices and use cases. What's changed with Viva Engage in 2026 If your last real look at Viva Engage was a couple of years ago, a few things are worth knowing. Yammer is gone for good . Microsoft completed the rebrand to Viva Engage in 2023 and fully retired the Yammer brand. It's the same network and history under a new name, with new experiences layered on top. Yammer is gone for good . Microsoft completed the rebrand to Viva Engage in 2023 and fully retired the Yammer brand. It's the same network and history under a new name, with new experiences layered on top. Copilot is built in . Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Engage is now generally available. Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license get one-click catch-up, trending themes, contextual search, and writing help directly inside Engage. Copilot is built in . Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Engage is now generally available. Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license get one-click catch-up, trending themes, contextual search, and writing help directly inside Engage. Viva Topics is retired . Microsoft retired Viva Topics on February 22, 2025. Inside Viva Engage, topics moved back to a simpler public topics model, and the AI topic cards that came from Viva Topics are no longer there. Viva Topics is retired . Microsoft retired Viva Topics on February 22, 2025. Inside Viva Engage, topics moved back to a simpler public topics model, and the AI topic cards that came from Viva Topics are no longer there. Live events are moving . Viva Engage retired live events powered by Teams Live Events on April 15, 2026, with existing scheduled events supported through February 28, 2027. New broadcasts should use events powered by Teams town hall instead. Live events are moving . Viva Engage retired live events powered by Teams Live Events on April 15, 2026, with existing scheduled events supported through February 28, 2027. New broadcasts should use events powered by Teams town hall instead. What is Viva Engage used for? Think of Viva Engage as Facebook or LinkedIn, but strictly for your company. It’s a space where employees across all locations and roles can connect with teammates, leaders, and communities. Whether you’re an M365 admin, IT leader, or Teams user, Viva Engage offers opportunities to build and strengthen workplace relationships. Here’s how organizations use Viva Engage to foster a culture of collaboration and community: Open communication: Team members can ask questions, provide feedback, and openly share ideas with the click of a button. Celebrating successes: Share wins or milestones to recognize the great work your colleagues are doing. Knowledge sharing: Find expertise, join topic-focused communities, and track down the answers to burning questions (fast). Building belonging: Employees can get to know their coworkers beyond emails and Zoom calls, strengthening both morale and team spirit. Sound familiar? That’s because Viva Engage grew out of Yammer. Microsoft finished rebranding Yammer to Viva Engage in 2023 and has since retired the Yammer name entirely, so if you're still thinking "Yammer," this is where it went. Learn more about Viva Engage vs Yammer . What are the key features of Viva Engage? Microsoft Viva Engage is packed with powerful features that make it more than just a social networking platform. Here’s an overview of what you can expect: Community-building and social groups Viva Engage is built for connection. Employees can join or create communities to engage with colleagues who share their interests or work in a similar domain. Whether it’s a product design group or an informal “coffee chat” club, these spaces make virtual workplaces feel just a little more human. Community-building and social groups Viva Engage is built for connection. Employees can join or create communities to engage with colleagues who share their interests or work in a similar domain. Whether it’s a product design group or an informal “coffee chat” club, these spaces make virtual workplaces feel just a little more human. Storylines Storyline lets people post updates to their followers, a bit like a personal feed on LinkedIn. Employees can share announcements, wins, photos, and short videos, and colleagues can follow, comment, and react across Viva Engage, Teams, Outlook, and Viva Connections. Storyline lets people post updates to their followers, a bit like a personal feed on LinkedIn. Employees can share announcements, wins, photos, and short videos, and colleagues can follow, comment, and react across Viva Engage, Teams, Outlook, and Viva Connections. Integration with Microsoft 365 apps If you’re already working within Microsoft 365 tools like Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint, Viva Engage feels like a natural extension. You don’t need to jump between multiple apps; instead, it fits neatly into your digital workspace. Integration with Microsoft 365 apps If you’re already working within Microsoft 365 tools like Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint, Viva Engage feels like a natural extension. You don’t need to jump between multiple apps; instead, it fits neatly into your digital workspace. Leadership connection features Viva Engage not only fosters peer-to-peer communication but also bridges the gap between employees and leadership. Leaders can interact directly through Q&A sessions, share inspiring messages, or get real-time feedback from their workforce. Leadership connection features Viva Engage not only fosters peer-to-peer communication but also bridges the gap between employees and leadership. Leaders can interact directly through Q&A sessions, share inspiring messages, or get real-time feedback from their workforce. Enterprise compliance and governance Viva Engage content is stored in the Microsoft 365 substrate, so it's covered by the same Microsoft Purview retention, eDiscovery, and communications compliance controls you use elsewhere in Microsoft 365. Viva Engage web parts for SharePoint You can embed Viva Engage into your SharePoint intranet using the Conversations, Community, and Highlights web parts, turning static pages into places where employees can post, ask, and react without leaving the portal. Viva Engage web parts for SharePoint You can embed Viva Engage into your SharePoint intranet using the Conversations, Community, and Highlights web parts, turning static pages into places where employees can post, ask, and react without leaving the portal. Mobile accessibility Stay connected on the go with Viva Engage’s mobile-friendly interface. All features are accessible whether you’re at your desk or on your phone. Mobile accessibility Stay connected on the go with Viva Engage’s mobile-friendly interface. All features are accessible whether you’re at your desk or on your phone. Viva Engage examples: how teams actually use it A few common Viva Engage examples we see in Microsoft 365 tenants: New-hire onboarding community where joiners meet peers and get questions answered fast. New-hire onboarding community where joiners meet peers and get questions answered fast. Leadership AMAs and Q&A so employees can hear from and respond to executives directly. Leadership AMAs and Q&A so employees can hear from and respond to executives directly. A n IT or "ask the experts" community that crowdsources answers and cuts repeat tickets. A n IT or "ask the experts" community that crowdsources answers and cuts repeat tickets.

A CE O or leader storyline for company-wide updates that feel personal, not corporate. A CE O or leader storyline for company-wide updates that feel personal, not corporate. E m pl oyee resource and interest groups that build belonging across locations. E m pl oyee resource and interest groups that build belonging across locations. Key benefits of Viva Engage The value of Viva Engage goes beyond its features. Adoption is real: at Microsoft Ignite 2024, Microsoft reported that Microsoft Viva passed more than 66 million monthly active users . Here’s how this tool can benefit your organization: Enhances employee engagement An engaged workforce is a productive workforce, and Viva Engage makes it easy for employees to meaningfully connect. The platform helps them share their voice, celebrate their successes, and feel valued beyond their job roles. Enhances employee engagement An engaged workforce is a productive workforce, and Viva Engage makes it easy for employees to meaningfully connect. The platform helps them share their voice, celebrate their successes, and feel valued beyond their job roles. Boosts collaboration across teams By breaking down silos, Viva Engage encourages knowledge sharing and cross-department collaboration. Whether it’s a quick question or an ongoing project discussion, it ensures people get the answers and connections they need to succeed. Boosts collaboration across teams By breaking down silos, Viva Engage encourages knowledge sharing and cross-department collaboration. Whether it’s a quick question or an ongoing project discussion, it ensures people get the answers and connections they need to succeed. Supports leadership communication Leadership teams have a powerful tool to initiate conversations, provide transparency, and foster trust companywide. Viva Engage enables direct lines of communication between decision-makers and team members, driving unity and alignment. Supports leadership communication Leadership teams have a powerful tool to initiate conversations, provide transparency, and foster trust companywide. Viva Engage enables direct lines of communication between decision-makers and team members, driving unity and alignment. Creates a sense of belonging With the rise of hybrid and remote work, fostering a sense of workplace community has become more challenging. Viva Engage helps bridge that gap, ensuring employees feel part of something bigger, no matter where they’re located. Creates a sense of belonging With the rise of hybrid and remote work, fostering a sense of workplace community has become more challenging. Viva Engage helps bridge that gap, ensuring employees feel part of something bigger, no matter where they’re located. Integrated, secure, and scalable Since it’s a Microsoft product, Viva Engage offers enterprise-grade security while scaling to meet the needs of even the largest global organizations. Plus, its seamless integration with tools like Teams and SharePoint simplifies adoption across multiple teams and departments. Integrated, secure, and scalable Since it’s a Microsoft product, Viva Engage offers enterprise-grade security while scaling to meet the needs of even the largest global organizations. Plus, its seamless integration with tools like Teams and SharePoint simplifies adoption across multiple teams and departments. Self-service community creation also empowers users to build grassroots engagement, with no IT bottlenecks required. Microsoft Viva Engage vs. Viva Connections Viva Engage and Viva Connections are both part of Microsoft Viva and work best together. In Microsoft's own words, Engage is the social fabric of Viva while Connections is the gateway to it. Viva Engage vs. Microsoft Teams: what's the difference? If you already use Microsoft Teams, and you almost certainly do, Viva Engage complements it rather than competes with it. The simplest way to think about "Viva Engage vs Teams" is scope: Teams is for your immediate group, Viva Engage is for the whole organization. Microsoft Teams: task-oriented collaboration such as chat, meetings, calls, and file sharing inside a team or project. Viva Engage: open communication, community building, and leadership connection that spans departments and locations. You don't pick one. Teams handles the day-to-day work, Viva Engage carries the culture and company-wide conversation, and Engage surfaces inside Teams as an app so people don't switch context. For the full breakdown, see Viva Engage vs Microsoft Teams Why every M365 admin should consider Viva Engage For M365 admins, Viva Engage isn’t just “another tool” to manage– it’s a crucial element in driving employee satisfaction and engagement. Its integration with other Microsoft tools ensures minimal disruption to workflows while offering maximum value for your organization. If you’re looking to implement a platform that brings your workforce together, this is it. Keep Viva Engage communities from turning into sprawl Viva Engage adoption is a good problem to have, right up until every team spins up its own community. Each one creates a Microsoft 365 group behind the scenes, and without a plan that becomes duplicate communities, ownerless groups, and cleanup nobody wants. Orchestry helps you stay ahead of it with provisioning templates, naming and lifecycle policies, and workspace reviews for the Microsoft 365 groups behind your communities, so engagement grows without the governance headache. See how Orchestry governs Microsoft 365 in a demo or d ownload our Ultimate Viva Engage Guide for more information. Frequently asked questions about Viva Engage Is Viva Engage replacing Yammer? It already has. Microsoft rebranded Yammer as Viva Engage in 2023 and has since retired the Yammer brand completely. Your communities, conversations, and history carried over, so Viva Engage is the same network with a new name and new capabilities like Copilot. Do you need a license for Viva Engage? The core Viva Engage experience, including communities, conversations, and storyline, is included with most Microsoft 365 and Office 365 enterprise and frontline plans at no extra cost. Premium features such as Leadership Corner, AMAs, campaigns, delegation, and advanced analytics require the Microsoft Viva Suite or the Microsoft Viva Employee Communications and Communities license. Copilot in Viva Engage requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. What's the difference between Viva Engage and Microsoft Teams? Teams is for task-focused collaboration like chat, meetings, and files with your immediate group. Viva Engage is for open, company-wide conversation and community that reaches beyond your team. Most organizations use both. Is Viva Engage the same as Viva Connections? No. Viva Connections is the curated front door for news and resources, while Viva Engage is the space for two-way conversation and community. They're complementary. Other posts you might be interested in Viva Engage vs Teams: Navigating the Microsoft 365 Maze Viva Engage Community Templates in Orchestry Reduce Teams Noise: Consolidate the Conversation into Viva Engage Want to become a pro at M365? Get the latest & greatest insights on Microsoft 365, MS Teams, and SharePoint delivered directly to your inbox once a month.