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Official shadow system from Microsoft Teams design language

Light Mode Shadows
Shadow system optimized for light backgrounds
Shadow-2

Shadow-2

Subtle elevation for cards and containers

Shadow-4

Shadow-4

Light elevation for hover states

Shadow-8

Shadow-8

Medium elevation for dropdowns and menus

Shadow-16

Shadow-16

High elevation for modals and overlays

Shadow-32

Shadow-32

Very high elevation for popovers

Shadow-64

Shadow-64

Maximum elevation for critical UI elements

Implementation Guide
How to use Microsoft Teams shadows in your components

Shadow Hierarchy

Shadow-2Default

Base level for cards and containers in their resting state

Shadow-4 & Shadow-8Interactive

Hover states and dropdown menus that appear above content

Shadow-16 & Shadow-32Overlay

Modal dialogs, popovers, and floating panels

Shadow-64Critical

Highest priority elements that need maximum visual separation

Usage Examples

// React Component with Teams Shadow
<div className="shadow-[0px_2px_4px_0px_rgba(0,0,0,0.14),0px_0px_2px_0px_rgba(0,0,0,0.12)]">
  <h3>Card Title</h3>
  <p>Card content with Shadow-4 elevation</p>
</div>

// CSS Class
.teams-card {
  box-shadow: 0px 2px 4px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.14),
              0px 0px 2px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.12);
}

// Dark Mode Support
.dark .teams-card {
  box-shadow: 0px 0px 2px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.20),
              0px 2px 4px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.28);
}

Design Principles

Layered Shadows

Teams uses two shadow layers: one for depth and one for definition

Contextual Adaptation

Shadows adjust opacity based on light/dark mode context

Progressive Elevation

Shadow intensity increases with UI element importance

Performance Optimized

Minimal shadow layers for better rendering performance

Chat Message (Shadow-2)

JD
John Doe10:30 AM

Hey team, let's sync on the project status this afternoon.

Meeting Card (Shadow-4)

Upcoming

Design Review Meeting

Today, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
8 participants

Dropdown Menu (Shadow-8)

Modal Dialog (Shadow-16)

Create New Channel

Channels are where your team communicates. They're best organized around a topic.

Floating Panel (Shadow-32)

Quick Actions

Critical Alert (Shadow-64)

System Maintenance Alert

Scheduled maintenance will begin in 30 minutes. Please save your work and prepare for a brief service interruption.

Dark Chat Thread (Shadow-4)

MS
Mary Smith2:45 PM

Great work on the presentation! The client loved it.

Activity Feed (Shadow-8)

Recent Activity

3 new

File uploaded: Design_v2.pdf

2 minutes ago

Meeting started in General

15 minutes ago