Returing Assignments

Dear @Maria Simone, 

Good day, and I appreciate the clear explanation of your concern. I understand it’s inconvenient when a single student’s work won’t leave the “To return” list, while multiple selections do. I appreciate your patience and I would like to share a few steps that can help you verify the issue: 

Please make sure your operating system and Teams application are fully updated before proceeding with any troubleshooting steps. You can check for updates by going to Settings > About Teams.  

Option 1: Return the assignment directly from the assignment grid 

This method ensures the return status is updated correctly on the server. 

Go to your class team and open Assignments. 

Open the specific assignment. 

In the “To return” list, select the affected student and make sure the checkbox next to their name is ticked after adding feedback or points. 

Select Return, or select Return for revision if you want the student to make changes and resubmit. 

Wait a few seconds and refresh the page to see if the assignment clears from the list. 

Option 2: Try returning the assignment using a different Teams client 

This helps rule out a client-side display or sync issue. 

I recommend opening an InPrivate or Incognito browser window.  

Sign in to the Teams web app at https://teams.microsoft.com using your school account. 

Open the same class and assignment. 

Return the assignment for the student again and check whether it disappears from the “To return” list.  

Option 3: Recheck the assignment return status 

If the assignment was returned for revision, it is expected behavior for it to appear again in Assigned or To return. 

Open the student’s submission and confirm the current status. 

If the status shows Returned for revision, the assignment will remain in “To return” until the student resubmits or until all required return actions are completed. 

Also confirm whether the student may have turned in the work again after it was returned. 

Option 4: Clear the Teams desktop cache  

This can resolve cases where the status is updated but the interface doesn't refresh correctly. 

Please fully close the Teams application, then follow the steps outlined in the following article to clear the Teams client cache: Clear the Teams client cache - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 

Option 5: Reinstall Teams app 

You may try uninstalling the Teams app and then reinstalling it using this link: Download Teams Desktop and Mobile Apps | Microsoft Teams 

Once the installation is complete, please check again to see if the issue persists. 

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into performing deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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