How to Set Up a Meeting in Microsoft Teams

Since the recent surge in remote work, Microsoft Teams has become a go-to for many organizations. One of the primary benefits you’ll enjoy in Teams is setting up meetings.

If you don’t know how to set up a meeting in Microsoft Teams, don’t worry. Fortunately, it’s not a complicated process and will have you collaborating with team members in no time. When you’re ready to set up a meeting in Teams, this article will walk you through the steps.

How to Schedule a Future Meeting in Teams From a Desktop

To schedule a meeting for the future, you will need the paid version of Microsoft Teams. Setting up an upcoming meeting is beneficial so that everyone involved can prepare. You can also check everyone’s calendar to synchronize schedules and be sure participants are available at the meeting time.

There are three ways to schedule a meeting on a Desktop: from chat, through the calendar’s “New Meeting” button, or by selecting a calendar range.

Scheduling a Meeting on a Desktop From Chat

If you want to schedule a meeting among chat group members, you can do so directly from the chat string.

1. Below the new message box, select the option to set up a meeting with the chat group members.
   
2. Fill in the meeting details and confirm.
   

Note that it will start a brand-new meeting and not keep the information in the current chat. If you want the meeting information to populate inside the group, consider looking into Microsoft Teams channels.

Contrary to how it may sound, you can only schedule a meeting from a regular chat, not a meeting chat.

A Teams meeting can hold 1,000 invitees who have permission to interact and chat in the meeting. However, once the meeting reaches 1,000 participants, any others who join will be in view-only mode, up to 10,000 viewers.

Scheduling a Meeting on a Desktop With the “New Meeting” Button

The second option to set up a meeting is through the “New Meeting” button located in the calendar. Microsoft Teams has a feature that synchronizes calendars across multiple employees. When you schedule a meeting with the calendar, you can see the availability of others in your organization. You can also choose which members are mandatory and which are optional.

1. Open the calendar in Microsoft Teams and click “New Meeting.”
   
2. Add invitees from your organization or externally with the provided link.
   
3. Select the physical location of the meeting or indicate that it will be online.
   
4. You can add an optional agenda.
   
5. Finish with the extra options and select “Done.”
   

Scheduling a Meeting on a Desktop Through a Calendar Range

The last option for setting up a meeting is to select a range on the calendar. This opens a pop-up box to fill in the meeting details.

1. Select a calendar range of time.
   
2. In the pop-up box, confirm the date and time details. You can edit them if you want to choose a different range.
   
3. Click “Save” to send the meeting notice out to everyone.
   

How to Schedule a Future Teams Meeting From a Mobile Device

There is currently one way to schedule a future Teams meeting on a mobile device. As with desktops, this is only available through the paid option of Teams.

1. Inside the calendar page on the app, tap “Schedule a Meeting.” The icon looks like a tiny calendar with a plus sign on it.
   
2. In the form that pops up, enter the meeting title. Here you can add attendees and specify a date and time.
   
3. Add any extra options and details, like a recurring meeting schedule or a description of what you want to accomplish in the meeting.
   
4. Tap “Done” when everything looks in order.
   

How to Begin an Immediate Meeting

You can still set up a meeting if you don’t have access to the paid version of Microsoft Teams. The limitation of the free version of Teams is that you can’t schedule a meeting for the future. You can only set up a meeting to begin immediately. Follow the steps below to do so.

Scheduling an Immediate Meeting on a Desktop:

Follow the steps below to set up an instant meeting from a desktop.

1. Navigate to the calendar and click the “Meet Now” button.
   
2. Name your session and set the audio and video options to on or off.
   
3. Click “Join Now” to begin the meeting.
   
4. Once the meeting starts, you can invite people to join you.
   

Scheduling an Immediate Meeting on a Mobile Device:

“Meet Now” is not yet available for mobile devices, so starting a meeting is a little different from your Apple or Android device.

1. Open the home page and select “Meet.”
   
2. Tap “Meet now.”
   
3. Select “Start a meeting.”
   

How to Invite Someone Outside My Organization

While the extra features of Teams is beneficial within an organization, it is possible to invite someone from outside the organization, even if they don’t have Microsoft Teams.

• In your meeting setup’s “Add Attendees” area, you can enter a full email address for anyone outside the organization.
• Once you complete a meeting setup, an associated hyperlink will be provided for that meeting. You can email or text this link to anyone to allow them to attend.

You can use either method to invite someone who does not have Microsoft Teams. They will be given the option to use an unmanaged “guest” account for the meeting. Note that within Teams, your admin can set permissions for “guest” meeting participants to restrict their ability to interact with the meeting.

Channels

Teams includes “channels,” which allow meeting attendees to collaborate on associated work tasks as a team. When setting up a meeting, it is possible to add it to a channel if you want a correlating space for work to flow to a group from a meeting. Once you have a channel, you can add a calendar, allowing future meetings to be scheduled from within.

Using Meetings in Microsoft Teams

Teams is a powerful tool and helps make organizational meetings run smoothly. With the calendar and availability features, you’ll never have to wonder what meeting time works for team members again. With so many options, you can set up meetings from any device involving any group of people. Whether you’re setting up a quick last-minute meeting or planning a complex arrangement of busy individuals, Teams can ensure your success in bringing people together.

Have you set up team meetings with Microsoft Teams? Tell us about it in the comments below.