How to Control the Meeting Lobby in Microsoft Teams
What is the meeting lobby?
The meeting lobby is a virtual waiting room. People who aren’t allowed to join the meeting right away will wait in the lobby until the organizer lets them in.
You can control who waits in the lobby and who can admit people when you schedule a Teams meeting.
When should I change lobby settings?
You may want to adjust the lobby if:
- You are meeting with external guests
- You are hosting a sensitive or private meeting
- You want only invited people to join
- You don’t want students or guests joining early
How to change lobby settings:
You MUST send the meeting invitation before meeting options will be available. If you want to set up the options prior to inviting anyone, add yourself to the "Invite required attendees" field then send.
Option 1: From the meeting invitation (recommended)
- Open your meeting on the Teams or Outlook calendar
- Click Meeting options (in the body of the details)
- The options will load in a browser window
- Adjust the settings below
- Click Save
Important lobby settings explained
Who can bypass the lobby?
This controls who can join the meeting immediately.
Recommended options:
- People in my organization
Best for internal meetings - People I invite
Best for meetings with external guests - Only me and co‑organizers
Best for private or sensitive meetings
Who can admit from the lobby?
This controls who can let people in.
Recommended:
Always let callers bypass the lobby
- Turn On if people are calling in by phone
- Leave Off if you want full control
Common scenarios (quick guide)
Internal meeting only
✔ Who can bypass: People in my organization
Meeting with external guests
✔ Who can bypass: People I invite
Interview or sensitive meeting
✔ Who can bypass: Only me and co‑organizers
Class or large meeting
✔ Use the lobby to control when people join
What happens during the meeting?
- People in the lobby will see a waiting message
- You’ll get a notification to Admit or Deny
- You can admit people individually or all at once
Important notes
- Lobby settings apply per meeting
- Changes only affect future joins, not people already in the meeting
- Some settings may be limited by university policy
