Starting a Teams meeting takes three steps: open Teams, click New Meeting, and share the link with people you want to join
Microsoft Teams is built into Windows 11 and available free on Mac, iPhone, Android, and the web. A meeting link works on any device — people do not need a Teams account to join. You can start a meeting when ready, schedule one for later, or set up a recurring meeting that happens on the same day each week.
The fastest way is to open Teams, click the video camera icon in the top left, and select Meet now. Teams generates a link when ready. You copy that link and send it to whoever you want in the call — by email, text, Slack, or any other way. When you are done, you close the window and the meeting ends.
If you want to schedule a meeting in advance instead, click the calendar icon, then New meeting, and fill in the date, time, and who to invite. Teams sends them a calendar invitation with the meeting link built in.
Key Takeaways
- Click the video camera icon and select Meet now to start a meeting when ready without scheduling.
- Copy the meeting link and send it by email, text, or any messaging app — people do not need a Teams account to join.
- Use the calendar icon and New meeting to schedule a meeting for a specific date and time instead.
- Recurring meetings repeat on the same day each week; set this when you create the meeting, not after.
- The meeting ends when you close the window, and the link stops working once the meeting is over.
How to start a meeting right now
Open the Teams app or go to teams.microsoft.com in your browser. In the top left, you will see a video camera icon next to a phone icon. Click the video camera icon.
A menu appears with two options: Meet now and Schedule a meeting. Click Meet now. Teams opens a new meeting window and generates a unique link at the top. The link looks like https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/... followed by a long string of characters.
Click Copy meeting link or the copy icon next to the link. Paste it into an email, text message, Slack channel, or any other way you normally send links to people. They click the link and join the meeting — no account needed. You can also click Invite people to type in email addresses directly, and Teams sends them the link automatically.
How to schedule a meeting for a specific date and time
Click the calendar icon on the left side of Teams. The calendar view opens. Click New meeting in the top right corner.
A form appears. Fill in the meeting title, the date, the start time, and the end time. Under Add required attendees, type the email addresses of people you want to invite. You can add as many as you need. If you want the meeting to repeat every week on the same day, click Does not repeat and change it to Weekly.
Click Save. Teams adds the meeting to your calendar and sends a calendar invitation to everyone you listed. The invitation includes the meeting link. When the meeting time arrives, you and your attendees can click the link in the invitation to join.
What happens when you start a meeting
When you click Meet now or when the scheduled meeting time arrives, Teams asks whether you want to turn on your camera and microphone. You can turn them on, turn them off, or turn on one and not the other. Click Join now to enter the meeting.
You are now in the meeting. People who have the link can join at any time — they do not have to wait for you to invite them individually. At the bottom of the screen, you see buttons to mute your microphone, turn your camera on or off, and end the call. On the right side, you can see a list of who is in the meeting.
The meeting continues until you click Leave or close the window. Once you leave, the meeting link stops working. If other people are still in the meeting when you leave, they can stay — the meeting does not end until everyone has left.
Sharing the meeting link with people who do not have Teams
The meeting link works for anyone with the link, whether or not they have a Teams account. When they click the link, Teams asks them to enter their name. They type their name and click Join. They do not need to create an account, read anything, or sign in.
You can share the link by email, text message, Slack, Discord, or any other messaging app. You can also share it in a document, a calendar invitation, or a website. The link is the same no matter how you send it.
If someone clicks the link after the meeting has ended, they see a message saying the meeting is no longer available. The link only works while the meeting is active.
Controlling who can join and what they can do
By default, anyone with the meeting link can join and share their camera and microphone. If you want more control, you can change the meeting settings before people join.
In the meeting window, click the three dots in the top right corner and select Meeting settings. You can turn off the camera and microphone for people joining, require them to wait in a lobby until you admit them, or prevent them from sharing their screen. These settings explore to everyone except you — you can always use your camera, microphone, and screen.
If you want to remove someone from the meeting, right-click their name in the attendee list and select Remove. They are kicked out when ready and cannot rejoin unless you send them a new link.
Recording a Teams meeting
You can record a Teams meeting so people who could not attend can watch it later. Click the three dots in the top right corner of the meeting window and select Start recording. A message appears saying the meeting is being recorded.
When the meeting ends, Teams stops recording automatically. The recording is saved to your OneDrive or your team's SharePoint, depending on whether this is a personal meeting or a team meeting. You can share the recording link with people who were not there, and they can watch it on their own time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do people need a Microsoft account to join a Teams meeting?
No. Anyone with the meeting link can join by typing their name. They do not need to create an account, sign in, or read the Teams app — they can join from a web browser on any device.
What if I want to let only certain people join?
You can turn on the lobby feature in meeting settings so that people wait for you to admit them before they enter. This way, if someone forwards the link to someone you did not invite, you can see their name and choose not to let them in.
Can I use Teams on my phone?
Yes. read the Teams app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You can start a meeting, join a meeting, and use your camera and microphone the same way as on a computer.
What if the meeting link expires?
The link works as long as the meeting is active. Once you leave and everyone else has left, the link stops working. If you want to meet again, you create a new meeting and get a new link.
Can I schedule a meeting that repeats every day instead of every week?
Teams only offers weekly recurrence in the standard scheduling form. If you need a meeting every day, you can create a new meeting each day, or you can use the Teams admin center to set up custom recurrence — but that requires administrator access to your organization's Teams account.