How to resolve Microsoft Teams 'Waiting for the other participant to join' or meeting lobby delays

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to resolve Microsoft Teams 'Waiting for the other participant to join' or meeting lobby delays. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

It can be frustrating when you are ready to start a meeting, but your clients or colleagues are stuck in the "lobby," waiting for you to admit them. This usually occurs because of the default security settings in Microsoft Teams, which are designed to prevent unauthorised users from joining your organisation's calls. By adjusting your meeting options, you can allow specific groups of people to bypass the lobby entirely.

Quick Fix Steps

If you are currently in a live meeting and need to change the settings immediately:

1. Click on More (the three dots) in the meeting toolbar.
2. Select Meeting options.
3. Locate the dropdown menu labelled Who can bypass the lobby?.
4. Change the selection to Everyone or People in my organisation and guests.
5. Click Save.

Detailed Instructions for Scheduling

To avoid lobby delays for future appointments, configure these settings during the scheduling process.

Setting Options via the Teams Calendar

1. Open your Calendar in Microsoft Teams.
2. Double-click the scheduled meeting to open the details.
3. In the top menu bar, select Meeting options. This will open a new tab in your web browser.
4. Under the Who can bypass the lobby? section, choose the most appropriate level of access:
   • Everyone: Best for external clients or public webinars; no one will wait in the lobby.
   • People in my organisation and guests: Allows your staff and pre-invited guests to enter, while unknown external parties wait.
   • People in my organisation: Only internal staff can enter immediately.
   • Only me and co-organisers: Maximum security; everyone else must be admitted manually.
5. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Participant still stuck in the lobby

If you have changed the settings but users are still unable to join, check the following:

• Guest Account Status: Ensure the user was invited via their email address. If they are joined as an "Anonymous" user, they may be subject to stricter organisation-wide policies.
• Organisation Policies: Some company-wide security policies set by your IT administrator may override individual meeting settings.
• App Version: Ensure all participants are using the latest version of the Teams desktop app or the web browser version.

Connectivity and Sync Issues

If the "Meeting options" page fails to load or doesn't save, try the following:

• Clear your Teams cache by deleting the files in %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams.
• Check your internet stability; a momentary drop in connection can prevent settings from syncing to the Microsoft cloud.
• If you are experiencing broader connectivity issues affecting other services, refer to our guide on Email not sending or receiving to check your general network health.

If you have followed these steps and your external participants are still unable to join your meetings, please Open a Ticket so our team can analyse your tenant's global meeting policies.

Still Having Issues?