How to set up and manage Microsoft Teams Meeting Options and Lobby Settings

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to set up and manage Microsoft Teams Meeting Options and Lobby Settings. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Managing your Microsoft Teams meeting options allows you to maintain control over your virtual boardroom. Configuring the lobby and presenter permissions ensures that your meetings remain professional, secure, and free from unauthorised interruptions.

How to Access Meeting Options

You can configure these settings either while scheduling a meeting or after the meeting has been created.

For New Meetings

1. Open your Teams Calendar.
2. Select New meeting and enter your meeting details.
3. Once the meeting is saved, double-click the event in your calendar to open it.
4. Select Meeting options from the top toolbar or the description area. This will open a new tab in your web browser.

For Existing Meetings

1. Go to your Teams Calendar.
2. Double-click the scheduled meeting.
3. Select Meeting options.

Managing the Meeting Lobby

The lobby is a virtual waiting room where participants stay until an organiser or presenter admits them into the meeting.

Who can bypass the lobby?

In the Meeting options menu, locate the Who can bypass the lobby? dropdown. You can select from the following options:

• Everyone: No one has to wait in the lobby; they join the meeting immediately.
• People in my organisation: Only colleagues within your company bypass the lobby; external guests must wait.
• People in my organisation and guests: Trusted external users invited via the calendar bypass the lobby.
• Only me and co-organisers: Everyone else must wait for admission, regardless of their organisation.

Presenter and Attendee Permissions

Controlling who can share their screen or mute others prevents confusion during large presentations.

Who can present?

Under the Who can present? dropdown, choose the appropriate level of control:

• Everyone: Any participant can share their screen, mute others, and admit people from the lobby.
• People in my organisation: Only internal staff have presenter rights.
• Specific people: You can nominate a few trusted individuals to act as co-presenters.
• Only me: You maintain total control over the meeting flow.

Attendee Restrictions

To further restrict participants, toggle the following settings to Yes or No:

• Allow mic for attendees?: Disable this to prevent participants from speaking until you grant them permission.
• Allow camera for attendees?: Disable this to keep the meeting focused on the presentation.
• Allow chat for attendees?: Disable this to prevent side conversations in the chat panel.

Managing Settings During a Live Meeting

If you realise you need to change permissions while the meeting is already in progress, you do not need to restart the call.

1. While in the meeting, click the More (three dots) icon in the top toolbar.
2. Select Settings > Meeting options.
3. Adjust your lobby or presenter settings in the side panel.
4. Click Save. The changes will take effect immediately for all current and future participants.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Participants are stuck in the lobby

If participants cannot enter the meeting, check that you have not accidentally set Who can bypass the lobby? to Only me. If you have, you must manually admit them via the Participants pane.

Attendees cannot share their screen

Ensure that Who can present? is not set to Only me. If you wish for a specific person to present, you can right-click their name in the Participants list and select Make a presenter.

Meeting options link is missing

If you cannot find the Meeting options button, ensure you are the meeting organiser. Only the person who created the calendar invite has full access to these administrative settings.

If you are experiencing broader connectivity issues or your Teams application is not behaving as expected, please check if your internet connection is stable.

For further assistance with your Microsoft 365 tenant configuration, please Open a Ticket.

Still Having Issues?