Access meeting chat in Microsoft Teams
Access to a Microsoft Teams meeting chat varies depending on an attendee’s relation to the org the meeting is organized in, the way they were invited to the meeting, the type of meeting, and lobby bypass settings.
To learn more about participating in Teams meeting chats, see Chat in Microsoft Teams meetings.
In this article
Types of meeting chat access
Temporary access
If an attendee has temporary access to a meeting chat, they can access the meeting chat from the time they join the meeting until the meeting ends. People who join anonymously retain access until they leave the meeting.
Permanent access
If an attendee has permanent access to a meeting chat, they can view, send, and receive messages in the meeting chat during and after the meeting until they leave the chat. They also might have access to meeting chat before the meeting starts, depending on how and when they were added.
Important: Only those with meeting chat access when a meeting recording is saved will have automatic access to the recording. To learn more about managing recording access, see Play, share, and download a meeting recording in Microsoft Teams.
Meeting chat capacity
Meeting chat capacity is the maximum number of attendees who can access chat before, during, and after a meeting. Meeting capacity fluctuates based on the type of meeting and when the chat occurs.
|
Single-instance meeting |
Meeting series (entire series or single instance) |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Before meeting |
750 people |
750 people |
|
During meeting |
1,000 people |
1,000 people |
|
After meeting |
1,000 people |
750 people |
-
Chat capacity is reduced before single-instance meetings to provide more space for people who weren’t directly invited but engage in the meeting (e.g., were requested to join, joined via link, etc.). Up to 1,000 attendees will have permanent access to the meeting chat when the meeting ends.
-
Up to 750 people invited to a meeting series will have permanent chat access at the time the series is scheduled. Up to 250 additional attendees who join the meeting will have chat access until the meeting ends. This provides buffer space in case additional people are invited to future occurrences.
Chat access for contact lists
Inviting a contact list (or contact group) to your meeting invite is an easy way to bulk-invite a large group of people within your org. If the number of people in a contact list exceeds the meeting chat capacity, there are a few nuances to consider:
-
In a meeting series, all members of contact lists that exceed 150 people will have temporary chat access while they’re in the meetings. They won’t have access to chat before or after the meetings.
-
In single-instance meetings, members of contact lists that exceed 150 people will have permanent chat access after they join the meeting. They won’t have access to chat before joining.
To learn more about creating contact lists, see Create, edit, or delete a contact list.
Access meeting chat and chat history
The relation someone has to your org significantly impacts their access to your Teams meeting chat. Their access varies depending on whether they’re:
-
In your org
-
In a trusted org
-
Joining from a trusted Teams (free) account
-
Joining anonymously
Learn more about how meeting chat access varies based on relation to your org below.
|
Type of meeting |
Invite type |
Chat access (permanent or temporary) |
|---|---|---|
|
Single instance |
Permanent; chat access starts when they’re forwarded or added to the meeting. |
|
|
Permanent; chat access starts when they’re requested to join, regardless of whether they join. |
||
|
Permanent; chat access starts when they join the meeting. |
||
|
Permanent; chat access starts when they’re added to the meeting chat. |
||
|
Meeting series |
Added to meeting invite, forwarded meeting |
Permanent; chat access starts when they’re forwarded or added to the meeting. |
|
Requested to join during meeting |
Temporary; chat access starts when they’re requested to join until the meeting ends. |
|
|
Joined via link |
Temporary; chat access starts when they join until the meeting ends. |
|
|
Added directly to meeting chat |
Permanent; chat access starts when they’re added to the meeting chat. |
|
|
Single instance of meeting series |
Added to meeting invite, joined via link, forwarded meeting |
Temporary; chat access begins when they join until the meeting ends. |
|
Requested to join during meeting |
Temporary; chat access starts when they’re requested to join until the meeting ends. |
|
|
Added directly to meeting chat |
Permanent; chat access starts when they’re added to the meeting chat. |
People from trusted orgs belong to orgs that your IT admin has established a connection with. To learn more, contact your IT admin.
|
Type of meeting |
Invite type |
Chat access (permanent or temporary) |
|---|---|---|
|
Single instance |
Permanent; chat access starts when they’re forwarded or added to the meeting. If they can’t bypass the lobby, access begins when they’re let into the meeting. |
|
|
Permanent; chat access starts when they’re requested to join, regardless of whether they join. |
||
|
Permanent; chat access starts when they join the meeting. |
||
|
New group chat created. |
||
|
Meeting series |
Added to meeting invite, forwarded meeting |
Permanent; chat access starts when they’re forwarded or added to the meeting. If they can’t bypass the lobby, access begins when they’re let into the meeting. |
|
Requested to join during meeting |
Temporary; chat access starts when they’re requested to join until the meeting ends. |
|
|
Joined via link |
Temporary; chat access begins when they join until the meeting ends. |
|
|
Added directly to meeting chat |
New group chat created. |
|
|
Single instance of meeting series |
Added to meeting invite, forwarded meeting |
Temporary; chat access begins when they join until the meeting ends. |
|
Requested to join during meeting |
Temporary; chat access starts when they’re requested to join until the meeting ends. |
|
|
Joined via link |
Temporary; chat access begins when they join until the meeting ends. |
|
|
Added directly to meeting chat |
New group chat created. |
|
Type of meeting |
Invite type |
Chat access (permanent or temporary) |
|---|---|---|
|
Single instance |
Permanent; chat access starts when they join the meeting. |
|
|
N/A |
||
|
Permanent; chat access starts when they join the meeting. |
||
|
New group chat created. |
||
|
Meeting series |
Added to meeting invite, forwarded meeting |
Permanent; chat access starts when the meeting begins. If they can’t bypass the lobby, access begins when they’re let into the meeting. |
|
Requested to join during meeting |
N/A |
|
|
Joined via link |
Temporary; chat access begins when they join until the meeting ends. |
|
|
Added directly to meeting chat |
New group chat created. |
|
|
Single instance of meeting series |
Added to meeting invite, forwarded meeting |
Temporary; chat access starts when someone else joins the meeting and ends when the meeting ends. |
|
Requested to join during meeting |
N/A |
|
|
Joined via link |
Temporary; chat access begins when they join until the meeting ends. |
|
|
Added directly to meeting chat |
New group chat created. |
To protect information shared in ongoing chats, people joining a meeting anonymously will always have temporary access to a meeting chat, regardless of how they’re invited or the type of meeting they’re joining.
Guests and people joining anonymously will have access to the meeting chat from the time they join the meeting until they leave. They won’t have access to chat history.
To learn more about working with external guests, see Work with external guests.
Channel meeting chat
Channel meeting chats are only available to channel members. To make sure someone has access to a channel meeting chat, add them to that channel.
To learn more, see Create a standard, private, or shared channel in Microsoft Teams.
Access to meeting chat history
People in your org can access meeting chat history if they were directly added to the meeting or meeting series invite. If they were nudged in, forwarded the meeting invite, or joined via link, they can’t access chats from before they joined or were added. If they’re added directly to a meeting chat, the person adding them to the chat will decide how much chat history they can access.
People outside your org won’t be able to access chat history or be added to a meeting chat directly.
Add someone to a meeting chat
Add people in your org directly to a meeting chat to make sure they have permanent access.
To add someone to a meeting chat:
-
Select Chat
-
Select the meeting chat you want to add them to.
-
Meeting chats are distinguished by the calendar icon:
-
-
Select View and add participants
-
Enter the name, email, or tag you want to add.
-
Select how much chat history you want to share with them.
-
Select Add.
People outside your org can’t be added to an existing meeting chat. If you try to add someone outside of your org to a meeting chat, you’ll be prompted to create a new group chat. The new group chat will include everyone in the existing meeting chat and the person you’re adding.
FAQ
I was removed from the meeting chat after the meeting was over. How do I get permanent access?
For permanent meeting chat access, ask another meeting participant to forward you the entire meeting series or add you directly to the meeting chat.
I invited a contact list to a meeting and not everyone has access to meeting chat. They also can’t access the recording. How does their chat access work?
People in contact lists exceeding 150 people only have access to the meeting chat during the meeting. They won’t have access before or after. People who don’t have chat access at the time a meeting recording is saved (when someone stops the recording or the meeting ends) can’t access the recording.
To ensure chat access for specific people in the contact list, add them directly when you schedule the meeting. To give someone access to a recording, you can share the recording with them directly. To learn more, see Chat access for contact lists and Share a meeting recording.
I invited someone outside my org to a meeting; how do I make sure they have chat access?
When you invite someone from a trusted org to your meeting, consider changing your lobby bypass settings to allow them to bypass the lobby if you want them to have chat access before the meeting starts.
People joining a meeting anonymously or from other accounts outside your org won’t have access to the meeting chat outside of the meeting.
Related topics
Need more help?
Want more options?
Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.
Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.
