Knowing how to invite to a Teams meeting and add a person to a Teams call is an essential skill for effective collaboration today. With over 80 million daily users on Microsoft Teams (Microsoft 2024), being able to invite someone to a Teams meeting quickly and easily helps teams stay connected and productive.
In 2025, as hybrid work continues to grow, it’s even more important to master these skills. According to Slack (2023), about 60% of meetings now include a mix of in-office and remote participants, making Teams meeting guest access and the ability to Teams meeting add participant on the fly a key part of successful collaboration.
This guide will walk you through the different ways to send invites and add participants to your Teams meetings - whether before the meeting starts or during the call - plus tips on troubleshooting common issues and recommendations for tools that can make the whole process smoother.
How to Invite Someone to a Teams Meeting Before It Starts
To add someone to Teams meeting before it begins, you can either schedule the meeting directly in Microsoft Teams or through your Outlook calendar. In Teams, go to the Teams calendar tab and click on “New Meeting.” From there, fill in the meeting details such as the title, date, time, and required attendees. You can use the Scheduling Assistant to check availability, then invite people by entering their names or email addresses. Once you’ve added everyone, click “Send” to share the Teams meeting invite. The meeting will appear on everyone’s calendar with all the necessary details.
If you’re using Outlook, you can select “New Teams Meeting” from your Outlook calendar. Just like in Teams, you’ll enter the meeting information and send out the invite. Both options will automatically include a meeting link that allows attendees to join the online meeting with one click.
You can also share the meeting link manually if you want to add someone to a Teams call last minute or invite someone outside your organization to the meeting details. Just open the scheduled meeting in your Teams calendar, click on it to view the full meeting details, then copy the meeting link from the top. You can paste and send this link via chat, email, or any other communication tool. This gives your participants easy access to join the meeting, even if they weren’t part of the original invite.
Before you start your Teams, test your Teams setup to make sure there are no issues before you begin your call.
How to invite someone to Teams meeting during the Call
If you're already in a Microsoft Teams meeting and need to include someone who wasn’t originally invited, you can easily add participants on the spot. This live-invite process is quick and works for both people in your organization and external guests, according to Microsoft Docs (2025) and common IT practices shared on Reddit (2023).
Here’s how to invite to Teams meeting during the call:
1. Click the “People” icon in the meeting controls at the top of the screen.
2. In the sidebar that appears, type the person’s name or email address in the search bar.
3. Select the correct user and click “share invite” or “Request to join.”
4. The Teams meeting invite will be sent immediately, giving them access to join via the meeting link.
This feature is especially helpful if you forgot to add person to Teams call when you first scheduled the meeting or need to invite someone to a meeting due to a last-minute change. Whether the person is an internal team member or an external contact, Teams meeting guest access allows you to include them without hassle. However, it is important to check with your IT department what the Teams meeting capacity is for your organization.
Troubleshooting When You Can’t Add Someone
If you're unable to add required attendees or someone to Teams meeting, it’s often due to settings or availability issues. Below are two common reasons you might face problems when trying to invite someone to a Teams meeting, along with practical ways to fix them.
1. Permissions or Meeting Settings Are Blocking Invitations
Sometimes, meeting options are configured to prevent certain people, like external guests, from joining the meeting. These settings can also block notifications from being sent to participants.
Fix: Go to the Teams calendar, find the scheduled meeting invite.
Click on “Edit”.
From there, review the settings for lobby access, presenters, and guest permissions.
Make sure external attendees are allowed to bypass the lobby and that guest access is enabled.
2. User Is Offline or Unavailable
You may not be able to add participants if the user is currently offline or inactive in Microsoft Teams. This often happens with external guests or accounts that haven’t signed in recently.
Fix: Double-check the person’s email and resend the meeting invite. You can also copy the meeting link from the meeting details and send it manually through email or another platform like Outlook.
Common Fixes for Adding Problems
If basic troubleshooting doesn’t resolve the issue, consider these organization-level adjustments:
- Toggle Guest Access in the Microsoft Teams Admin Center
As noted by TechRadar (2024), Teams meeting guest access may be disabled by default in some companies. Your IT team can enable this under Teams settings to allow external users to join. - Review Organization Policies That Block External Access
Security settings in Microsoft Teams can restrict users who aren't part of your organization. These policies may need to be adjusted to allow adding certain participants.
Example: An IT department discovered a guest user was blocked due to a default policy. After updating the access settings, the user was able to join the online meeting through the shared meeting link without needing a new Teams meeting invite.
By checking meeting options, ensuring guest permissions are allowed, and updating your organization’s policy if necessary, you can solve most problems when trying to add employees or someone to a Teams call or meeting.
Tools to Enhance Microsoft Teams Meeting Invites
When it comes to managing and tracking Teams meeting invites, using the right tools can save time and avoid confusion. One useful option is Bluedot, an AI-powered meeting assistant that not only captures audio and transcribes your Microsoft Teams meetings but also notes when new participants are added during the call. This makes it easier to reference who joined and when, especially helpful for keeping accurate records after you add someone to a meeting mid-call.
For basic functionality, Microsoft Teams also supports built-in link sharing. When you schedule a new meeting in the Teams calendar, the system automatically generates a meeting link. You can copy this link from the meeting details and send it through chat, email, or any other platform. This makes it quick to invite someone to a meeting - even on short notice - without needing to resend the full meeting invite.
Combining Teams' native features with tools like Bluedot gives you more visibility, better note-taking, and seamless handling of last-minute meeting participant changes.
Conclusion
Knowing how to add someone to a Microsoft Teams meeting is simple once you know the right steps. Whether you’re sending out a meeting invite ahead of time or need to add a person to a Teams call after it has started, this in-depth walkthrough shows how Microsoft Teams offers intuitive ways to keep your meetings inclusive and organized. Using features like the Teams invite link and the “People” panel during calls ensures that you can quickly and easily invite people to a meeting without disrupting the flow of scheduled meetings.
To make managing your meetings even easier, consider using tools like Bluedot. Bluedot not only helps you record a Teams meeting but also automatically picks up when new participants join with speaker identification, so you never miss a detail. This kind of smart meeting assistant can improve your workflow, simplify collaboration, and make it easier to review important discussions later.
Try using Bluedot in your next meeting and see how it enhances your meeting experience - from managing invites to capturing every key moment. It’s a powerful way to stay organized and keep everyone on the same page.
Add Someone to a Teams Meeting FAQs
Can I Add Someone Not in My Organization?
Yes, you can. Microsoft Teams lets you invite people to meetings even if they’re not part of your company. When you create your Teams invite link, you can simply share it with anyone, and they can join as a guest. You can see who will be attending under the Teams meeting details. This is really handy for Teams collaboration, especially in hybrid meetings where external clients or partners need access. Just make sure your organization's settings allow guest access - sometimes this needs to be enabled by your IT team.
Why Can’t I Add Someone to My Microsoft Teams Meeting?
If you’re having trouble adding someone to your Teams meeting details, it could be due to a few reasons. Sometimes, company policies block guest access or limit who can join, which is a common Teams access issue. Other times, the meeting settings might be set to only allow certain participants or require them to wait in the lobby. Double-check the meeting options and your calendar invite to make sure the right permissions are in place. If needed, ask your IT department to look at the meeting tools or scheduling settings, or create a new meeting.
How Do I Add Someone After the MS Teams Meeting Starts?
If you forgot to add someone before the meeting, no worries. While you’re in the call, just click on the “People” icon. You can type the person’s name or email address and send them an invite right then and there. This works whether they’re part of your organization or a guest. They’ll get a link to join the meeting immediately. It’s an easy way to keep the Teams collaboration going without interrupting the flow.
