Microsoft Teams has a few platform-specific behaviors that affect how the MeetGeek Notetaker joins and records your calls. This guide covers how joining works by default, which Teams link formats are supported, and the Teams settings that can block or delay the Notetaker.
In this guide:
Defaults
By default, MeetGeek joins all scheduled Microsoft Teams calls found in your calendar — both meetings you host and meetings where you're a participant. In many cases the Notetaker still needs to be admitted into the meeting by the host.
Note: MeetGeek doesn't automatically join instant Teams meetings that aren't on your connected calendar. To record one, paste the meeting link into the Upcoming Meetings page or use the MeetGeek desktop app to start recording.
Teams meeting link validation
For MeetGeek to recognize and join your Teams meeting, the join link must be a valid Microsoft Teams link, typically in one of these formats:
Business links: *
teams.microsoft.com*/meetup-join*Personal links: *
teams.live.com/meet/*Mimecast links: *mimecast.com*
Not currently supported:
Teams links copied from the browser after joining.
The Teams link must be present in the location, description, or agenda field of the calendar event (or in the email body / text pasted into the ad-hoc form on the Upcoming Meetings page).
Note: If a calendar event contains multiple join links, MeetGeek may not be able to determine the correct one — make sure the event contains only one valid Teams join link.
How the Notetaker joins, records, and analyzes
Joining the Teams call
The Notetaker joins Teams meetings as a participant at the scheduled start time. It joins independently, even if you don't join yourself.
Note: The keyword "MeetGeek Bot" must remain in the Notetaker's name so it can tell real participants apart from bots and correctly detect the end of the meeting. On the Business plan, the name can be customized from the Settings page.
Recording the Teams call
The Notetaker waits up to 10 minutes for at least one non-bot participant to join before it starts recording.
Analyzing the Teams call
Analysis starts once the meeting ends or the Notetaker is removed. During analysis, the meeting appears with an "analyzing" status on the Past Meetings page.
Note: Occasionally the Notetaker may fail to detect that a meeting has ended if other bot attendees were recognized as real participants. If this happens, the Pause button on the Upcoming Meetings page forces the Notetaker to leave and start analysis.
Troubleshooting Teams settings
Some Microsoft Teams settings can affect MeetGeek's ability to join and record. These can be changed in the Teams admin center or in individual user settings.
Lobby (Optional)
If the lobby is enabled, the Notetaker is placed in the lobby and waits up to 10 minutes to be admitted by the host. If it isn't admitted within that time, it leaves. If it's removed while waiting, it won't retry unless instructed via the control buttons.
Authentication (Optional)
The Notetaker joins Teams meetings unauthenticated. To disable the "Require authentication" option, use one of the following methods.
Method 1 — Teams meeting settings (for organizers)
Open Microsoft Teams and go to the Calendar tab.
Create a new meeting or edit an existing one.
In the meeting details, scroll to the Meeting Options link and click it (it opens in a browser).
Find Who can bypass the lobby?
Set Require authentication to join to Off (or choose the setting that lets external / unauthenticated users join).
Method 2 — Teams admin center (for IT admins)
Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center as an administrator.
Go to Admin Centers and select Teams Admin Center.
In the left navigation, go to Meetings > Meeting settings.
Find Require external users to authenticate and set it to Off.
Review your meeting policies too, to ensure external users aren't forced to authenticate.
Method 3 — PowerShell (for IT admins)
To adjust this for all users, use PowerShell to allow external users to join without authentication:
Set-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy -Identity <PolicyName> -AllowAnonymousMeetingJoin $true
This allows external users to join without authentication. To apply it to specific users, use the -Identity parameter with their username or policy. See the Microsoft docs for more.
Key settings to consider:
Require authentication to join — forces users to sign in before attending. Disabling it lets users (including external ones) join without signing in.
Allow anonymous meeting join — turn this on if you want non-Teams users to join.
"Meeting started" notifications for early joiners
By default, Teams notifies all participants as soon as someone joins, regardless of the scheduled start time. You can manage this by adjusting the lobby settings and announcement options.
Adjust lobby settings
Controlling who waits in the lobby can prevent early joiners from triggering notifications to everyone.
Before the meeting: open your Teams Calendar, select the meeting, click Meeting options, set Who can bypass the lobby? to an appropriate value (e.g. "Only me" or "People in my organization"), and click Save.
During the meeting: click More actions (three dots) > Meeting options, adjust Who can bypass the lobby?, and click Save.
Disable announcements for dial-in callers
If participants dial in, Teams can announce their entry and exit. To turn this off: open the meeting details, click Meeting options, toggle off Announce when callers join or leave, and click Save.
Note: There's currently no Teams setting that suppresses notifications exclusively for participants who join before the scheduled start time without using the lobby. Adjusting the lobby and announcement settings above are the available methods.
Need Help?
If you have any questions or need assistance, reach out at [email protected] or use the chat messenger in the MeetGeek app.
Related Articles