Locking a meeting in Microsoft Teams is a useful feature that prevents additional participants from joining once the meeting has started. This is especially helpful for private discussions, exams, interviews, or sensitive meetings where you want full control over attendance.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to lock a Microsoft Teams meeting step by step.
How to Lock a Microsoft Teams Meeting
Follow these steps during an active meeting.
1. Start or Join the Meeting
- Open Microsoft Teams.
- Join or start your scheduled meeting.
2. Open the Participants Panel
- In the meeting window, click the Participants icon (people icon).
- The participant list will open on the right side.
3. Lock the Meeting
- At the top of the participants panel, click the three-dot menu (⋯).
- Select:
- Lock the meeting
- Confirm if prompted.
Once locked:
- No new participants can join
- Anyone trying to join will be blocked
4. Unlock the Meeting (If Needed)
If you want to allow more participants:
- Open the Participants panel again.
- Click the three-dot menu (⋯).
- Select:
- Unlock the meeting
When Should You Lock a Meeting?
- Confidential business discussions
- Online exams or interviews
- Team meetings after all members join
- Preventing disruptions or late entries
Important Notes
- Only organizers or presenters can lock/unlock meetings
- Participants already in the meeting remain connected
- Locked meetings cannot be joined even with a valid link
Conclusion
Locking a meeting in Microsoft Teams is a simple but powerful way to control who can join your session. By using the Participants panel and enabling the lock option, you can ensure a secure and interruption-free meeting.
If needed, you can easily unlock the meeting to allow additional participants, giving you full flexibility and control over your virtual sessions.
