Summary
This article outlines some common troubleshooting items to consider when using breakout rooms in Teams Meetings
Content
Common Issues - Participants Can't Access Breakout Rooms
We've seen a number of issues for users utilizing breakout rooms in Teams. These are the most common types of issues that may be the origin as to why users might have issues accessing breakout rooms in Teams:
Please see the Microsoft: Breakout Rooms Troubleshooting Guide for more information.
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Troubleshooting Top 3 and Best Practices
- Review the participants list - if the attendee is a USNH User make sure they are logged into Teams. If someone is not logged in you will see something like Jane Doe - Unverified in the participants list). We would recommend they leave the meeting and then follow these instructions when rejoining the meeting to assure USNH users are logged into Teams Meetings
- If a user is having persistent issues a top recommendation we encourage them to join via a link on a laptop or desktop using a private browser (example Chrome Incognito). As an organizer to get the meeting link when in the meeting:
- Go to the More menu and click
- Click on Meeting Info
- And then click on Copy Join Info. Email this out to the users having problems.
- If you are the organizer of the meeting here are some steps to check to assist with issues
- 1. Verify participant status before starting breakout rooms and/or
- 2. Appoint breakout room managers to help with room oversight
Please see the Microsoft: Breakout Rooms Troubleshooting Guide for more information.
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Requirements and Best Practices for Joining or Hosting Breakout Rooms
Both Organizer and Participant devices must meet these requirements
Meeting Organizers with devices that do not meet these requirements may not see the option to start a breakout room. Likewise, participants with devices that do not meet the requirements may have issues being assigned to breakout rooms.
For access to breakout rooms and some other Microsoft 365 and Teams features, please ensure your device meets the following requirements
- Updated and supported Operating System (OS)
- Apple only officially supports the three most recent versions of macOS. Please ensure you are running the latest version.
- Windows users should ensure they are running Windows 11 (or the latest version available) and are fully updated.
- Android and iOS users can be placed into Breakout Rooms but cannot create or manage breakout rooms. Please ensure your device is fully updated
- We recommend for the best user experience using the Teams App for most users when using breakout rooms but there are other options if needed and that might be best in certain scenarios (browser access).
Organizers Should Meet these Requirements
- If you are an organizer of a meeting with a breakout room Make sure you have the most up to date version of the Teams App. Following the instructions to check your version of Teams you may see an update on the About Teams page if an update is needed.
- We recommend using a laptop or desktop machine when running a Teams Meeting with breakout rooms.
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User Experience by Role
The user experience may vary depending on how users login, as a meeting organizer you should have some insight when you look a the participants list. There you will generally see participants names and user role (if they are not signed in and verified).
Verified Users (Signed-in with Microsoft Account)
- Best experience: These users are fully supported in breakout rooms.
- Can be assigned manually or automatically to breakout rooms.
- Can be promoted to presenters and even breakout room managers if needed
- Can access all breakout room features, including chat, announcements, and timers .
Guest Users (Joined via link without signing in)
- Generally supported, but with some caveats:
- They must join as a guest (not signed in with a personal Microsoft account or Teams Free account).
- If they sign in with a personal account, they may not appear in the breakout room assignment list
- Best practice: Ask them to join via browser in Incognito/Private mode or log out of Teams before joining
- Can be assigned to breakout rooms manually, but not always reliably.
Unverified Users (Not signed in at all)
- Limited support:
- These users may not appear in the breakout room assignment list, making it difficult or impossible to assign them
- Their experience is inconsistent and not guaranteed.
- Workarounds:
- If USNH, make sure they are logged into Teams Meetings
- Ask them to rejoin as a guest.
- Use alternative collaboration methods (e.g., main meeting chat or shared documents).
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Further Readings
Teams Meetings: Troubleshooting
Microsoft: Breakout Rooms Troubleshooting Guide
Find the version of Microsoft Teams you're using
What can I do during a meeting in Microsoft Teams Free?
Update Microsoft Teams
Teams Meetings: Accessing or Joining Teams Meeting or Webinar on a browser
Microsoft Teams: Converting a USNH User from an Unverified User to a Verified User in Microsoft Teams Meetings and Understanding Unverified, Guest or External Users
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