When I last wrote about accessing Microsoft Teams meeting chat, I was reflecting on 9 months of restriction and confusion. In 2021, Microsoft changed meeting chat to prevent meeting attendees from reading conversations they shouldn’t read. But it also prevented meeting chat from being a reliable collaboration environment. People we expect to have access to chat, didn’t have access before or after the meeting.

Since my last post, Microsoft have somewhat simplified access to meeting chat. At a minimum, you should now be able to safely assume that people from you organisation who are invited to the meeting, will be able to fully participate in chat.

After updates to Microsoft guidance in the support article “Chat in Teams meetings” and multiple tests, I have come up with some simplified advice.

Here are 3 principles to consider when organising and participating in Microsoft Teams meeting chat.

1. Members of your organisation invited to a Teams meeting can fully participate in meeting chat.

2. Guests must join a Teams meeting to participate in chat

3. Using shared meeting links or adding people to a running meeting, will give temporary access to chat

Some people join meetings without a meeting invite addressed to them, by a shared link, or by being added to a meeting that has already started.

These attendees have temporary access to meeting chat.

These three principles cover most scenarios for accessing meeting chat. As a meeting organiser, consider who you are inviting to a meeting and if you want them to have full or temporary participation in meeting chat.