- Three places to start a meeting now
- Start a meeting from your calendar
- Start a meeting from a group chat
- Start a meeting in a channel
- What people keep after the meeting
- Meet now versus scheduling a meeting
- Leaving and rejoining
- Which should you use?
- Before you hit Meet now
- Running better quick meetings
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To start a meeting in Teams straight away, go to Calendar, select Meet now in the top-right corner, name the meeting, copy the link if you want to invite people, then select Start meeting and Join now. You can also select Meet now at the top of a group chat or a channel to start a meeting with those people.
Not every Teams meeting needs a calendar invite. Sometimes you need to talk now, and Teams has a Meet now button in three places for exactly that. Which one you use decides who's invited, where the chat and recording end up, and whether anyone's phone rings. Here's how each works and when to pick it.
Three places to start a meeting now
| Start from | Who it's for | Where everything is saved |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar, Meet now | Anyone you send the link to | A new meeting with its own chat |
| A group chat, Meet now | People in that chat | The same group chat |
| A channel, Meet now | Members of that channel | A thread in the channel |
Start a meeting from your calendar
- Go to Calendar on the left side of Teams.
- Select Meet now in the upper right corner.
- Edit the meeting name so people know what it's about.
- Select Get a link to share if you want to send the link to people. You can also open Configure meeting options here.
- Select Start meeting, check your camera and microphone on the pre-join screen, then select Join now.
Microsoft notes that the calendar's Meet now button needs an Exchange Online mailbox. If you don't see it, that's the reason, and starting from a chat or channel still works.
Start a meeting from a group chat
- Open the group chat.
- Select Meet now at the top of the chat.
- Everyone in the chat sees a meeting has started and can select Join.
- To nudge people, select the live indicator, then Ring others to join. Ring individuals, or choose Ring all for everyone who hasn't joined.
This is my favourite route for quick team catch-ups. Microsoft points out that it doesn't ring anyone unless you choose to, so you can start and let people drop in, and the recording and messages stay in the same chat as the conversation that prompted the meeting.
Start a meeting in a channel
- Go to the channel you want to meet in.
- Select Meet now in the top-right corner. Depending on your channel layout, it may appear slightly differently.
- Select Join now.
Channel meetings show up as their own thread in the channel's Posts or Conversations feed, so anyone in the channel can see that a meeting happened, join it, and find the chat afterwards.
What people keep after the meeting
Microsoft says instant meetings work like scheduled ones afterwards: everyone who attended keeps access to the meeting chat, the recording, and anything shared, such as files and meeting notes. So a spur-of-the-moment call isn't a lost conversation, as long as you start it in the right place.
Meet now versus scheduling a meeting
Microsoft frames instant meetings as a great option when you don't have meeting scheduling in Outlook or Teams, but they're useful for everyone. The trade-off is notice. A scheduled meeting sits in people's calendars and they arrive prepared; an instant meeting relies on people being free at that moment. Use Meet now when the conversation is already happening in chat and a five-minute call will settle it faster than twenty messages. Schedule anything that needs preparation, outside guests or more than a handful of people.
Leaving and rejoining
Leave with the Leave button in your call window. If you weren't the last person out, you can go back to the group chat and select Join to rejoin.
Which should you use?
- Talking to people outside your usual chats? Calendar, Meet now, and share the link.
- Quick call with a project group? Meet now from the group chat.
- Open discussion for a whole team? Meet now in the channel.
Before you hit Meet now
An instant meeting can feel abrupt, so a one-line message first ('Got five minutes to talk through the proposal?') goes a long way. If you're going to share your screen, close anything private first, including your inbox. And if you'll want a record, decide before you start whether to record or transcribe, so you're not scrambling halfway through. For screen recordings outside Teams, my guide on screen recording on Windows covers the built-in tools.
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Running better quick meetings
Instant meetings are brilliant for unblocking work and terrible for planning. Keep them short, say what you need in the first minute, and agree actions out loud before everyone leaves. If you also use Google tools with your team, sharing a Google Sheet during the call is an easy way to agree numbers together, and my office productivity hacks have more ideas for keeping meetings short.
My verdict
Use Calendar, Meet now when you need a link to send anyone; Meet now in a group chat for quick calls with the people already talking; and Meet now in a channel for open team discussions. If the calendar button is missing, your account lacks an Exchange Online mailbox, so start from a chat instead.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start an instant meeting in Teams?
Go to Calendar, select Meet now, name the meeting, optionally get a link to share, then select Start meeting and Join now.
Why don't I see Meet now in my Teams calendar?
Microsoft says the calendar's Meet now option requires an Exchange Online mailbox. You can still start a meeting from a group chat or channel.
How do I start a Teams meeting from a chat?
Open the group chat and select Meet now at the top. Others in the chat can select Join.
Does Meet now ring everyone in Teams?
No. People see a meeting has started. You can choose Ring others to join to ring individuals or everyone.
Can people see the chat after an instant Teams meeting?
Yes. Microsoft says attendees keep access to the meeting chat, recording and anything shared after the meeting ends.
