How can we allow non-licensed internal users or external users to start a Teams meeting and bypass the lobby?

Hello @Vivek Khairnar, 

Thank you for posting your valuable question on the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Based on your description, I understand that you need a way for non-licensed internal users or external participants to start Teams meetings and bypass the lobby. Please let me know if I misunderstood any part of your scenario or if you have additional details to share. 

Here’s what worked in my testing: 

1. Add the user as a Guest in Teams: This gives them an authenticated identity in your tenant instead of joining anonymously. You can find guidance at: Guests in the Microsoft 365 admin center - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn 
2. Schedule the meeting within that Team: When the meeting is created inside the Team where the guest is added, they can join with guest privileges. For instruction, please check: Channel meetings in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support 
3. Have users join the meeting from the Team instead of the link: Joining directly from the Team ensures they use their guest account. 
4. Ensure Teams meeting policies allow lobby bypass   

• Contact your organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator who has access to the Teams Admin Center for assistance with these settings. If you haven’t yet reached out, here’s a helpful guide to locate your Microsoft 365 administrator: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support  
• In Teams Admin Center , navigate to Meeting > Meeting policies > Choose the policies that are applied to your organization, set: 
  • Who can bypass the lobby: Everyone 
  • Anonymous users and dial-in callers can start a meeting: On 

This combination allows guests to join without waiting for an internal licensed user to admit them. 

For internal users who don't have a Microsoft 365 license, here’s what happens in Teams: 

• They cannot sign in to Teams with your organization’s account, so they join meetings as anonymous participants (similar to external users). 
• As anonymous participants: 
  • They cannot be organizers or co-organizers. 
  • They cannot start the meeting unless you enable the “Anonymous users and dial-in callers can start a meeting” policy in Teams Admin Center. 
  • They cannot bypass the lobby unless the meeting option or policy is set to “Everyone can bypass the lobby.” 
• They also cannot schedule meetings or access advanced features like breakout room management. 

Essentially, without a license, they behave like external anonymous joiners, and the only way to reduce friction is to configure leaderless meeting settings and lobby bypass for everyone. 

I hope this information is helpful. If you need further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you again for sharing your question with us! 

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To allow non-licensed internal users or external users to start a Teams meeting and bypass the lobby, there are a few considerations:

1. Bypassing the Lobby for Non-Licensed Internal Users: Unfortunately, there is no direct setting that allows non-licensed internal users to bypass the lobby. By default, users without a Microsoft 365/Teams license will always have to wait in the lobby until a licensed user admits them.
2. External Users as Co-Hosts: External users can be made presenters or co-hosts, but they must be added as guests to your organization’s Teams. This involves:
   • Adding the external user as a guest to a Team.
   • Having them accept the guest invitation.
   • They can then be assigned as presenters in a meeting, allowing them to start the meeting and admit attendees. However, this process does not apply to regular Teams meetings unless the external users are guests.
3. Upcoming Features: Currently, there are no specific announcements regarding changes to these limitations for non-licensed users or external participants. Keeping an eye on Microsoft Teams updates and documentation is recommended for any future enhancements.

In summary, the best approach is to add external users as guests to your Teams to allow them to start meetings and manage attendees. For internal users without licenses, they will still need to wait in the lobby unless a licensed user admits them.

References:

• IT Admins - Manage lobby options in Microsoft Teams
• Plan for Teams meetings