How to become the new meeting organiser ?

Question

Someone has recently left the organisation, so I would like to become the meeting organiser or be able to cancel their meetings to create new ones where I am the organiser.

Answer 1

In Microsoft Teams and Outlook, the meeting organizer role cannot be changed to another person once the meeting has been created. The organizer remains the original creator of the meeting.

To take over meetings for someone who has left the organization, use one of these approaches:

1. Create new meetings where you are the organizer
   • Open the existing meeting in Outlook or Teams to see the details (attendees, time, location, Teams link, agenda).
   • Create a new meeting with the same details, but with you as the organizer.
   • Send the new invite to all attendees.
   • Ask attendees to remove the old meeting from their calendars.
2. Use delegate or editor permissions (for future cases)
   If someone is still in the organization and wants another person to manage their meetings:
   • They can share their Outlook calendar with editor or delegate permissions.
   • As a delegate, it is possible to respond to meeting invitations and edit or cancel meetings on their behalf in Outlook on the web. The update or cancellation is sent "on behalf of" the calendar owner, but the organizer does not change.
   Steps in Outlook on the web once delegation is set up:
   • Open the owner’s calendar event.
   • Edit or cancel the meeting and send the update/cancellation.
   • Attendees will see the change or cancellation sent on behalf of the original organizer.

Because the organizer role itself cannot be transferred, the only way to truly become the organizer is to create new meetings and send new invitations.

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References:

• Manage someone else's calendar in Outlook on the web
• Update or cancel a meeting you organized
• Roles in Microsoft Teams meetings

Answer 2

Dear @Wilson-King, Jordan (DHS),

Welcome to Q&A forum. I understand that the original organizer of some Microsoft Teams meetings has left your organization, and you would like to become the new organizer or cancel those meetings so you can create new ones under your name.

In Microsoft Teams, the meeting organizer cannot be changed after a meeting is created. This is a current design limitation. Once scheduled, the organizer remains permanently associated with the meeting, even if that person later leaves the organization. If the original organizer’s account still exists, an administrator may be able to access the mailbox and cancel the meetings on behalf of that user.

If the account has already been removed, the original meetings cannot be cancelled or transferred. In this case, the recommended approach is to create new meetings with you as the organizer and inform participants to use the new invites.

If another user was added as a co‑organizer before the organizer left, that user can manage many meeting options during the meeting. However, even co‑organizers cannot change the organizer or cancel the meeting.

Please let me know whether the original organizer’s account still exists and whether these are one‑time or recurring meetings, so I can advise on the best next steps.

I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions or need further clarification, please feel free to reach out. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

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