Microsoft Teams Outlook Meeting Add-ins for Windows and Mac

Teams Outlook add-ins for Windows:

Teams Outlook add-ins is very helpful and handy for scheduling Teams meeting using Outlook. Meeting add-in is automatically installed for users who have Microsoft Teams and either Office 2013 or Office 2016 installed on their Windows PC. Users will see the Teams Meeting add-in on the Outlook Calendar ribbon. See the below Image.

You know that Teams client doesn’t require administrator permission to get install however installing the add-in on a Windows computer requires administrator permissions on the computer.  This is a requirement because COM add-ins to Outlook write to the Windows registry, and only administrators can modify the registry.  If the user who wants to schedule Teams meetings in Outlook is not an administrator, an administrator must install the Teams app first, and then the user can sign in and run Outlook.

NOTE: The Teams Meeting add-in requires users to sign in to Teams using Modern Authentication. If users do not use this method to sign in, they’ll still be able to use the Teams client, but will be unable to schedule Teams online meetings using the Outlook add-in.

Teams Outlook Meeting add-in for Mac:

Teams meeting add-in for Mac is now available, Microsoft has started rolled out add-in incrementally and might not be available for your organization yet.

Yesterday I checked my Outlook on my MacBook and I was able to see Outlook meeting add-ins. This is very useful for scheduling Teams meeting using Outlook in Mac.

Just update your Outlook on Mac and restart Outlook and Teams app. If you are not seeing Teams meeting add-ins for Mac, then enroll for “Insider Fast program” and then check the latest updates and install the same to see Teams meeting add-ins.

After installing updates and starting Teams and Outlook, users will see the Teams Meeting add-in on the Outlook Calendar ribbon. See the below image.

One of the improvements you will see in Teams Meeting add-ins for Mac is, you will not be allowing to select both Teams Meeting and Skype Meeting in same invite.

For example, when you select “Teams Meeting” you will see Teams meeting URL and Conference ID in invite body and “Skype Meeting” option will be grayed out means you cannot add both Skype and Teams meeting in single invite. Also, if you add “Skype Meeting” first then “Teams Meeting” will grayed out so cannot add both in single invite. See the below image.

Things to understand for Outlook add-ins:

• There is known issue which makes confusion for end user that, user will be able to add Teams Meeting and Skype Meeting in same invite using Outlook on Windows which know issue and makes confusion for end-user. Fix is coming for Outlook on Windows. Using Outlook in Mac will not allow to add both meeting in same invite.
• You can schedule Teams meeting using outlook however custom Meeting options are currently not available.
• Outlook add-in is for scheduled meetings with specific participants, not for meetings in a channel. Channel meetings must be scheduled from within Teams.
• The add-in will not work if an Authentication Proxy is in the network path of user’s PC and Teams Services.

Common causes /resolution for Outlook Add-ins:

• Make sure all available updates for Outlook Windows or Mac have been applied
• Restart the Teams Windows and Mac client.
• Sign out and then sign back in to the Teams windows and Mac client.
• Restart the Outlook Windows and Mac client. (Make sure Outlook isn’t running in admin mode.)
• Sing-in to Teams app at least once before scheduling meeting
• For Outlook add-in for Windows client, ensure that the add-in is installed and enabled.
• If you do not see the Teams Meeting add-in then close Outlook and Teams, then restart the Teams client first, then sign in to Teams, and then restart the Outlook client, in that specific order.

Thank you.