In short: most Teams links that “don’t work” are cut or rewritten (copied from an SMS or an email), open in an app signed in to the wrong account, or point to a meeting that no longer exists. Copy the link again from the calendar, or open it in your browser and choose to continue there.
A Teams link is long, full of encoded characters, and it goes through many tools before reaching your guests. Here is how to find out why it does not open, depending on what you see.
The link opens an error page or “not found”
- The link was cut. SMS and some chat apps break a 180-character link in two. The part after the break is lost and Teams cannot find the meeting. Copy the link again from the calendar and share a short link instead.
- The link was rewritten. A link copied from a received email may start with
safelinks.protection.outlook.com. It usually still works, but some tools mangle it. Copy it from the meeting in the calendar. - The meeting was deleted or has expired. If the organizer canceled the meeting, or if it is very old, the link no longer works. See does a Teams meeting link expire?
Nothing happens, or the Teams app opens the wrong account
When you click a Teams link, your browser first shows a launch page that offers to open the Teams app or to continue in the browser. If the app opens on another account (personal instead of work, or another company), switch account in the app, or go back to the launch page and choose to continue in this browser.
Open a Teams link in Chrome instead of the app
- Paste the link in Chrome (or Edge).
- On the launch page, choose to continue in this browser rather than opening the app.
- Allow the camera and microphone when the browser asks, type your name and join.
Teams works in Chrome and Edge without installing anything. More in using Microsoft Teams in Chrome.
External guests cannot join
If colleagues can join but people outside your organization cannot, the cause is usually a setting: anonymous join disabled by the administrator, or meeting options that keep guests in the lobby. The organizer can check Meeting options (who can bypass the lobby); the rest depends on the IT administrator.
The link works on a computer but not on a phone
On mobile, a Teams link opens the Teams app: install it from the App Store or Google Play, or open the link in the phone’s browser. A QR code is the easiest way to move a meeting from a screen to a phone.
Prevent broken links
Share a short link such as msteams.link/AB12: it cannot be cut in an SMS, it is easy to type, and it opens exactly the same meeting. Create one free on msteams.link.
FAQ
Why does my Teams link say the meeting cannot be found?
Usually because the link is incomplete (cut when it was shared) or the meeting was deleted. Copy it again from the calendar.
Can I open a Teams meeting link without the app?
Yes, on a computer: open it in Chrome or Edge and choose to continue in the browser. On a phone, the Teams app is recommended.