Whether you organized the meeting or simply joining to participate, everyone must join a MS Teams meeting to virtually connect. This guide explains three aspects related to joining a meeting: Places to find meeting links, joining with desktop vs your browser, and using your UIW account.

Find a Join Meeting Link

There are multiple ways to join MS Teams meetings and where you find a MS Teams join meeting link depends on how the organizer created the meeting:

• Calendar Invitation: Both the Outlook Calendar and Teams Calendar work the same way if the organizer invites you. You'll see a scheduled event on both calendars as they are connected by Microsoft. Use either Outlook or Teams to access the join meeting link in the invitation - both methods works great.
• Canvas Invitation: If an instructor uses the Microsoft Teams Meetings app on their Canvas course navigation and invites students to scheduled meetings, everyone in the course accesses the join meeting options in the course or through Outlook and Teams calendars. Only those invited will see the scheduled events and be able to join.
• Meeting Link: Meeting links can be copied and sent in chats, emails, or placed in Canvas courses separate from a scheduled event. With this access method there's no calendar item in Outlook, Teams, or Canvas. Participants click the link, which may cause a web browser prompt of options to join the meeting. The first option is Continue with this browser, which opens the web app version of Teams. The second option is Join on the Teams app, which opens the desktop version. 

Ways to Join: Desktop vs Browser

You can join an MS Teams meeting with either the desktop version installed on your computer or the web app from Cardinal Apps. However, MS Teams desktop version offers more features than the web app and you want to consider that when deciding how you join. The desktop app is recommended for all faculty, employees, and students, but is most critical for meeting organizers and presenters who want to use breakout rooms. Contact the UIW Help Desk for assistance installing and updating Teams on your computer or mobile phone.

Use Your UIW Account

Sign in with your UIW account to help MS Teams recognize you as part of the university and ensure you have internal access and security permissions. Employees and students who have personal Microsoft accounts or Microsoft business accounts with other institutions must ensure they switch accounts as Teams retains the previously used account to sign in with and switching back to your UIW account is necessary.