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Microsoft Teams breakout rooms split one meeting into smaller discussions, then bring participants back without separate meeting links. You can create rooms before a meeting or while it is running; room creation and management require the Teams desktop app on Windows or macOS.
Breakout rooms support meetings with up to 300 attendees and a maximum of 50 rooms. Participants can join from supported desktop, web, mobile, Chromebook, and PSTN/RTC clients, though some accounts or devices may not be assignable to rooms.
Before you start: Teams breakout-room requirements
| Requirement | What Teams supports |
|---|---|
| Room manager | The organizer, or an appointed presenter from the organizer’s organization |
| Management platform | Teams desktop app for Windows or macOS, including Windows VDI |
| Meeting size | Up to 300 attendees; creating rooms limits the meeting to 300 attendees |
| Maximum rooms | 50 breakout rooms |
| Participant platforms | Windows, macOS, web, iOS/iPadOS, Android—including Chromebook—and PSTN/RTC clients |
| Unsupported meeting types | Town halls and meetings organized in private or shared channels |
A meeting cannot create breakout rooms if it has more than 300 attendees, even if people later leave and attendance drops below 300. Breakout rooms are also unavailable if an administrator has disabled the feature through policy.
How to create breakout rooms before a Teams meeting
Pre-creating rooms is useful for workshops, classes, interviews, and recurring meetings because you can name rooms and assign people before the meeting begins.
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- Open Calendar in Teams.
- Select the meeting, then choose View event.
- Select More options and choose Breakout rooms.
- Select Create rooms.
- Choose the number of rooms, up to 50, and select Add rooms.
- Select Assign participants.
- Choose an assignment method, then select Next and Save.
The Breakout rooms option appears only after invitations have been sent to attendees. Pre-meeting room creation supports meetings with up to 300 invitees. The rooms remain available to open when the meeting starts.
Rename rooms before the meeting
Names such as “Product feedback,” “Budget planning,” or “Group A” are easier to use than default room numbers.
- Go to Calendar > meeting > View event > More options > Breakout rooms.
- Open the room’s More options menu.
- Select Rename, enter the new name, and select Rename.
How to create breakout rooms during a Teams meeting
Use this method when you do not know who will attend or decide during the meeting that smaller groups are needed.
- Join the meeting from the Teams desktop app.
- In the meeting controls, select Rooms.
- Choose the number of rooms.
- Choose how participants should be assigned.
- Select Create rooms.
To add another room later, select Rooms > Add room. If you create rooms during the meeting, use Rooms > Assign participants to assign people later rather than relying on the initial automatic-assignment step.
Assign people to breakout rooms
Assign people manually
Manual assignment is useful when groups need to be balanced by role, department, ability, or project.
Before the meeting:
- Open Calendar, select the meeting, and choose View event.
- Select More options > Breakout rooms.
- Select Assign participants.
- Choose Manually assign people to rooms, then select Next.
- Choose a room in the Room column for each participant.
- Select Save.
During the meeting: select Rooms > Assign participants, assign each person to a room, and select Save.
Shuffle participants
For random groups, open Rooms > Assign participants, select Shuffle, and choose an option:
- Everyone — randomly redistributes all participants.
- Only unassigned people — distributes only people who do not already have a room.
Save the assignment after shuffling. In a recurring meeting series, assignments made by the organizer apply to future occurrences unless changed manually.
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Let participants choose a room
If self-selection is available, participants can view open rooms and choose where to go. They can select Rooms, hover over a room, open More options, and select Join. They can also switch between open rooms during the session.
Assign participants with a CSV file
CSV import is practical when you have a prepared list of email addresses and room names.
- During the meeting, open Breakout rooms.
- Select Import from CSV.
- Choose or drag in the CSV file.
- Select Import.
The file must be a .csv file containing valid room names and participant email addresses, using the structure shown by Teams during upload. Teams matches participants by email address; a person without a matching address is not assigned automatically.
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CSV import does not invite anyone to the meeting; it assigns people only after they join. Use individual email addresses rather than distribution lists. Importing a new CSV can replace existing room assignments, so check the result before opening rooms.
Configure breakout-room settings
Open settings from:
- Before the meeting: Calendar > meeting > View event > More options > Breakout rooms > Rooms settings.
- During the meeting: Rooms > Rooms settings.
Select Save after changing a setting. The main controls are:
Automatically move people to rooms
When enabled, assigned participants move into their rooms as soon as the rooms open. When disabled, participants receive a prompt and must select Join room. This is useful when you want to explain the activity before sending people away.
With self-selection, participants can view and join open rooms. With manual or random assignment, Teams uses the saved assignments.
Set a time limit
Turn on Set a time limit, choose the duration from the dropdown menus, and select Save. When the timer expires, Teams closes the rooms and returns participants to the main meeting.
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Assign presenters to manage rooms
A room manager can add or delete rooms, assign and reassign people, set time limits, send announcements, open or close rooms, and join any room. The manager must be invited to the meeting and made a presenter.
Before the meeting: go to Calendar > meeting > View event > More options > Breakout rooms > Rooms settings > Assign presenters to manage rooms. Select the presenters and save.
During the meeting: select Rooms > Rooms settings > Assign presenters to manage rooms, choose presenters from the dropdown, and select Save.
The appointed manager must belong to the same organization as the meeting organizer. Only one breakout manager can control the rooms at a time. A manager takes control with Rooms > Manage rooms.
Open, manage, and close rooms
Open every room
When assignments and instructions are ready, select Rooms > Open rooms. Empty rooms do not open, so a room with no assigned or participating people may remain closed.
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Open one room
Hover over the room, select More options > Open, and open only the group you are ready to start.
Join or switch rooms as the organizer
The organizer or breakout-room manager can join any open room to answer questions or monitor progress. Participants can switch rooms when self-selection is enabled.
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- Select Rooms > Make an announcement.
- Enter the message.
- Select Send.
The message appears in every room’s chat marked IMPORTANT. Replies appear in the corresponding breakout-room chat in the organizer’s main chat list.
Close rooms
To close all rooms, select Rooms > Close rooms. To close one, hover over it and select More options > Close. A room is closed when its status changes to Closed.
Closing a room returns its participants to the main meeting. Reopening an assigned room sends participants back to their previous assignments. Ending the main meeting does not close active breakout rooms, so select Rooms > Close rooms before ending the meeting.
Rename or delete a breakout room
To rename a room during the meeting, select Rooms > room More options > Rename, enter the name, and select Rename. The same action is available before the meeting from the breakout-room setup page.
A room must be closed before it can be deleted. If participants are inside, close the room or reassign them first.
- Delete one room with More options > Delete, then confirm.
- Delete all rooms with Remove rooms.
Attendance reports exclude data from deleted breakout rooms.
View breakout-room attendance
- Open Chat.
- Open Meeting chats and select the meeting chat.
- Select Attendance.
- Under Participants, select an attendee.
The report shows the breakout room that the person entered and the times they joined and left. The organizer can download the report as a CSV file. Only the meeting organizer can view attendance reports.
What participants can and cannot do
Participants do not need the desktop app. They can join breakout rooms using Teams on Windows, macOS, web, iOS/iPadOS, Android, Chromebook, or PSTN/RTC clients, but these clients cannot manage rooms. Some participants may not be assignable: Microsoft lists Teams (free) accounts, unsupported devices such as CVI, participants not currently in the meeting, and older Teams versions as possible causes.
Each room has its own chat. Breakout-room chat does not support adding people to the meeting from the participant panel, adding additional people to the meeting chat, or copying Join meeting info.
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Fix common Teams breakout-room problems
| Problem | Likely cause or fix |
|---|---|
| The Rooms button is missing | You are not the organizer or appointed manager, are using an unsupported client, belong to another organization, or the meeting type or admin policy does not support rooms. A canceled meeting or deleted channel thread can also be the cause. |
| Rooms cannot be created | Check that the meeting has no more than 300 attendees, is not a town hall, and was not organized in a private or shared channel. |
| A participant does not move into a room | They may be using an older Teams version, unsupported device such as CVI, or a Teams (free) account, or may not be in the meeting. In the room panel, hover over the participant, select More options, and choose Request to join. |
| A participant cannot be moved to another room | A participant who is not currently in a breakout room cannot be moved directly to another one. Move them into a room from the main meeting first. |
| Someone moved to a closed room returns to the main meeting | This is expected behavior. Open the destination room before assigning the participant. |
| Close rooms returns an error | Close the failed room individually from its room menu using Close room. |
| An empty room does not open | Teams does not open empty rooms. Assign or move a participant into the room first. |
For channel meetings, pre-assignment requires joining the meeting first, opening the team channel, and selecting Breakout rooms. A channel with more than 300 members cannot be pre-assigned this way.
Recommended workflow for a smooth breakout session
- Keep the meeting at 300 attendees or fewer. Breakout rooms are not compatible with meetings above that limit.
- Create and name rooms before the meeting. This avoids spending the first few minutes building the room structure.
- Assign a second presenter as room manager. This gives someone else control if the organizer is presenting or troubleshooting.
- Prepare instructions in advance. Include the task, expected output, and return time in the first announcement.
- Use a time limit for timed activities. Decide whether attendees should be moved back automatically or prompted after the timer.
- Open only populated rooms. Empty rooms do not open and can confuse the assignment view.
- Close rooms explicitly at the end. Ending the main meeting does not close active breakout rooms.
- Download attendance before deleting rooms. Deleted-room data is excluded from the attendance report.
Teams Education notes
In Teams for Education, only meeting organizers using the Windows or macOS desktop app can create and manage breakout rooms. Students can join from desktop, web, or mobile.
Microsoft lists these minimum builds for the Education experience: desktop Windows/macOS 1.3.00.24755, iOS 1.0.77.2020100603, and Android 1.0.0.2020091301. Microsoft recommends updating to the latest Teams version.
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FAQ
Can participants join Teams breakout rooms from a browser or phone?
Yes. Participants can join from Windows, macOS, the web, iOS/iPadOS, Android, Chromebook, and PSTN/RTC clients. Room creation and management require the Teams desktop app on Windows or macOS.
How many people can be in a Teams meeting with breakout rooms?
The meeting can have up to 300 attendees when breakout rooms are created. Teams cannot create rooms for a meeting with more than 300 attendees, even if attendance later falls below 300. You can create up to 50 rooms.
Can someone other than the organizer manage breakout rooms?
Yes. Invite the person to the meeting, make them a presenter, and assign them through Rooms settings. They must belong to the same organization as the organizer. Only one breakout manager controls the rooms at a time.
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No. Ending the main meeting does not close active breakout rooms. Select Rooms, then Close rooms, before ending the meeting.
Why can’t I see the Rooms button in Teams?
You may not be the organizer or an appointed room manager, may be using a client that cannot manage rooms, or may belong to a different organization. The meeting may also be a town hall, a private or shared channel meeting, canceled, affected by an admin policy, or associated with a deleted channel thread.
Can I assign breakout rooms with a spreadsheet?
Yes. During the meeting, choose Breakout rooms, Import from CSV, select the file, and choose Import. The CSV must contain valid room names and individual participant email addresses. It assigns people after they join; it does not invite them.
The Bottom Line
For reliable Teams breakout rooms, create rooms before the meeting, assign participants or prepare a CSV, appoint a same-organization presenter as manager, and set movement and timer options before opening rooms. Keep the meeting at 300 attendees or fewer, close rooms explicitly when finished, and download attendance before deleting rooms.
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