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Microsoft Teams administrators can set meeting chat to In-meeting only, preventing participants from sending messages before a meeting starts or after it ends. The setting is part of a meeting policy assigned to users who organize meetings.
What “In-meeting only” changes
Microsoft describes the control as limiting when chat messages can be sent: chat is available while the meeting is active, but not before it starts or after it ends. The policy offers two choices, depending on whether anonymous participants should be included.
| Meeting chat policy value | Effect |
|---|---|
| In-meeting only for everyone | Participants can send chat messages only while the meeting is active. |
| In-meeting only for everyone but anonymous users | Non-anonymous participants can send messages only while the meeting is active; anonymous participants cannot read or send meeting chat messages. |
Microsoft’s release notes state: “When the policy is enabled, messages can only be sent while the meeting is active.”
How to configure the meeting policy
Teams admin center
- Open the Teams admin center and go to Meetings > Meeting policies.
- Select the meeting policy to edit.
- Under Meeting engagement, find Meeting chat.
- Choose In-meeting only for everyone or In-meeting only for everyone but anonymous users.
- Select Save.
PowerShell
Microsoft documents the -MeetingChatEnabledType parameter on Set-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy. Use the value that matches the intended anonymous-participant access:
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EnabledInMeetingOnlyForAllfor in-meeting chat for everyone.EnabledInMeetingOnlyForAllExceptAnonymousfor in-meeting chat for everyone except anonymous users.
See Microsoft’s meeting chat policy documentation for the current cmdlet syntax and policy details.
Who the setting applies to
This is a per-user policy that governs meetings and events organized by users assigned that policy. Microsoft documents its scope as meetings and events with up to 1,000 attendees. It does not apply to channel meetings.
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The policy governs the enforced experience even if an organizer’s Meeting options show a different selection. For example, an organizer may still see On as an option while the assigned policy enforces In-meeting only; the policy, not the displayed option, determines the outcome.
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Meeting policies versus meeting-level controls
Meeting policies are not the only way to control chat. Microsoft also documents sensitivity labels and meeting templates as meeting-level controls that can enforce chat as On, Off, or In-meeting only. A template for a highly sensitive meeting can, for example, lock chat to In-meeting only. These controls are distinct from the per-user meeting policy; see Microsoft’s guidance on sensitivity labels for meetings and meeting templates.
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Do not confuse this with chat in external meetings
Chat in external meetings is a separate control. It applies to whether a tenant’s users can chat in meetings hosted by organizations without a trusted relationship; it is not the policy for limiting chat in meetings organized by users in your tenant. Microsoft distinguishes the controls in its meeting chat documentation.
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