how to set-up an open meeting with controlled access

Dear @mike burnett,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

You can set this up using a standard Teams meeting with the meeting lobby enabled. This allows anyone with the meeting link to join, while still giving you full control over who is admitted. For reference: Plan for meetings with external participants in Microsoft Teams

Therefore, here are some steps I recommend you try

Step 1: In the Microsoft Teams Admin Center, set to allow open meetings with a waiting room (lobby). For reference: IT Admins - Manage lobby options in Microsoft Teams and Manage anonymous participant access to Teams meetings, webinars, and town halls (IT admins)

Open the Microsoft Teams Admin Center > Sign in to https://admin.teams.microsoft.com (Make sure you are logged in as a Teams Administrator or Global Administrator)

• Expand Meetings and then select Meeting policies > Select the policy that you want to update > In the Meeting join & lobby sections, update the settings: Anonymous users can join a meeting (Changes can take up to 24 hours to take effect)
• If you want people joining anonymously to wait in the lobby, you can set the Who can bypass the lobby meeting policy to any setting except Everyone

If you want to allow anonymous meeting access, be sure the Anonymous users can join a meeting meeting setting is also turned on. To set the organization-wide meeting setting for anonymous meeting join: In the Teams admin center, expand Meetings and then select Meeting settings > In the Participants section, set Anonymous users can join a meeting to On or Off > Select Save.

Step 2: Create a standard Teams meeting

Open Microsoft Teams > Go to Calendar > Select New meeting > Enter a meeting title, date, and time > Save the meeting

Step 3: Open Meeting Options

Open the meeting from your Teams calendar > Select Meeting options

Step 4: Force everyone into the waiting room (lobby). For reference: Using the lobby in Microsoft Teams meetings

In Meeting options, set the following:

• Who can bypass the lobby: Only organizers and co‑organizers
• Who can admit from the lobby: Organizers and co‑organizers

This ensures all participants, including anonymous users, must wait in the lobby until you approve them.

Step 5: Share the meeting link

Copy the Join Microsoft Teams meeting link > Share this link publicly (email, website, message, etc.)

I hope the information shared helps point you in the right direction. Please try the steps above and let me know if they work. If not, we can continue working together to narrow this down.

The first response may not always resolve the issue right away, but with your help and more details, we can work toward a solution.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward for your reply.

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