Can't access Teams meeting

Question

Can't access Teams meeting

R H 40

I have been e-mailed a link to join a Teams meeting. (I have previously been able to do this successfully with meetings from the same organiser.) This time however it keeps telling me "Try joining again, or dial in. To join the meeting you might need to call in on your phone due to a network issue". I have tried restarting my computer and clicking the link again, but the same thing happens. I have tried clicking the link on my phone, but this method doesn't work either. My Virgin Media broadband connection is working fine, and I am able to access various web sites, etc. with no problem. I am not aware of having changed any settings on my computer since the previous Teams meeting with this organiser. Grateful for your guidance.

R H 40 Reputation points

2026-07-15T17:22:35.7966667+00:00

One of my colleagues a few miles away managed to access the meeting without any problem.
Chris Duong 10,705 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-16T22:48:57.6133333+00:00

Hi R H,

I hope everything is going well on your end.

I’m following up on the support thread we've been working through together. I wanted to check in and see if the information I shared in my previous answer helped resolve the issue you were experiencing.

If you're still experiencing any issues or have further questions, please feel free to reach out at any time. I’m always happy to help if you need anything else.

I want to ensure everything is functioning smoothly and that your experience remains seamless.

Thank you again for your collaboration throughout the troubleshooting process.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
R H 40 Reputation points

2026-07-18T14:48:02.5+00:00

Hi Chris. Thanks for your 2 messages and apologies for not responding sooner. I've been extremely busy the past few days and haven't had time to look into this. I hope to do so this coming week, and will let you know what transpires. Best wishes, [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]
Chris Duong 10,705 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-18T16:10:23.7866667+00:00

Hi R H,

Thank you for your message, and no worries at all.

I completely understand. Please feel free to update me here once you have had a chance to look into it. I’ll be happy to assist further if you need any additional support.
R H 40 Reputation points

2026-07-20T14:52:28.69+00:00

Hi Chris. I'm just starting to look into this now. The link for the Teams meeting I was unable to connect to last week has expired. Is it possible for me to try connecting into a 'test' meeting so I can check if my computer/broadband connection is working properly, and then work through the list of possible remedies that you kindly provided. As you can probably gather, I'm not an expert user!
Chris Duong 10,705 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-21T19:33:48.4566667+00:00
Hi R H,

Thank you for getting back to me. No problem at all, and please don’t worry, I’ll guide you through this step by step.

As the original meeting link has now expired, you can use the Microsoft Teams device test page to check whether your computer, browser, microphone, camera, speaker, and network connection are working correctly.

Please try the following:

Open Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.

Go to the Microsoft Teams device test page:
https://devicetest.teams.microsoft.com/

If prompted, please select Allow so Teams can temporarily access your microphone and camera for the test.

Check whether the test shows your network, camera, microphone, and speaker as working.

If you are using the Teams desktop app, you can also try a test call if the option is available:

Open Microsoft Teams.

Go to Settings.

Select Devices.

Choose Make a test call.

Follow the instructions to test your microphone, speaker, and camera.

If possible, you may also wish to ask the organizer, or another colleague, to send you a new Teams meeting link so you can test whether the same issue still occurs with a fresh meeting invite.

In case you are still unable to join using the new link, please continue with the earlier troubleshooting steps I provided, such as trying Teams on the web, using an InPrivate/Incognito browser window, fully restarting Teams, clearing the Teams cache, or testing from your phone using mobile data instead of Wi-Fi.

Please feel free to update me here with what you find. I’ll be happy to support you further.
R H 40 Reputation points

2026-07-22T14:53:42.3633333+00:00

Hi Chris - thanks for your further assistance. I've done the device test and made a test call as per your previous message. All seems to be working perfectly now. I'll ask one of my colleagues to set up a test meeting to check that all is indeed well. Very many thanks for your kind assistance and patience! I'll save these messages in case I incur further problems with Teams in future. Best regards, [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]
Chris Duong 10,705 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-22T19:05:40.22+00:00

Hi R H,

Thank you for accepting the answer and for the update.

I’m really glad to hear that the device test and test call both worked successfully, and that everything appears to be working properly now. Asking one of your colleagues to set up a test meeting is a great next step to confirm that you are able to join a live Teams meeting without any further issues.

I’m also very pleased that the guidance was helpful. Please don’t hesitate to keep the messages for future reference, and should you have any concerns or questions in the future, feel free to reach out.

Not only will I be happy to assist you, but all moderators in the Q&A forum will also do their best to provide support and guidance.

I truly appreciate your time and cooperation throughout the resolution of this matter.

Wishing you all the best.

Answer accepted by question author

0 additional answers

Your answer

R H 40 Reputation points

2026-07-15T17:22:35.7966667+00:00

One of my colleagues a few miles away managed to access the meeting without any problem.
Chris Duong 10,705 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-16T22:48:57.6133333+00:00

Hi R H,

I hope everything is going well on your end.

I’m following up on the support thread we've been working through together. I wanted to check in and see if the information I shared in my previous answer helped resolve the issue you were experiencing.

If you're still experiencing any issues or have further questions, please feel free to reach out at any time. I’m always happy to help if you need anything else.

I want to ensure everything is functioning smoothly and that your experience remains seamless.

Thank you again for your collaboration throughout the troubleshooting process.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
R H 40 Reputation points

2026-07-18T14:48:02.5+00:00

Hi Chris. Thanks for your 2 messages and apologies for not responding sooner. I've been extremely busy the past few days and haven't had time to look into this. I hope to do so this coming week, and will let you know what transpires. Best wishes, [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]
Chris Duong 10,705 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-18T16:10:23.7866667+00:00

Hi R H,

Thank you for your message, and no worries at all.

I completely understand. Please feel free to update me here once you have had a chance to look into it. I’ll be happy to assist further if you need any additional support.
R H 40 Reputation points

2026-07-20T14:52:28.69+00:00

Hi Chris. I'm just starting to look into this now. The link for the Teams meeting I was unable to connect to last week has expired. Is it possible for me to try connecting into a 'test' meeting so I can check if my computer/broadband connection is working properly, and then work through the list of possible remedies that you kindly provided. As you can probably gather, I'm not an expert user!
Chris Duong 10,705 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-21T19:33:48.4566667+00:00

Hi R H,

Thank you for getting back to me. No problem at all, and please don’t worry, I’ll guide you through this step by step.

As the original meeting link has now expired, you can use the Microsoft Teams device test page to check whether your computer, browser, microphone, camera, speaker, and network connection are working correctly.

Please try the following:

Open Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.

Go to the Microsoft Teams device test page:
https://devicetest.teams.microsoft.com/

If prompted, please select Allow so Teams can temporarily access your microphone and camera for the test.

Check whether the test shows your network, camera, microphone, and speaker as working.

If you are using the Teams desktop app, you can also try a test call if the option is available:

Open Microsoft Teams.

Go to Settings.

Select Devices.

Choose Make a test call.

Follow the instructions to test your microphone, speaker, and camera.

If possible, you may also wish to ask the organizer, or another colleague, to send you a new Teams meeting link so you can test whether the same issue still occurs with a fresh meeting invite.

In case you are still unable to join using the new link, please continue with the earlier troubleshooting steps I provided, such as trying Teams on the web, using an InPrivate/Incognito browser window, fully restarting Teams, clearing the Teams cache, or testing from your phone using mobile data instead of Wi-Fi.

Please feel free to update me here with what you find. I’ll be happy to support you further.
R H 40 Reputation points

2026-07-22T14:53:42.3633333+00:00

Hi Chris - thanks for your further assistance. I've done the device test and made a test call as per your previous message. All seems to be working perfectly now. I'll ask one of my colleagues to set up a test meeting to check that all is indeed well. Very many thanks for your kind assistance and patience! I'll save these messages in case I incur further problems with Teams in future. Best regards, [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]
Chris Duong 10,705 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-22T19:05:40.22+00:00

Hi R H,

Thank you for accepting the answer and for the update.

I’m really glad to hear that the device test and test call both worked successfully, and that everything appears to be working properly now. Asking one of your colleagues to set up a test meeting is a great next step to confirm that you are able to join a live Teams meeting without any further issues.

I’m also very pleased that the guidance was helpful. Please don’t hesitate to keep the messages for future reference, and should you have any concerns or questions in the future, feel free to reach out.

Not only will I be happy to assist you, but all moderators in the Q&A forum will also do their best to provide support and guidance.

I truly appreciate your time and cooperation throughout the resolution of this matter.

Wishing you all the best.

Answer 1

Hi R H,

I’m sorry you’re going through this, and I appreciate you sharing the details of what happened.

As a forum moderator, I genuinely wish I could directly access your account or review the backend systems to diagnose and resolve this issue for you. However, our role here is limited to providing general guidance by offering clear next steps, sharing applicable resources, and directing you to the appropriate support channels so you can work with the right team to investigate further.

Based on the error message and the fact that another colleague could join the same meeting without any issue, the problem does not appear to be with the Teams meeting link itself. It is more likely related to your device, Teams client, browser session, or the specific network path from your home connection to Microsoft Teams.

Although your Virgin Media broadband can browse websites normally, Teams meetings use real-time audio and video connectivity, which can fail even when normal web browsing works. This can happen due to local Teams cache issues, browser session problems, Wi-Fi/router behavior, firewall or DNS routing, or a temporary issue with the connection path between your home network and Microsoft Teams.

First, please try joining the meeting from your phone using mobile data/4G/5G instead of Wi-Fi.
If you are able to join successfully using mobile data, this would indicate that the issue is likely related to your Virgin Media connection, home router, Wi-Fi configuration, DNS settings, or the network path between your home connection and Microsoft Teams.
If it still does not work on mobile data, please try the steps below:

1/ Try joining from Teams on the web

Open Microsoft Edge or Chrome.
Open a new InPrivate/Incognito window.
Paste the Teams meeting link into the address bar.
If prompted, select Continue on this browser.
Enter your name or sign in if required, then try joining again.

This helps rule out whether the problem is related to the Teams desktop app.

2/ Fully quit and reopen Microsoft Teams

Make sure Teams is completely closed, not just minimized.

On Windows:

Right-click the Teams icon in the taskbar or system tray.
Select Quit.
Reopen Microsoft Teams.
Try joining the meeting again.

3/ Clear the Microsoft Teams cache

A corrupted Teams cache can sometimes prevent the app from joining meetings correctly.

On Windows:

Press Windows + R, paste the following path, and press Enter:

%userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams

Delete all files and folders in that location, then restart Teams and sign in again.
Try joining the meeting once more.
Reference: Clear the Teams client cache - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

4/ Check for Teams updates or reinstall Teams

Open Teams.
Check for updates from the Teams menu if available.
If the issue continues, uninstall Teams.
Restart the computer.
Download and install the latest version of Teams from Microsoft.
Try joining the meeting again.

For reference: I can't join a meeting in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Support

Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to share them in the comment below. I'm very happy to help.

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it.

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R H 40 Reputation points

2026-07-18T14:49:36.27+00:00

Hi Chris. Thanks for your 2 messages and apologies for not responding sooner. I've been extremely busy the past few days and haven't had time to look into this. I hope to do so this coming week, and will let you know what transpires. Best wishes, Richard