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Joined via web version as guest with no microphone, cannot hear or see others speaking

ultramage 21 Reputation points
2026-01-20T15:01:26.44+00:00

When using latest Edge or Chrome to join a Teams meeting via teams.live.com (free), without a microphone or other recording device available, and joining as Guest instead of being signed in, the pre-join name/audio/camera setup screen pops up an unexpected message:

Are you sure you don't want audio or video? If you change your mind, select the camera icon by your address bar and then Always allow. [ Continue without audio or video ]

Proceeding in this state will cause the browser to join the meeting without being able to hear any audio from others, even if a speaker is plugged in. Participants do not even get highlighted while speaking.

I first received this issue report on 2025-11-25 from a brand new Teams user. After some testing I found a workaround by enabling Stereo Mix to trick the page's webrtc javascript or whatever to activate.
I got a second report today, from an user who used the web version weekly until mid-december. After testing I observed (hopefully correctly) that

  • the browser-based Teams app works fine in both guest and signed-in mode
  • the web version works fine if signed in

The only issue seems to be with the guest-specific /light-meetings/launch page and its javascript. The prompt mentions an icon on the address bar, but it's not there. This supports the theory that it is not a permissions issue, but an audio / webrtc subsystem initialization issue. It's possible this particular page is missing some required steps, doing them incorrectly, or in incorrect order.

If I choose to proceed, the page will additionally complain about having no microphone and suggest adjusting privacy settings. But nothing changes even when my browser is set to allow all by default and even if it has an explicit allow exception for the teams website. Similar deal with win11 privacy settings.

If confirmed, I would like to escalate this issue since it's prone to causing a lot of confusion, both to users and tech support staff.

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  1. Debashmita Saha 235 Reputation points
    2026-01-27T10:31:30.47+00:00

    Hi there,

    Since you have already tried the usual fixes, you may try out a few other alternatives as mentioned below:

    1. As a quick fix, try the incognito mode of Edge / Chrome. You may also try Firefox as a workaround (Both Normal and Private modes).
    2. Plugging in a USB mic or headset can force Teams to initialize guest audio.
    3. As a long-term fix, meeting organizer / IT admin may need to review meeting policies for guest/anonymous join restrictions (if not done already)

    I would also recommend installing Teams as a PWA on the preferred browser if that can bypass the issue. Hope this helps!

    1 person found this answer helpful.

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