Join a Skype Meeting with Skype for Business Web App
This article has been updated for 2020.
Skype for Business will be sunsetting on July 31, 2021. Have no fear though, as Microsoft Teams will replace it for all your communication needs and empower you to do even more.
What's Teams? Microsoft Teams is a unified communication and collaboration platform that combines instant messaging, calling, meetings, file sharing, app integration and everything you essentially need to collaborate with your team, no matter where you all are.
If you are a current Skype user, the below still applies and will until it's expired. However, new users that wish to sign up for Skype for Business will be redirected to Teams.
Whether you're new to Microsoft or have been a long time user of Skype, you should be very excited about the transition to Microsoft Teams. Skype is very limited in its capabilities - sure you can chat, make calls and have meetings, but the functionality ends there. Microsoft Teams does all of that and more. Here are some awesome features of Microsoft Teams:
- Chat: Instant message one to one or a group chat. Make it fun by sending gifs, emojis or stickers
- Meet: Easily go from a group chat to a video or audio conference in one click. Record meetings, blur your background and share meeting notes. Just like Skype, Teams integrates with your calendar
- Call: Gone are the days of "who joined?" - you can view everyone who's on the call or make calls directly one to one
- Collaborate: Not sure where to find a file or what the latest version is? In Teams, you can access, share, and edit documents in real-time (and at the same time as another colleague)
On top of all these great features, you can organize and sort them by different "teams" - clever, right? For example, you can have a "Marketing" Team within Teams that the marketing and sales team to access collateral. You can also have an "All Staff" Team in which everyone in the company has access to. Additionally, you could have an "Executive" team where only the leadership team has access. With these different permissions, you can restrict and control which employees have access to what and keep communication and collaboration organized.
Want to learn more about the benefits of Teams? Read more about Microsoft Teams as the ultimate collaboration tool.
If you don’t have the desktop version of Skype for Business, or don’t have a Skype for Business account, you can use Skype for Business Web App to join a Skype Meeting from your browser.
IMPORTANT: You don't need to download or install any apps to join a Skype Meeting with Skype for Business Web App. Just select the link in the meeting request email and follow the instructions in the browser window to join.
If you're having difficulty joining, check out Trouble installing the Skype for Business Web App Plug-in?.
Join the meeting
Here are the basic steps to join a Skype Meeting from Skype for Business Web App:
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Open the meeting request in your email or calendar and select Join Skype Meeting.
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Enter your name on the sign-in screen and select Join the meeting.
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Follow your browser's instructions for installing the Skype for Business Web App Plug-in, which is required for audio, video, and screen sharing.
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Depending on the meeting options set by the organizer, you'll either join the meeting immediately, or be directed to the virtual lobby.
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If you're in the lobby, the meeting organizer and other presenters are immediately notified that you're waiting.
If you run in to trouble, or just want more detail, read on:
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To begin, do one of the following:
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If you have Outlook or Outlook Web App, go to your Calendar, open the meeting request, and select Join Skype Meeting.
OR
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Open the email with the meeting request and select Join Skype Meeting.
TIP: If you’re having trouble joining the meeting, open an InPrivate Browsing session in Internet Explorer and try joining the meeting again.
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When Skype for Business Web App opens, do one of the following to join the meeting:
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To join as a guest, enter your name and select Join the meeting.
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To join a meeting set up by someone in your organization, select Sign in if you are from the organizer’s company orSign in if you are an Office 365 user, and then enter the same user name and password you use to sign in to your organization's network.
TIP: Select Remember me on this computer to help speed up the join process the next time you use Skype for Business Web App. This option also gives you more choices for connecting to meeting audio the next time you join.
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Follow your browser’s instructions for downloading and installing the plug in. For example, in Internet Explorer, select Run when you see the alert at the bottom of the browser window.
IMPORTANT: The Skype for Business Web App plug-in is required for audio, video, and screen sharing, so you should install it even if you plan to call in to the meeting by phone. You only need to install it once.
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In the Skype for Business Web App plug-in security alert, select Allow.
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If a Windows Firewall security alert appears, it’s OK to select Cancel if you don’t have administrator privileges on your computer. This won't affect your meeting.
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If you’ve already joined the meeting and the plug-in didn’t install, point to the phone icon and select Call to start the installation process.
Join the meeting with the desktop version of Skype for Business if the meeting request is from someone in your organization
If the meeting request is from a colleague or co-worker, you may be able install and use the desktop version of Skype for Business for more features and flexibility during the meeting. If your organization uses Office 365, you can install Skype for Business and other desktop apps from the Office 365 portal. Otherwise, contact your workplace technical support—typically the person who set up your Skype for Business account —for the location of the download.
IMPORTANT:
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If you're a Mac user, we recommend that you continue to use Lync for Mac 2011.
Join with Skype for Business Web App if Skype for Business desktop is installed
In some cases you may want to join a meeting with Skype for Business Web App even if the desktop version of Skype for Business is installed.
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In the meeting request, right-click or tap and hold the Join Skype Meeting link, and select Copy Hyperlink.
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Paste the meeting link into a browser address box, and add ?sl=1 at the end. For example: https://join.contoso.com/meet/patrick/ABCDEFGH?sl=1
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Press Enter to join the meeting with Skype for Business Web App.
If you found this article interesting, you might want to check out some of our information on Microsoft Teams. Learn more about Microsoft Teams here.
Lync is now Skype for Business — see what's new
If you already know how to use Skype to stay in touch with friends and family in your life away from work, you'll appreciate the power and simplicity of Skype for Business where it's easy to find and connect with co-workers. And you can use the devices you already have to reach businesses through an enterprise-grade, secure, IT-managed platform. If you're coming to Skype for Business from Lync, you'll recognize all of the features you already use but in a fresh new interface with simplified controls and some great new additions:
- New look and feel
- Call from Skype for Business using your desk phone for audio
- Integration with the Skype directory
- Call Monitor
- Rate My Call
- Quick access to call controls
- Emoticons
New look and feel
If you’re a regular user of the commercial version of Skype, then Skype for Business will seem very familiar: the Contacts list, presence indicators, buttons and icons, and even the app sounds should make you feel right at home. Learn more.
Of course, all the essential Lync features are still there—like the Quick Actions buttons, which let you IM or call a contact (and more) with just one click or tap.
Skype for Business Contacts list
In the Skype Meeting window, the simplified arrangement of controls and menus makes it easy to find the command you need. In the conversation window, chat text is formatted so you can easily see who’s talking, and tabbed conversations allow you to keep track of several discussions at once.
- IM window with two conversations, and meeting window with Present menu
If you've ever had someone send you a file during an IM conversation, then file transfer preview is another feature of the new Skype for Business look and feel you'll appreciate. When someone sends you a file, select Download in the IM window to update the file's icon, or right-click or tap and hold to forward, preview, or delete it.
Emoticons
Skype for Business now includes the same set of emoticons found in the consumer version of Skype. You can turn off emoticons in Skype for Business by going to Options > IM. No server setting is available.
Other Resources:
Managed Solution has developed a proven deployment and migration strategy for our clients moving to Skype for Business. For more information call us at 888.563.9132 or visit our Skype for Business Solutions page.
