Microsoft Teams: Join by code requires owner approval for private teams

Microsoft Teams will require owner approval for users joining private teams via join codes starting late August 2026. Users can still generate and enter codes, but owners must approve requests. Public teams remain unaffected. No admin action is needed, but owners should be informed and monitor requests.

[What and Why]

To improve team governance and reduce unintended access to private teams, Microsoft Teams is updating the join by code experience for private teams. With this change, join requests submitted using a code will require approval from a team owner before the user is added. This aligns the experience with join by link behavior and strengthens access control for private teams.

[Rollout Schedule]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): Rollout begins in late August 2026 and completes by late September 2026.

[Impact on Your Organization]

Who is affected

• All Microsoft Teams users joining private teams using the join by code feature

Platforms/Services

• Microsoft Teams on desktop, web, and mobile

What will happen

• Users can continue to generate join codes from Team settings > Team code.
• Users can enter a join code from the New items menu in Chat or Channels.
• For private teams, users will no longer be automatically added when entering a code.
• Team owners will receive a join request and must approve or reject it before the user is added.
• Public teams are not affected, and users can still join immediately using a code.
• This feature will be enabled by default.

[Action Required/Recommendations]

No admin action is required to enable this feature.

Recommended actions to support awareness and adoption:

• Inform team owners about the new approval step.
• Encourage owners to monitor and manage incoming join requests.
• Update internal documentation or training materials if join by code is referenced, especially in environments where it is commonly used.

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified because this change does not affect data storage, processing, or access controls. Review as appropriate for your organization.