How to Configure and Manage Audio Conferencing Dial-In Numbers and PINs in Microsoft Teams

While Microsoft Teams provides robust high-definition VoIP calling and video conferencing over broadband and cellular data networks, participants in transit, remote field personnel, and external clients frequently face poor internet connectivity. For these scenarios, public switched telephone network (PSTN) dial-in connectivity remains essential. Through Microsoft 365 Audio Conferencing, meeting organizers can automatically include phone dial-in numbers and conference IDs in every meeting invitation.

With an Audio Conferencing license assigned, attendees can join Teams meetings from any standard landline or mobile phone without installing an app or logging in. Furthermore, meeting organizers use a private Audio Conferencing PIN to authenticate, start meetings, and manage phone-based participants. This comprehensive guide details how to assign Audio Conferencing licenses, configure conference bridge phone numbers, customize meeting invite footers, and reset organizer PINs in the Microsoft Teams admin center.

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Prerequisites and Licensing Requirements

To enable and configure PSTN dial-in bridges across Microsoft Teams, your organization must satisfy the following licensing prerequisites:

• Microsoft 365 Licensing: Users organizing meetings must have an active license that includes Audio Conferencing (such as Microsoft 365 E5 / Office 365 E5) or an Audio Conferencing add-on applied to Microsoft 365 Business Basic/Standard/Premium, E1, or E3 plans.
• Administrative Roles: Access to the Microsoft Teams admin center requires Teams Administrator, Communications Administrator, or Global Administrator privileges.
• Communications Credits: If your organization provisions toll-free dial-in numbers or permits participants to dial out from a meeting to an international phone number, you must configure Communications Credits or pay-as-you-go calling plans.

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Step 1: Assigning Audio Conferencing Licenses to Users

Dial-in details appear only in meeting invitations sent by licensed organizers. Meeting attendees do not need an Audio Conferencing license to call into a meeting.

1. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center (admin.microsoft.com).
2. In the left-hand navigation menu, navigate to Users > Active users.
3. Select the user or multi-select users who host scheduled meetings.
4. In the flyout panel on the right, click the Licenses and apps tab.
5. Under the Licenses list, assign Microsoft Teams Audio Conferencing with dial-out to USA/CAN (or your region’s equivalent license).
6. Click Save changes.

Upon license assignment, Microsoft automatically sends an onboarding email to the user containing their default dial-in bridge phone number and their private Audio Conferencing PIN.

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Step 2: Managing Conference Bridge Phone Numbers

Microsoft provisions shared toll dial-in numbers across dozens of countries automatically. Administrators can designate primary numbers and assign dedicated toll or toll-free numbers:

1. Log in to the Microsoft Teams admin center (admin.teams.microsoft.com).
2. In the left navigation bar, expand Voice and select Conference bridges.
3. The Conference bridges page lists all provisioned shared and dedicated phone numbers alongside their geographic location and assigned default language.
4. To set a primary default number for your organization:
   • Select the desired phone number from the list.
   • Click Set as default in the top action bar.
   • Choose whether this number serves as the default Toll number or Toll-free number.
5. Click Save. This default number will now be prominently listed at the top of all new Teams meeting invites.

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Step 3: Customising Meeting Invitation Footers

You can customise the dial-in footer text and add company-specific help links to all outgoing calendar invitations:

1. In the Microsoft Teams admin center, navigate to Meetings > Meeting settings.
2. Scroll down to the Email invitation section.
3. Configure your corporate branding details:
   • Logo URL: Enter the direct URL to your company logo (PNG or JPEG, maximum 188×30 pixels).
   • Legal URL: Link to your legal disclaimers or terms of use.
   • Help URL: Link to internal IT support or dial-in troubleshooting documentation.
   • Footer: Enter custom disclaimer text (e.g., “Standard mobile call charges apply.”).
4. Click Save.

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Step 4: Viewing and Resetting the Organizer Audio Conferencing PIN

Meeting organizers need an Audio Conferencing PIN in two specific situations: when starting a meeting over the phone before anyone joins via the Teams app, or when joining as an organizer from a phone to admit attendees waiting in the lobby.

Method A: User Self-Service Reset

Individual organizers can view and reset their PIN directly without contacting IT support:

1. Visit the Microsoft Teams Dial-in Portal at https://dialin.teams.microsoft.com.
2. Sign in with your corporate Microsoft 365 credentials.
3. Click Reset PIN. A new numerical PIN will be generated and displayed immediately on screen.

Method B: Administrator Reset via Teams Admin Center

If an organizer forgets their PIN or gets locked out:

1. In the Teams admin center, navigate to Users > Manage users.
2. Select the target user from the directory.
3. Click the Account tab and scroll down to the Audio Conferencing panel.
4. Click Reset PIN.
5. Select whether to have the new PIN emailed automatically to the user or displayed on screen for verbal communication.

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Step 5: Managing Bridge In-Call Controls and Settings

Administrators can configure automated entry/exit notifications and security prompts for phone participants:

1. In the Teams admin center, navigate to Voice > Conference bridges.
2. Click Bridge settings at the top of the window.
3. Configure operational parameters:
   • Meeting entry/exit notifications: Choose between Names or phone numbers, Tone, or Off. Selecting “Tone” plays a gentle chime when someone dials in or hangs up, preventing disruptive voice announcements during executive presentations.
   • Ask callers to record their name: Toggle On or Off. When On, phone callers speak their name before entering, which is announced to the room.
   • PIN length: Adjust the required numerical PIN length (default: 5 digits; configurable from 4 to 12 digits for enhanced security).
4. Click Save.

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Audio Conferencing DTMF In-Call Commands

When participating in a Microsoft Teams meeting via standard telephone dial-in, attendees and organizers control their call status using touch-tone (DTMF) keypad commands:

Keypad Command	Operational Role	Permitted Users
*1	Plays a spoken menu of all available telephone commands.	All Participants
*6	Mutes or unmutes your microphone.	All Participants
*21	Admits all attendees currently waiting in the meeting lobby.	Organizer Only (PIN Required)
*22	Mutes all other participants in the meeting room.	Organizer Only (PIN Required)
*23	Locks or unlocks the meeting to prevent new entries.	Organizer Only (PIN Required)

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Troubleshooting Audio Conferencing Issues

Issue	Underlying Cause	Recommended Action
No dial-in details appear in meeting invites	License not assigned or cache delay	Verify the Audio Conferencing license is active on the user’s account. Allow up to 24 hours for global exchange calendar propagation.
Callers stuck in lobby indefinitely	Lobby bypass policy requires authenticated host	The organizer must join via the Teams app or dial in using their organizer PIN to admit callers. Alternatively, adjust the meeting lobby policy to allow phone callers to bypass the lobby.
“Conference ID not recognized” audio error	Typo in keypad entry or expired recurring series	Confirm the caller entered the exact 9-digit Conference ID followed by #. If the meeting was deleted from Outlook, generate a fresh invitation.