Outlook Does Not Display the Join Button for Custom Meeting URLs in Calendar Events

Question

Outlook Does Not Display the Join Button for Custom Meeting URLs in Calendar Events

Samuel JN 66

We are facing an issue when inserting custom meeting URLs into Microsoft Calendar events. The Join button is not displayed in Outlook, preventing users from joining meetings directly from their calendar events.

We have investigated the following scenarios:

When the meeting URL is added to the Description/Notes field, Outlook recognizes certain meeting providers, such as Zoom and GoTo Meeting, and displays the Join button.
However, the Join button is not displayed for our custom meeting URLs.
When the meeting URL is added to the Location field, Outlook does not display the Join button

Clarifications Required:

Why does Outlook display the Join button for certain meeting providers but not for custom meeting URLs?
Is this behavior expected, or is there a supported way to resolve this issue?
Can an Outlook add-in enable the Join button for custom meeting URLs? If so, what are the applicable limitations or prerequisites?
Is there a recommended approach or supported API to ensure that custom meeting URLs are recognized by Outlook?

A sample screenshot is attached for reference.
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Answer 1

Hi Samuel,

What you're seeing is generally expected behavior. Outlook does not display the Join button simply because a URL is present in the meeting body, notes, or location field.

The Join experience is tied to Outlook's online meeting provider framework. Microsoft Teams and supported third-party providers (such as Zoom, Webex, GoTo, etc.) integrate with Outlook through supported add-ins and APIs that identify the meeting as an online meeting provider event. A custom URL by itself does not identify the event as an Outlook-supported online meeting provider, so Outlook usually renders it only as a clickable hyperlink.

You can find the list of default online meeting provider here: Make every meeting online | Microsoft Suppor
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Currently, the supported method is building an online-meeting provider add-in and register your meeting template with Microsoft.

An add-in can enable the Join button, however it comes with multiple conditions:

The add-in must be published through Microsoft AppSource. Line-of-business (LOB) add-ins are not supported for the Outlook Join and Chat experiences.
After publishing, the provider must register with Microsoft by submitting the add-in's Asset ID and meeting-body identifier through the Microsoft onboarding process.
The Join button is supported in Outlook on the web, new Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, iOS, and Android, but not in classic Outlook for Windows.
The add-in must be admin-deployed. User-installed add-ins do not participate in the online meeting provider experience.
This capability is intended only for online meeting service providers and is subject to platform-specific requirements, including time limits for updating meeting details.
Add-ins using the unified manifest are not supported on Mac and mobile clients. To support those platforms, a separate add-in-only manifest may be required.

For more information and guidance on how to create an Outlook add-in for an online meeting provider, please consult: Create an Outlook add-in for an online-meeting provider - Office Add-ins | Microsoft Learn

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