While it can be convenient to have all communications using a single platform, let’s be honest: you’re going to have to accommodate users from other platforms. But you don’t want to jump through so many hoops to get everyone on the same call. You want the simplest method for joining calls, no matter what platform people are using.
When it comes to video conferencing, Microsoft, Zoom, and Cisco have co-developed a solution: Direct Guest Join.
Direct Guest Join is a WebRTC-based solution for Microsoft Teams, Zoom Rooms, and Cisco Webex that allows one-touch meeting join and join by ID connection from Zoom or Webex to Microsoft Teams and vice versa.
In other words, you can directly join a Teams meeting from Zoom or a Zoom call from Teams with the click of a button or a tap on your touch console. And the same applies to Webex.
In this blog, we clearly explain what Direct Guest Join is and what the benefits of Direct Guest Join are. All information in this blog is current as of January 2025.
Let’s get into it!
What Is Direct Guest Join?
Direct Guest Join is a collaborative WebRTC-based solution for cross-platform video. It works with Microsoft Teams, Zoom Rooms, and Cisco Webex.
Cross-platform friction is a serious pain-point for users. If you’ve ever experienced an Android user joining an iOS chat, you know the dreaded appearance of the green bubble.
This pain is alleviated by Direct Guest Join.
The idea behind Direct Guest Join is to make it as easy as possible for users of Zoom or Webex to join Microsoft Teams calls and the same in the opposite direction. In fact, Direct Guest Join makes it equally as easy for Teams users to join Zoom calls as it is for Teams users to join Teams calls. And with Direct Guest Join you don’t need additional licensing or infrastructure.
Pretty nice, eh?
Between Microsoft Teams and Zoom, you can have a Join Button or Join by ID. Between Teams, Zoom, and Webex, you can only have a Join Button. Before you’ll be able to use it, admins on both platforms will have to enable Direct Guest Join in the backend. The feature might be labelled “Allow joining third party meetings” in the backend or something similar, and not specifically “Direct Guest Join.”
Once enabled, you can create the meeting normally in Outlook or your Teams, Zoom, or Webex calendar, just like you would for a meeting with users of the same platform. The invite will appear in the other user’s calendar and look essentially the same as an intra-platform invite. For example, if you’re using a touch console to control a video conferencing system, the meeting will appear in the schedule with a single button for joining the meeting. Tap, and you’re in.
When you join, you not only become a participant in the video call, but you might be able to receive content, view PowerPoint Live content, see the participant list, view the chat, be part of breakout rooms, see microphone mute status, and more. You can set a passcode to protect the meeting.
Many hardware companies are incorporating the solution, including Cisco, Poly, Logitech, Yealink, and Neat. It works with both Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android and Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows. For Zoom Rooms with Microsoft Direct Guest Join, it can be used on Android, Windows, or macOS devices. Cisco supports it on devices in the Board, Room, and Desk series.
Compatibility can be dependent on hardware and operating system, so always check before purchase if this is a feature that you want to use.
While you do get to join the meeting, there are limitations to Direct Guest Join. We’re not going to list every feature you do or don’t get here, but here are a couple limitations to know about. Your video resolution is capped at 720p HD. You can’t send content via HDMI or via a content camera (i.e., using a camera with a physical whiteboard). You can’t have dual displays. You can’t annotate content or view the meeting transcript.
For a complete list of what features are available via Direct Guest Join for Microsoft Teams, check out “Third-party meetings on Teams Rooms” (external link) on the Microsoft Teams Learn site.
To finish, a little background: WebRTC is an open web standard for video communications in a browser, as well as native clients on major platforms. It’s essentially an open library of code for establishing high-quality video conferencing. In this case, it is contrasted with using SIP for video calls.
Microsoft Teams has another, similar third-party join solution for SIP-based systems called Cross-Platform Meetings via SIP, which works with many platforms, including Amazon Chime, Google Meet, GoToMeeting, RingCentral, and more. This is not the same thing as Direct Guest Join. If both a WebRTC and SIP connection are established with another platform, the SIP connection automatically takes priority.