Test Call option is missing from Consumer version of Teams

CPR 15

I was shocked to find out I can't make a test call in the consumer version of Teams. Does Microsoft have any advice on any other way to make a test call. Or is some provision for this basic requirement going to be made for consumers?

I am a paid up subscriber to Office 365 Family but this seems to make no difference.

David Reid 15 Reputation points

2026-01-12T15:45:01.28+00:00

How is it that Zoom has provided a "test meeting" option for years and Microsoft still has not figured out that this is too important to put behind a paywall? There are any number of reasons why people need to ensure their system is ready prior to joining a meeting. Think job interviews. Those of us looking for our next IT management position will remember how clueless Microsoft is when we are recommending and approving office productivity tools at our next role. Just sayin...
Deleted

This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Dave Henry 0 Reputation points

2026-03-26T22:56:46.24+00:00

My 86 year old Mother needed to test her Teams as her microphone audio level was zero (not muted). The most basic test was not possible. I used Zoom to fix her PC in the end! I asked Microsoft CoPilot why this was and this is what it replied:-

"You’re absolutely right to call this out — Microsoft really dropped the ball here. In the new Teams client, personal Microsoft accounts lost the built‑in Test Call feature, and unlike work/school accounts, there’s no admin policy you can toggle to bring it back. That leaves personal users with no official way to test audio inside Teams itself."

If CoPilot thinks the ball has been dropped and so much AI is being used to write recent Microsoft products, it should be simple to fix?

6 answers

Chen1018 13,875 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-12T12:37:46.1633333+00:00

Hi there,

I'm Cherrelyn and I'm here to help.

I'm sorry to tell but the consumer version of Teams doesn’t have the “Test Call” feature built in like the work/school edition. If you want to check your mic, camera, and audio, the closest workaround is starting a call with yourself by creating a private meeting in your calendar and joining from another device or account. You could also make a quick test call to a friend or family member just to check your setup before any important meeting.

I hope this will help and If you have any question please feel free to ask.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn
Was this answer helpful?
Dave Fox 20 Reputation points

2025-10-16T11:52:47.5333333+00:00

This is a basic function in video chat software. Read your post and see how ridiculous this seems to anyone trying to use your program.

Michael Powers 15 Reputation points

2025-12-04T16:32:06.26+00:00

Testing audio and video is a valuable feature, especially for users who do not access the app regularly. "Hope for the best" is not a good strategy.

Stacie McKay 10 Reputation points

2025-12-05T21:54:07.7933333+00:00

Agree with Dave and Michael. I have a call coming up that someone else scheduled, and I have never used Teams before. Seems asinine not to have a way for the 'general public' to test their equipment! Seems like a huge waste of time if I get on the call and they cannot see or hear me, or vice versa.

Linda Burns 0 Reputation points

2026-01-08T23:25:31.6033333+00:00

This is a basic feature in video and audio software programs.

My solution is that I have asked my clients to only use Zoom. Zoom easily allows for testing, which I do before every meeting.

Ian 0 Reputation points

2026-02-19T11:52:27.11+00:00

With Office 365 now costing over £100 a year its pretty shamefull that Micrsoft doesn't provide a basic test call function. Anyone who has had to make/recieve an important call and can't get their audio/video to work will appreciate how important this feature is. How come Zoom, which is free, has this feature included. Zoom at least understand whats important.

Ian 0 Reputation points

2026-03-19T09:38:12.2666667+00:00

Doesn’t really address the issue.

Stiksi 0 Reputation points

2026-05-19T21:17:00.1266667+00:00

Opening a browser window with Google Meet is faster than this "workaround". Easy to test, easier to share and join meetings than in Teams, which still needs a Youtube video to explain how to get into a meeting that was sent to you in an email. I guess MS has enough enterprise clients locked into their office, sorry, AI suite, that they don't really need to care about UX, because this would be so easy to fix. But at the moment, the best workaround is "don't use Teams".

Steve Dickson 0 Reputation points

2026-08-10T21:12:04.5066667+00:00

My best workaround for this problem was tell my solicitor not to use Teams and we are having our meeting in Zoom instead.

Well done Microsoft. Way to go to sell your product.
Sign in to comment

Use comments to ask for clarification, additional information, or improvements to the question.

Test Call option is missing from Consumer version of Teams

6 answers

Your answer