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Microsoft Places can help optimize resource utilization by providing an integrated check in and autorelease experience with Teams devices for your desks and rooms respectively.
The check in and autorelease features work together to ensure efficient use of shared spaces.
When autorelease is enabled, users who have reserved a room, desk, or desk pool, can check in using various methods. If no one checks in within a configurable time window, the space releases automatically and becomes available for others to book.
Enabling rooms for autorelease
Autorelease can be enabled in four different ways:
- Exchange PowerShell
- Microsoft Places management portal
- Microsoft Teams admin center
- Microsoft Teams panel device
Enable Autorelease for Rooms Using Exchange PowerShell
Use the Set-CalendarProcessing Exchange PowerShell cmdlet to enable or modify autorelease for a room.
For example, here's how to enable autorelease for a conference room named Conference Room 1132:
Set-CalendarProcessing -Identity "Conference Room 1132" -EnableAutoRelease $true
The default policy is 10 minutes. For meetings in low demand areas, you can specify a more lenient policy, expressed in minutes, like this:
Set-CalendarProcessing -Identity "Conference Room 1132" -EnableAutoRelease $true -PostReservationMaxClaimTimeInMinutes 20
In this example, the room is automatically released if no usage is detected within 20 minutes of the meeting start time.
Enable Autorelease for Rooms Using Microsoft Places management portal
You can set up autorelease via Places management portal. Go to the room you want to configure, select Reservation Settings, and update the policy as needed.
Enable Autorelease for Rooms Using Microsoft Teams admin center
You can configure autorelease via the Teams admin center. Navigate to Teams devices > Panels > Configuration profiles > Add or Edit > Meeting settings > turn on Release room if no one checks in and set Release after. Then assign the configuration profile to a Teams panel.
For more information, see Manage devices in Microsoft Teams.
Enable Autorelease for Rooms Using Teams panel device
You can configure autorelease directly on a Teams panel device. Sign in using your admin credentials and navigate to Settings > Device settings > Teams Admin Settings > Meetings > turn on Release room if no one checks in and set Release after.
Teams panels must be on application version 1449/1.0.97.2024061108 or later.
For more information, see check in and autorelease on Teams panels.
Note
- It can take up to 48 hours for changes to autorelease settings to take effect. For this reason, we recommend adjusting autorelease before the weekend, or when no meetings are scheduled for the next 48 hours.
Eligibility and limitations for room autorelease
Users with a Teams Premium license can check in and use autorelease with any room.
In addition, any user can check in and use autorelease for rooms configured with Teams Rooms Standard, Teams Rooms Premium, Teams Rooms Pro, or Teams Shared Device licenses.
Note
You can enable autorelease for any room in your organization. However, we recommend restricting this feature to rooms with Teams panels or Microsoft Teams Rooms devices, to ensure that all users have a way to check in.
Room check in and autorelease experience
Meeting attendees have multiple options to check in and prevent the room from being automatically released:
Check in on a Teams panel.
Check in on a Microsoft Teams Room touchscreen console.
Check in via Teams chat.
Check in on a Teams panel
Any meeting participant can check in through a Teams panel. To learn more about Teams panels, see Overview of Microsoft Teams panels.
Teams panels must be on application version 1449/1.0.97.2024061108 or later to support check ins.
Check in on a Microsoft Teams Rooms device
Joining a meeting via the Microsoft Teams Rooms touchscreen console checks you in.
Check in via Teams chat
Meeting organizer and attendees can check in through the Teams meeting chat. Here's the experience:
Once someone checks into the room, a confirmation appears in the meeting chat:
If no one checks in, meeting participants see a message that the room is released.:
Important
Check-in notifications in the Teams meeting chat appear only after at least one meeting participant opens the chat thread. This is a known limitation which will be resolved in an upcoming update.
Enabling desks or desk pools for autorelease
Autorelease can be enabled in two different ways:
- Exchange PowerShell
- Places management portal
Enable Autorelease for Desks and Desk Pools Using Exchange PowerShell
Use the Set-CalendarProcessing Exchange PowerShell cmdlet to enable or modify autorelease for a desk or a desk-pool.
For example, here's how to enable autorelease for a conference room named Desk1234 with attached mailbox desk1234@contoso.com:
Set-CalendarProcessing -Identity "desk1234@contoso.com" -EnableAutoRelease $true
The default policy is 10 minutes. For desks in low demand areas, you can specify a more lenient policy, expressed in minutes, like this:
Set-CalendarProcessing -Identity "desk1234@contoso.com" -EnableAutoRelease $true -PostReservationMaxClaimTimeInMinutes 60
In this example, the desk or desk-pool is automatically released if no usage is detected within 60 minutes of the booking start time.
Enable Autorelease for Desks and Desk Pools Using Microsoft Places management portal
You can set up auto release via Places management portal. Go to the desk or desk pool you want to configure, select Reservation Settings, and update the policy as needed.
Note
It can take up to 48 hours for changes to autorelease settings to take effect. For this reason, we recommend adjusting autorelease before the weekend, or when no reservations are scheduled for the next 48 hours.
Eligibility and limitations for desk and desk pool autorelease
A user must have Teams Premium in order to check in to their desk or desk pool reservation. There's no license requirement on the desk or desk pool to enable this feature. Ensure that your users reserving the individual desk or desk in a desk pool have the necessary license to check in.
Desk check in and autorelease experience
Users have multiple options to check in and prevent the desk from being automatically released:
- Check in by plugging their laptop to a desk peripheral.
- Check in to the building where they have a desk reservation.
- Check in through email.
Check in by plugging their laptop to a desk peripheral
When an admin links their desk peripherals to the desk or desk pool resource account, users can seamlessly check into their reservation by plugging in to the desk peripheral. Upon plug-in, user receives a notification that they have checked-in and are all set for their reservation.
Check in to the building where they have a desk reservation
When a user checks into the building where they have a desk reservation, they are also checked in for their desk reservation. Users can check into the building by clicking the check-in button in the Places app, setting their work location in Teams, or automatically through connection to Wi-Fi or a peripheral.
Check in through email
Fifteen minutes before the desk is autoreleased, the user will receive an email to check in if they have not checked-in through either of the above methods.
Frequently asked questions
Does this feature support on-premises mailboxes?
No, this feature is only available for rooms, desks and desk pools backed by a mailbox in Exchange Online. To learn more about how to manage mailboxes, see Manage resource mailboxes in Exchange Online.
My users aren't able to check in via Teams chat
The check in experience in Teams meeting chat is hosted in Outlook Web Access (OWA). Make sure that Outlook Web App is enabled for users who need to check in via Teams chat. See here for details.
How does this feature work with Microsoft Teams' check in and room release?
Microsoft Places enhances check in and room release features for Teams Panels to reflect room usage and prevent automatic release. Places analytics show insights on booked rooms that are released due to no check-in.
When will rooms be released?
When a meeting room is reserved for a meeting, the attendees have a set period of time to check in to the room. If no one checks in, the meeting organizer receives an email notification informing them that the room has been released and made available for others to reserve.
Is the meeting organizer required to check in?
No. Anyone physically present in the meeting room, or who has access to the Teams meeting chat, can check in. Only one person needs to check in.
Is this feature supported in any of the special cloud environments?
Autorelease is currently supported in the Government Community Cloud (GCC).
Does this feature work for both desks and desk pools?
Yes, it does. If the user reserves an individual desk or a desk in a desk pool and doesn't check in within the allotted time, their reservation is canceled, so others can reserve that desk.
When does a desk get released?
When a user reserves a desk or a desk in a desk pool, they have a set time to check in. This time is configurable by the admin. If the user does not check in, they receive an email notification that the desk is released and available for others to book.
Which desk modes support this feature?
This feature is supported for reservable desks. Drop-in, assigned, and unavailable desks don't support this feature.
Are there times when the user is automatically checked into a desk?
Yes. If the user is automatically reserved upon plug-in to a linked peripheral, they'll also be automatically checked in.