The meeting starts in three minutes and Teams cannot hear the user, or nobody can see them. This ticket is urgent and, luckily, usually quick. The cause is nearly always one of five things, and you can check all of them in the time it takes the meeting to start.
Work the list in order. Device selection first, then Windows privacy, then the dock or headset, then drivers and the client. Skip a step and you will be back here after the meeting.
Check which device Teams is actually using
In Teams go to Settings > Devices. Look at Speaker, Microphone and Camera. The most common cause of "no audio" is that Teams picked the laptop's built-in microphone while the user is wearing a headset, or picked a monitor's speakers that are not plugged into anything. Set each one explicitly, then click Make a test call. The test call plays your recording back and shows a live camera preview, which proves the device chain in one go.
In a meeting, the same options are behind the arrow next to the mic and camera buttons. Tell users about that menu; it is the quickest self-fix there is. Also check that the microphone is not muted on the headset itself, on the dock, or with a keyboard mute key with its own LED.
Windows privacy settings block more than people expect
Windows has a per-app permission system for the microphone and camera, and it applies to desktop apps as well as Store apps. Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Microphone access must be On at the top, Let apps access your microphone must be On, and lower down, Let desktop apps access your microphone must be On. Repeat under Camera. A group policy or a security baseline sometimes turns these off, and the symptom is that Teams shows the device but gets silence.
While you are there, check that no other app is holding the camera. A browser tab with a video meeting left open, or a second meeting client, grabs the camera exclusively and Teams reports it as not found.
Docks, USB hubs and Bluetooth headsets
Docking stations are the usual middleman. A headset or webcam plugged into a dock that lost power, or into an unpowered hub behind the dock, disappears and reappears at random. Plug the device directly into the laptop for a test. If it works there, update the dock firmware from the vendor's tool and use a powered port for the headset.
Bluetooth headsets have two audio profiles. The high-quality stereo profile has no microphone. When Teams uses the headset's microphone, Windows switches to the hands-free profile, which is where the microphone lives. If the user hears music quality audio but nobody hears them, Windows is stuck on the wrong profile. Remove and re-pair the headset, and make sure both Headset and Headphones entries appear in Sound settings. A wired headset or a USB dongle version avoids the whole issue for people who take a lot of calls.
Drivers, updates and the Teams client itself
Open Device Manager and look under Cameras, Audio inputs and outputs, and Sound, video and game controllers. A device with a warning icon, or a camera that is simply not listed, is a driver or hardware problem. Right-click and choose Uninstall device, then Scan for hardware changes. Update the audio and camera drivers from the laptop vendor's update tool rather than the generic Windows driver where the vendor provides one.
If devices work in other apps and not in Teams, the client is the suspect. Sign out and quit Teams completely from the system tray. For the new Teams, clear its cache by closing it and deleting the contents of the folder below, then start it again. For classic Teams the folder was under %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams. Also check that Teams is up to date under Settings > About, since audio device handling changes between builds.
- Quit Teams from the system tray icon, not just the window.
- Delete the contents of the cache folder below.
- Start Teams, sign in, and run a test call.
%localappdata%\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeamsPolicies, rooms and the things you cannot fix at the desk
If everything on the laptop checks out and the user still cannot use audio, look at the Teams admin center. A calling or meeting policy can disable audio devices, video, or screen sharing for a group. A Conditional Access policy that requires a compliant device can let Teams chat work while blocking media in odd ways. And in meeting rooms, the room system has its own device settings and firmware that no amount of laptop troubleshooting will fix.
Keep a short list of standard headsets and webcams that you have tested with Teams and your docks, and buy those. Random consumer devices are the source of a surprising share of these tickets. If you would like someone to standardise the meeting room and desk kit, RackLedge does that as part of managed IT.
Frequently asked questions
Others hear an echo when I talk. What is wrong?
Echo comes from your speakers feeding back into your microphone. Use a headset, or lower the speaker volume and make sure Teams is using the same device for both speaker and microphone so echo cancellation can work.
My camera works in the Windows Camera app but not in Teams. Why?
Another app probably has the camera open, or desktop app access to the camera is turned off in Privacy settings. Close browser tabs with meetings in them and check the privacy toggle.
Why does the microphone stop working after the laptop docks?
The dock's audio device becomes the default and Teams follows it. Set the headset explicitly in Teams > Settings > Devices, and update the dock firmware.
Takeaway
Device selection, Windows privacy toggles, the dock or headset, drivers, and the Teams cache. Check them in that order and you will fix most audio and camera tickets before the meeting starts. Standardise the headsets and webcams you buy and the ticket count drops further.