How to enable, create and use Virtual Breakout Rooms in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft will be rolling out its most anticipated feature "Breakout Rooms" for its Microsoft 365 Tenants and plan to complete it by November 2020, which is delayed delivery earlier planned for October 2020.

Microsoft 365 Roadmap - Virtual Breakout Rooms 65332
Introduce breakout room functionality - UserVoice

Microsoft Teams - Virtual Breakout Rooms (Feature ID: 65332)

Meeting hosts can create breakout rooms to be used by meeting participants for smaller group discussion. They can assign participants to a room and call them back to the larger group when the breakout is complete. We anticipate delivering this feature no later than early Q4.

Tags: Microsoft Teams, GCC, Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), General Availability

Where breakout rooms are useful ?

Corporate Meetings - Meeting organizers can create virtual breakout rooms so they can split and assign participants to smaller groups for focused discussions and come back to the main room when done.

Teams for education - Teachers can create virtual breakout rooms so students can work within their smaller groups on a discussion or assignment, then easily be called back to the larger group.

Board Meetings - Host can create mini meeting rooms adding board members to relevant committee discussions and come back with their conclusion on a topic.

Human Resources - HR can create smaller brainstorming breakouts and split employees to brainstorm together and work on the given task together, and later return to the main room.

What is required to use breakout rooms ?

1. Teams Admin needs to enable the required settings from Teams Admin Center.
2. You need to be the Meeting Organizer. Presenters and attendees cannot provision yet.
3. Works only with Teams Desktop Cleint App, not supported for Teams Mobile or Web app for now.
4. Works only with the new Teams meeting experience.
5. Be meeting organizer to record meetings, participants cannot.

Features of breakout rooms ?

1. Works for organizational and external users.
2. Create up to 50 rooms.
3. Add upto 10 participants per room.
4. Assign and organize participants manually or automatically.
5. Start, open/close rooms.
6. Move participants between rooms.
7. Reopen rooms.
8. Record, share files, sue whiteboars, capture notes, download attendance.