If you're paying for a separate webinar platform, it's worth checking what you're already getting from Microsoft 365.
You may be using a webinar tool like Zoom for online events, lead generation, training sessions and customer presentations, while already holding licences that include webinar functionality in Microsoft Teams.
Many people think that Teams can only handle meetings, but in reality, Teams webinars are actually pretty slick these days. They include registration pages, attendee management, presenter controls and post-event reporting, making them a practical option for many organisations running regular online events.
If you're already invested in Microsoft 365, there's a good chance you have everything (or at least most of) you need to get started.
One of the most common mistakes is choosing the wrong event type. Microsoft Teams offers three options, each designed for different situations.
If you're running an internal project meeting, workshop or client discussion, this is usually the right choice.
Webinars are designed for presentations and organised events. Attendees register in advance, presenters have dedicated roles, and organisers receive attendance data once the event has finished.
This is typically the best option for:
If registration is important, a webinar is usually the correct format.
Town halls are designed for large-scale broadcasts with tighter audience controls. They work well for company-wide announcements or leadership updates but are often unnecessary for smaller events.
For most organisations running marketing, training or customer-facing sessions, the webinar option will be the best fit.
Imagine you're running a monthly briefing for customers and prospects.
Traditionally, somebody might:
With a Teams webinar, you can automate a lot of that. Attendees register through a dedicated page, receive confirmations automatically, join using a unique event link, and produce attendance data as a by-product of attending.
Rather than spending time administering the event, your team can focus on creating valuable content and engaging with attendees.
Before promoting an event, it's worth understanding exactly which webinar features are available within your Microsoft 365 environment.
Microsoft significantly reworked feature entitlement in April 2026 meaning that much of what is currently written online is out of date and inaccurate.
Basic webinar functionality is widely available in Business Premium, but more advanced capabilities are locked within add-on licensing. Branding features are now largely available only through Teams Premium, and advanced controls are only available through Teams Enterprise.
That said.... if you had entitlement to these features before April 2026 then you have been grandfathered into keeping those with your current licence. The changes only apply to people getting new licences and looking for entitlement. Complicated huh?
We've put together a comparison table below to help quickly figure out which licence is appropriate for what you want to do.
| Webinar Feature | Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Teams Premium Add-on | Teams Enterprise Add-on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule and host webinars | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Registration page for attendee sign-up | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom registration questions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Registration reporting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email confirmations to registrants | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Attendance reporting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Presenter roles and permissions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Manage attendee audio permissions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Manage attendee camera permissions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Allow or block attendee screen sharing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Meeting chat controls | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Q&A moderation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recording and transcript creation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Share recording with attendees after the webinar | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Webinar branding (organisation colours, logos, themes) | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Green room for presenters | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced registration management (waitlists, manual approval, registration windows) | ✕ | ✕* | ✓ |
| Hide attendees from each other (Hide attendee names) | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Large-scale advanced event capabilities | ✕ | ✕ |
✓ |
* Following Microsoft's April 2026 licensing change, advanced Teams Events capabilities moved from Teams Premium to Teams Enterprise licensing. Teams Premium now focuses on branding, protection, intelligence, and advanced communication features, while advanced webinar/event capabilities are tied to Enterprise licences.
Now you have figured that mess out, let's look at how to actually go about putting your webinar together.
Creating a webinar is relatively straightforward.
Open the Teams Calendar.
In Microsoft Teams, navigate to Calendar and select the Create Event button at the top right
Create a Webinar.
Select Webinar.
Complete the Event Details.
Add:
Save the webinar.
Once the core details are complete, save the event and move on to the registration page.
One question tends to come up in almost every webinar project: can attendees see each other? Many people assume webinar attendees can't see each other and historically, that wasn't always true in Teams webinars, which caused concern for organisations running customer, membership, healthcare, legal or commercial events.
If you're running customer events, professional services webinars or member-only sessions, privacy is often an important consideration.
Microsoft Teams includes a Hide attendee names setting that prevents attendees from seeing the identities of other attendees while still allowing organisers and presenters to manage the event normally.
You'll find this under Meeting Options when setting up the webinar. It's worth checking before publishing your registration page, as attendee privacy expectations can vary significantly depending on the audience.
If you're running larger or more controlled events, Teams also includes options for managing exactly what attendees can see on screen, although availability varies depending on your licensing and tenant configuration.
This is where webinars start to feel different from standard Teams meetings. Microsoft automatically generates a registration page that you can customise with:
It is worth spending a bit of time here. For many attendees, this page forms their first impression of your organisation and event. A common mistake is asking for too much information, for example every additional form field creates friction. So, unless there's a clear business reason, keep registration simple. For most events, collecting a name, email and company name is more than enough. If you need additional information, ask for it deliberately and only if you know how you'll use it afterwards.
Once everything looks right, publish the registration page and share the registration link. Attendees will automatically receive confirmation emails and calendar invitations when they register.
A little preparation goes a long way. Aim to join at least ten minutes before the official start time and encourage presenters to do the same. You can then use this time to check audio and video and do any test presenting just to ensure everyone is comfortable before the Webinar is live.
One practical recommendation is to assign somebody separate from the main presenter to monitor chat and Q&A activity. Presenting and moderating at the same time is surprisingly difficult, especially once audience numbers grow.
If you're recording the session, remember to make attendees aware at the beginning.
Many organisations focus heavily on running a successful event and then overlook the most valuable information generated afterwards.
Teams provides reporting that shows:
This data can be incredibly useful. Someone who registered but couldn't attend has already expressed an interest in the topic, so knowing this means you can send them the recording.
Someone who stayed engaged throughout the entire session may be a much stronger prospect than somebody who dropped out after ten minutes.
The webinar itself creates the opportunity and the follow-up is where much of the value is realised.
If you are already paying for Microsoft 365, there is a good chance you are also paying for the webinar capability. The question isn't necessarily whether Teams can support your events, but whether you are making full use of the tools and licensing you already have.
If you are currently running webinars through a separate platform and would like to understand if Teams can replace it, it's worth reviewing your licensing and event requirements. We can help you identify which webinar features are available for you, compare them to your existing set up and determine whether you are paying for tools you simply no longer need.
Sometimes it's a quick conversation, often it is a very easy cost saving.