What is a waiting room in video meetings?
A waiting room in a video meeting holds people who open the meeting link in a separate lobby until a host lets them in, so nobody can walk into a meeting uninvited.
A virtual waiting room is the online version of a reception desk: the link gets you to the door, not into the room.
How a meeting waiting room works
When someone joins, they see a holding screen while the host sees their name in a list. The host can admit participants one at a time or all at once, or turn them away. Some hosts let known colleagues straight in and hold only guests.
Waiting room vs passcode
A passcode stops people who do not have it; a waiting room stops people the host does not recognise, even if they have the link and the passcode. They work well together: the passcode filters out stray links, and the waiting room lets the host check each person.
A waiting room for client meetings
Back-to-back client calls in a personal meeting room are the classic case: without a waiting room, the next client can join while the previous call is still going. With one, each person waits until the host is ready. Arkenso Meet lets hosts and co-hosts admit people from the waiting room, mute, remove, lock the meeting or end it for everyone.
Last reviewed 2026-11-01.