Question:

How can I prevent the Teams Meeting Room Add-in from disappearing in Outlook Desktop on a non-persistent VDI pool?

I have deployed the Teams Meeting Room Add-in to a non-persistent VDI pool, but it seems to be missing after updating to the new Teams version. The Microsoft support article (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/teams-meeting-add-in-is-missing-in-outlook-desktop-after-updating-to-new-teams-f1dfc3e7-8f48-4320-823b-e13a5aca60c3) does not provide a solution for this scenario. Is there a way to fix this issue on the Link Parent/Golden Image?

Thank you for your help.

Answer:

If you are using the Teams Meeting Room Add-in (TMA) to schedule Teams meetings from Outlook Desktop on a non-persistent virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) pool, you might encounter an issue where the add-in disappears after updating to the new Teams version. This can be frustrating and inconvenient, especially if you rely on the add-in for your daily work. In this article, I will explain why this issue occurs and how you can fix it on the Link Parent/Golden Image.

Why does the Teams Meeting Room Add-in disappear on non-persistent VDI pool?

The Teams Meeting Room Add-in is a component of the Teams desktop app that is installed as a separate MSI package (MicrosoftTeamsMeetingAddinInstaller.msi). The add-in integrates with Outlook Desktop and allows you to create and join Teams meetings from your Outlook calendar. However, the add-in is not compatible with the new Teams version that is delivered as an MSIX package (MicrosoftTeams.msix). The new Teams version is optimized for virtualized environments and offers better performance, stability, and security. However, it does not include the add-in as part of the package, and it does not support the installation of the add-in as a separate MSI package.

This means that if you update to the new Teams version on a non-persistent VDI pool, the add-in will be removed from the Outlook Desktop and you will not be able to reinstall it. This is because the new Teams version does not allow any modifications to the MSIX package, and the add-in requires registry changes and file system access that are not permitted by the MSIX package. Therefore, the add-in installation will fail and the add-in will not be registered with Outlook Desktop.

How can I fix the Teams Meeting Room Add-in issue on non-persistent VDI pool?

The solution to this issue is to install the add-in on the Link Parent/Golden Image of the non-persistent VDI pool. The Link Parent/Golden Image is the master image that is used to create the virtual machines (VMs) in the VDI pool. By installing the add-in on the Link Parent/Golden Image, you can ensure that the add-in is available on every VM that is created from the image. This way, you can avoid the issue of the add-in disappearing after updating to the new Teams version.

To install the add-in on the Link Parent/Golden Image, you need to follow these steps:

1. Download the Teams Meeting Room Add-in MSI package from [here].

2. On the Link Parent/Golden Image, open an elevated command prompt and run the following command: `msiexec /i MicrosoftTeamsMeetingAddinInstaller.msi ALLUSERS=1`

3. Restart the Outlook Desktop and verify that the add-in is enabled in the Outlook options.

4. Update the Link Parent/Golden Image and deploy it to the non-persistent VDI pool.

After completing these steps, you should be able to use the Teams Meeting Room Add-in on the non-persistent VDI pool without any issues. You can create and join Teams meetings from your Outlook calendar and enjoy the benefits of the new Teams version.

Conclusion

The Teams Meeting Room Add-in is a useful feature that allows you to schedule Teams meetings from Outlook Desktop on a non-persistent VDI pool. However, the add-in is not compatible with the new Teams version that is delivered as an MSIX package. To fix this issue, you need to install the add-in on the Link Parent/Golden Image of the VDI pool and update the image. This way, you can ensure that the add-in is available on every VM that is created from the image. I hope this article has helped you to solve the Teams Meeting Room Add-in issue on non-persistent VDI pool. If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know in the comments below. Thank you for reading.