Virtual meetings and video conferencing are now the norm for workplaces, institutions and even social gatherings.

And apps like Microsoft Teams have proven to be nothing short of lifesavers. The Redmond giant’s remote meeting solution has seen an explosion in user numbers since the pandemic first hit, and with multiple users relying on it daily, the service has been ramping up its productivity features in recent months.

One of the features recently added to the service is Breakout rooms: an option that allows meeting hosts to create multiple subgroups from the main meeting, so that participants can communicate with others who have similar interests or expertise. In this post, we’ll explain what this feature is, what you need to make it work, and how to create and use them in Microsoft Teams.

When you are in a large meeting, you will struggle to get attention and have an open and meaningful discussion with others. The basic purpose of Breakout Rooms is to split a main group (large group) into multiple subgroups, so that all members of an organization with the same area of expertise can collaborate.