# Start or schedule a meeting

> Start a PlexiiMeet room now or schedule one for later, with guests, a place, an agenda, a repeat and an attached desk, all from the New meeting window.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/meet-start-or-schedule
Section: Communicate > Meetings
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

The **New meeting** window does two things. **Start now** opens a live PlexiiMeet room straight away and brings people into it. **Schedule** puts a meeting on your calendar for later, with a place and an agenda, and emails the invitations.

Use **Start now** for a quick call with whoever is around. Use **Schedule** for anything with a time: a weekly check-in, a client call, a meeting in a room.

Starting and scheduling meetings is part of every plan. Seeing and ringing teammates who are online needs the Team plan.

## Before you start

- **Allow your microphone and camera.** The first time you start a meeting, your computer may ask to let PlexiDesk use them. On a Mac, see [Allow microphone, camera and screen recording on a Mac](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mac-permissions).
- **To email invitations, connect a mailbox in Mail.** See [Connect your email account](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mail-connect-account).

## Open the New meeting window

Do any of these:

- In PlexiiMeet, click **Start or schedule a meeting** at the top right. See [PlexiiMeet: meetings](https://plexiidesk.com/help/meet-overview).
- On your Home dashboard, click the **New meeting** widget. See [New meeting widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/home-widget-new-meeting).

The window opens with **Start now** selected. To switch to **Schedule**, click it, or press `⌘` `M` on a Mac or `Ctrl` `M` on Windows.

## Start a meeting now

1. Type a title if you like. If you leave it blank, the meeting is named after the people you invite, or **Meeting**. A hint under the title shows the name it will get.
2. The time row shows today and **Now**. Click the end time to make the meeting longer, or hold `Shift` and click to make it shorter. It starts at 30 minutes.
3. Under **GUESTS**, add people (see below).
4. On the Team plan, teammates who are online appear under **Online now**. Click a name to ring them when the meeting starts. Its tooltip reads **Ring them when the meeting starts**. Click it again to take them off.
5. Click **Start now**, or press `Enter`. With people added, the button reads **Start & invite** and the number of people.

The meeting room opens at once. Teammates you chose to ring see an invitation in PlexiDesk, and everyone else is emailed the join link. See [Meeting invitations and joining](https://plexiidesk.com/help/meet-invites-and-joining) and [In a meeting](https://plexiidesk.com/help/meet-in-a-meeting).

## Schedule a meeting

1. Click **Schedule** at the top of the window.
2. Type a title, or leave it blank to use the one suggested: the attached desk's name, the people you invite, or **Meeting**.
3. Set the time:
   - Click the date to pick a day, and the start time to change it. The window suggests the next half hour.
   - Click the end time to make the meeting longer, or `Shift`-click to make it shorter.
   - To repeat it, click **Repeat** and choose **Daily**, **Weekly** or **Monthly**. Choose **Don't repeat** to take that off.
4. Under **GUESTS**, add people (see below).
5. Under **WHERE**, choose:
   - **Plexii Meet** for a PlexiiMeet room.
   - **Paste link** to paste a Google Meet, Zoom or Teams link.
   - **In person** to type an address, a room or where to meet.
   - **None** for no place.
6. Under **AGENDA**, write what the meeting needs to settle, if you like. It is shown in the room when you join from the calendar.
7. To link the meeting to a desk, click **Attach a desk or work item**, type in **Find a desk** and click the desk. A **Staged** label shows the desk can be prepared before the meeting starts. Click the desk's name again to detach it.
8. Click **Schedule meeting**, or press `Enter`. With guests added, the button reads **Schedule & invite** and the number of people.

The window confirms **Meeting scheduled. It is on your calendar with a Join button.**, adds how the invitations went, and then closes. The meeting appears on your calendar as a meeting block. See [Book time and meetings on the calendar](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-book-time).

Every scheduled meeting has a PlexiiMeet room, even when you chose **Paste link** or **In person**, so anyone can still join remotely in PlexiDesk.

## Add guests

Under **GUESTS**:

- Type a name or an email address. People you have invited to meetings before are suggested as you type. In **Start now**, teammates who are online are suggested first.
- Press `Enter`, a comma or `Tab` to add the person you typed, or use `↑` and `↓` to pick a suggestion.
- Press `Backspace` in the empty box to remove the last person, or click the cross on a person to remove them.
- Rest the pointer on a guest to see the address that will be used.

Guests with an email address are emailed the invitation. Teammates added from **Online now** are rung in PlexiDesk.

## Keys in the New meeting window

| Key | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `Enter` | Starts or schedules the meeting. In **GUESTS** it adds the person you typed instead. |
| `⌘` `M` or `Ctrl` `M` | Switches between **Start now** and **Schedule**. |
| `Shift`-click the end time | Makes the meeting shorter. |
| `Esc` | Closes the window without starting or scheduling anything. |

## When something goes wrong

| The window says | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **Could not start the meeting. Check your microphone and camera permissions.** | Allow PlexiDesk to use your microphone and camera, then try again. |
| **Pick a valid date and time.** | Check the date and start time in **Schedule**. |
| **Connect a mailbox in Mail to email the invites. The join link is saved on the meeting.** | The meeting is set up, but no invitations were emailed. Connect a mailbox in Mail. |
| **Invited 2; could not email** and an address | Check the address that failed and send it the join link another way. |

## Common questions

**I do not see Online now.** It appears only with **Start now** selected, on the Team plan, when at least one teammate is online.

**Can I change a scheduled meeting?** Yes. Click the meeting's block on the calendar to open it with every detail, change what you need, and click **Save**. See [Book time and meetings on the calendar](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-book-time#change-a-booked-block).

**Can I schedule a meeting straight from the calendar?** Yes. Drag across a time on the calendar and choose **Meeting** in the **Book time** window.

**Can I start a meeting about a document I have open?** Yes, and you can choose what access attendees get to it. See [Start a meeting from a desk, document or chat](https://plexiidesk.com/help/meet-from-desk-or-document).

## Related tasks

- [PlexiiMeet: meetings](https://plexiidesk.com/help/meet-overview)
- [Meeting invitations and joining](https://plexiidesk.com/help/meet-invites-and-joining)
- [In a meeting](https://plexiidesk.com/help/meet-in-a-meeting)
- [Book time and meetings on the calendar](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-book-time)
- [New meeting widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/home-widget-new-meeting)