Hold option not available the second time on desktop app‎

Hi @John Gingerich, 

Good day and, thank you for the detailed report and for confirming the behavior is different on Android compared to desktop. 

From your description, you are able to place a caller on Hold once in the Teams desktop app, but after you Resume the call the Hold button becomes greyed out and cannot be used again during the same call. 

This situation typically arises when the desktop client fails to refresh the call state correctly after a call is resumed. Consequently, the interface may remain locked in a specific status because of a synchronization delay between the software and the connected audio hardware. As a result, the application incorrectly perceives the previous action as still being active, which causes the option for a second hold to become unavailable. 

Please follow the steps below, as they are some workarounds for this situation: 

1/ Disable "Sync Device Buttons" (HID Sync) 

The most common cause for grayed-out call controls after a state change is a synchronization conflict with your headset. If your headset (Jabra, Poly, etc.) thinks the call is in a transition state, it can "lock" the Hold button in the desktop UI. 

• In Teams, click the three dots (...) next to your profile picture and select Settings. 
• Go to Devices. 
• Scroll down to find Sync device buttons and toggle it OFF. 

• Note: You may lose the ability to answer/hang up using the physical buttons on your headset, but it often releases the software-side "Hold" button for repeated use. 

2/ Reset the Teams Desktop App 

Because the "New Teams" architecture is based on WebView2, the UI can occasionally get "stuck" in a specific state. A standard cache clear or app reset usually forces the UI to re-evaluate button availability. 

• Close Teams completely (ensure it is not running in the System Tray). 
• Go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps. 
• Search for Microsoft Teams, click the three dots, and select Advanced options. 
• Scroll down and click Reset. (This clears the local cache without deleting your messages). 
• Restart Teams and test a call. 

3/ Use "Consult then Transfer" 

If you are in a situation where the Hold button is grayed out and you urgently need to step away from the audio, you can use the Consult then transfer feature as a secondary hold: 

• Click the Tranfer in the call. 
• Select Consult then transfer. 
• Type your own name or a colleague’s name. This will automatically place the caller on hold while you "consult." You can then simply close the consultation window to return to the call (and the caller remains on hold until you hit Resume). 

4/ Clear the Teams desktop cache to refresh call control state 

• Fully close Teams by selecting the Teams icon in the taskbar area and choosing Quit. 
• Press Windows key + R to open Run. 
• If you are using the new Teams client, paste this path and select OK: %userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams 
• Delete all files and folders in that location, then reopen Teams and test placing the same call on Hold twice. 
• If you are using Teams classic, repeat the same idea using this path instead: %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams, then restart Teams and test again 

I hope this response has helped address your question and clarify the behavior you're experiencing. Please feel free to reply if you have any further questions, I would be happy to assist further.   

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. I look forward to continuing the conversation.  

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The behavior described (Hold only working once per call on the desktop client) is not documented as expected behavior in the provided context. Official guidance indicates that:

• On desktop, a call can be put on hold and then resumed using the Hold and Resume controls in the call window, and this is presented as a normal, repeatable action.
• The only documented limitation is the maximum number of simultaneous calls on hold (up to three on desktop, with one active), not a limit on how many times a single call can be held and resumed.
• For mobile, the same feature exists with a limit of two calls on hold, but again no limit on the number of times a call can be held and resumed.

Given this, the Hold button becoming permanently greyed out after the first resume on desktop is not an expected or documented limitation and is likely a client-side issue or bug rather than configuration.

From the available documentation, the following checks are relevant:

1. Confirm that the scenario is a call (1:1 or PSTN) and not a scheduled Teams meeting. The Hold option is not available in scheduled meetings:
   • “You won't see this option if you're in a scheduled Teams meeting.”
2. Verify that multiple calls and hold behavior otherwise work as expected:
   • When starting or answering a second call, Teams automatically places the first call on hold and shows on‑hold calls on the left side of the call window.
3. If the issue persists only on desktop and not on Android, this further indicates a desktop client defect. In that case, standard remediation (not detailed in the context) would be to update or repair the desktop client and, if unresolved, escalate via support channels.

There is no documented configuration or policy in the provided material that would intentionally allow multiple holds on mobile but restrict hold to a single use per call on desktop, so this behavior should be treated as abnormal and raised to support if it continues after client updates.

References:

• Put a call on hold in Microsoft Teams
• Make multiple calls at the same time in Microsoft Teams
• Tips for Teams calls