Microsoft has introduced two new desk modes in Microsoft Places, giving administrators more flexibility to configure and manage shared workspaces.
Reminder:
Users must have a Teams Premium license to reserve/book workspaces. More details are available in the Teams Premium licensing documentation.
Content
Timeline
The rollout is expected to complete in August 2025.
Impact on your organization
Previously, Microsoft Places offered two desk modes:
- Unavailable
The desk is not available for reservation due to maintenance or for any other reason. This is the default for individual desks. - Reservable
Reservable desks are desks that are configured to be booked in advance or on-the-spot. A reservable desk must be linked to an Exchange mailbox of type Desk.
These modes are visible when reserving a desk through Outlook, the new Teams calendar, the Places web portal, or the Places app in Teams.
In my demo, “Empfang” has three desks, but only Desk03 is set as Reservable.
This configuration can also be verified via PowerShell.
With the update, administrators can now choose two additional desk modes:
- Assigned
An assigned desk is permanently linked to a specific user and cannot be booked by others. Each assigned desk must have a designated user with an active Exchange Online service plan. - Drop-in
The desk is available for on-the-spot use and cannot be reserved in advance. Admins can also link desk objects to peripheral devices in Teams (for example, to support auto check-in).
These new modes can be configured with the Microsoft Places PowerShell module v2.0.0 or later, or via the Microsoft Graph API. The Set-PlaceV3 documentation has been updated with the new Mode parameter. Soon, these settings should also be available in the Places Admin Portal.
Desk mode configuration
Current desks
Existing desk setups remain unchanged. In my case, all desks without a mailbox were automatically set to Unavailable. Desks with a mailbox to Reservable.
Assigned desks
I configured new assigned desks for my HR staff. As Microsoft notes, an assigned desk must have one designated user.
- Admins must specify AssignedPersonEmailAddress or AssignedPersonId. AssignedPersonId is the object ID of the Entra ID user account.
- An active Exchange Online service plan is required for the user account.
- Assigned desks do not require a mailbox since they cannot be booked by others.
For example, I added an HR section with two assigned desks on the second floor.
Import-Module MicrosoftPlaces
Connect-MicrosoftPlaces
$SectionHR = New-Place -Name 'HR' -Type Section -ParentId "af4a5bee-2682-47e4-b5f9-5e9db3222101" # Floor 2
$UserMetadata_2Desk01 = New-Object 'System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary[String,object]'
$UserMetadata_2Desk01.Add("AssignedPersonId","2cc525b5-70ec-4178-b88a-c9d57db3f025")
$Place2Desk01 = New-Place -Name '2-Desk01' -Type Desk -ParentId $SectionHR.PlaceId -Mode @{Name='Assigned';Metadata=$UserMetadata_2Desk01}
$UserMetadata_2Desk02 = New-Object 'System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary[String,object]'
$UserMetadata_2Desk02.Add("AssignedPersonId","214ecc20-9ba8-4c76-8b21-763144b86ceb")
$Place2Desk02 = New-Place -Name '2-Desk02' -Type Desk -ParentId $SectionHR.PlaceId -Mode @{Name='Assigned';Metadata=$UserMetadata_2Desk02}
When checking in Outlook, the new HR desks show up as expected. I can’t book them, but I can see who is assigned to the desk. Your own assigned desk is hidden from the list.
PowerShell confirms the Assigned mode as well.
Drop-in desks
Next, I created two Drop-in desks in a “FreeZone” section on the same floor. These can be used spontaneously by anyone. As Microsoft notes, admins can link Drop-in desks to peripheral devices installed on them, for example to use auto check-in.
$SectionFreeZone = New-Place -Name 'FreeZone' -Type Section -ParentId "af4a5bee-2682-47e4-b5f9-5e9db3222101" # Floor 2
$Place2Desk03 = New-Place -Name '2-Desk03' -Type Desk -ParentId $SectionFreeZone.PlaceId -Mode @{Name='DropIn'}
$Place2Desk04 = New-Place -Name '2-Desk04' -Type Desk -ParentId $SectionFreeZone.PlaceId -Mode @{Name='DropIn'}
Work desk reservations now behave differently depending on your account:
- If your account already has an assigned desk in the building, you cannot book another desk. The reservation option is disabled for all desks in that building.
- Drop-in desks show as available (or in use if occupied and checked in) if you don’t have an assigned desk, but they cannot be reserved in advance.
