Teams API toggle not able to be Enabled

Hi Steve Middleton

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum

Based on my research and experience, the Stream Deck integration depends on Teams’ “third‑party device pairing” API. Merely turning the toggle on does not finalize permission because Teams must complete a pairing flow during an active meeting.

In addition, if you are signed into Teams with multiple accounts or your tenant has an app/device policy that blocks pairing, the client will silently revert the toggle the next time you open Settings. Out‑of‑date Teams builds or an older Stream Deck Teams plugin can also leave actions “locked” or read‑only, which looks like the API is not sticking. In short, the setting flips off when:

• The pairing wasn’t completed in‑meeting
• An organizational policy overrides it
• Client/plugin versions are incompatible. See Microsoft’s pairing guidance and Elgato’s setup notes for how the toggle and meeting approval step work together.

Therefore, you can try some below methods to see if the issue can be resolved:

1. Update components: Update Microsoft Teams to the latest build and update the Stream Deck app and the official “Microsoft Teams” plugin.
2. Use a single Teams account: Sign out of all profiles in Teams, then sign back in with the one account you use for Outlook and meetings to avoid cross‑tenant policy conflicts.
3. Enable and complete pairing: In Teams go to Settings > Privacy > Third‑party app API > Manage API, turn Enable API on, then join a meeting and press any Stream Deck Teams action so Teams shows the Allow/Block prompt choose Allow.

Link references:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/connect-to-third-party-devices-in-microsoft-teams-aabca9f2-47bb-407f-9f9b-81a104a883d6

https://marketplace.elgato.com/product/microsoft-teams-da5e2bbc-197c-4afe-8a85-a9941bf52697

Note: Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. These sites are not controlled by Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks before using any suggestions from the above link.

If the issue remains unresolved, you may consider reinstalling both the Teams and Stream Deck software and then reconfiguring the connection from scratch.

Hope my answer will help you, for any further concern, kindly let me know in the comment section

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Hello Steve,

Your Elgato Stream Deck API is likely not staying enabled in Microsoft Teams because of a conflict with the new Teams client and a change in how the API token system works. A full reinstall can sometimes leave behind corrupted settings or cache files that cause the toggle to revert. 

• Here is a step-by-step guide to resolve the issue: Step 1: Force quit Teams and clear the cache A corrupt cache is a common cause of persistent Teams issues, especially after a reinstallation. 
  1. Right-click the Teams icon in your system tray (bottom-right corner) and select Quit.
  2. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
  3. Type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams and press Enter.
  4. Delete all the files and folders inside this directory. If you are prompted that a file cannot be deleted, choose Skip.
  5. Restart your computer. 
  Step 2: Enable the API and re-pair the Stream Deck The "New Teams" client no longer relies on a manual API token that you copy and paste. The Stream Deck is paired directly from within an active meeting. 
  1. Open Teams and go to Settings > Privacy > Third-party app API.
  2. Toggle the Enable API setting on. Don't worry if it doesn't appear to stay on..
  3. Start or join a Teams meeting. This must be an active meeting, not just a call or a chat.
  4. While in the meeting, press any Teams-related button on your Stream Deck.
  5. Teams will display a pop-up window asking for your permission to allow or block the connection. Select Allow. 
  Step 3: Check app settings (if the issue persists) If the steps above don't work, there may be an app or policy setting that is interfering with the connection.  Check app permissions:
  1. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Third-party app API again.
  2. Select Manage API and ensure that the Stream Deck or Elgato is listed under "Allowed apps and devices".
  3. If not, remove any existing Stream Deck entries and try the re-pairing process in Step 2 again. 
  Check for administrative restrictions:
  For corporate or school accounts, an IT administrator might have disabled third-party APIs. In this case, the Manage API button may be greyed out. 
  • Contact your IT administrator and ask them to verify that "Allow access to the Microsoft Teams API" is enabled for your account within the Teams admin center.

Regards,

Raviteja M.

It was an organisational policy preventing third-party app - which was strange because I didn't change anything recently and it worked fine for 18 months. Nothing blocking third-party apps in any policies... I just I updated Teams and it stopped working.

I used Powershell in the end to update the global policy and this fixed it.