# Join a room and admit people from the waiting room > Open the room link, set up your camera, and click Join room (members) or Request to join (everyone else); the owner or an editor admits waiting people with Admit or Declines them. Category: Rooms and meetings Web page: https://www.pactto.com/help/waiting-room All guides: https://www.pactto.com/help.md ## Join a room Opening a room link takes you to the room's join screen, which says **You're joining .** On the right you see your camera preview, with buttons to turn the camera and microphone on or off and lists to choose your camera, microphone and speakers. 1. Open the room link. 2. Set up your camera and microphone if you want. This is optional: you can join without them and turn them on later. 3. Click the main button. Its label depends on who you are: - **Join room**: you are already a member of the room. You go straight in. - **Request to join**: you are not a member yet. Pactto asks the owner and editors to let you in. - **Join your first room**: same as **Request to join**, shown when this is the first room you join. - **Log in to join**: you typed the email of an existing Pactto account. Enter your **Password** (or use **Sign in with Google**), then click the button. 4. If you asked to join, Pactto shows **Waiting for host approval** until someone admits you. ### If you are not logged in The join screen asks for your **Full name** and **Email**. - If the email belongs to a Pactto account, Pactto shows a **Password** field and the button becomes **Log in to join**. Use **Forgot your password?** if needed. - If the email is new, Pactto prepares your access (**Preparing your access…**) and sends your request. To log in later from any device, finish your account on the Register page with the same email. See [Create a Pactto account](https://www.pactto.com/help/create-account.md). - You can also click **Sign in with Google**. People who join this way start with **Can view**. ## Admit or decline people **Who can do this:** the room owner and people with **Can edit**, while they are in the room. 1. When someone asks to join, a notice appears: **" wants to join the room"**. 2. Click **Admit** to let them in, or **Decline** to refuse. If you enter a room while people are already waiting, you see a notice for each person who is still on the join screen. Requests from people who closed the join screen are not shown. ## If something goes wrong - **"Your request to join the room was rejected."**: the owner or an editor declined. Click **OK**. - **No camera or microphone detected**: click **Continue without devices** to join as an observer (view and listen only), or connect a device and click **Try again**. - **"This room has reached the 20 participants limit. Try again later."**: 20 people are in the room. Wait until someone leaves. See [Room capacity](https://www.pactto.com/help/room-capacity.md). - **"You've blocked camera access. Go to your browser settings and allow it again."** (or microphone): see [Allow camera and microphone access](https://www.pactto.com/help/camera-microphone-permissions.md). - If the room was deleted or you do not have access, Pactto shows a page explaining why. See [Why can't I open this room?](https://www.pactto.com/help/room-unavailable.md). ## Good to know - People you invite by email are already members, so they see **Join room** and skip the approval step. - While waiting for approval you can still change your camera and microphone; the room uses your choice when you get in. ## Related guides - [Invite people to a room](https://www.pactto.com/help/invite-people.md): Open the room's Share dialog, type one or more email addresses, choose a role in Invite as, and click Invite; Pactto emails each person a link to the room. - [Let people join without an account (session link)](https://www.pactto.com/help/guest-link.md): In the Share room dialog, click Create session under Session and share the link; anyone with it can ask to join without a Pactto account for 24 hours, and you admit them from the waiting room. - [Join a room as a guest](https://www.pactto.com/help/join-as-guest.md): Open the session link you received, enter your full name and email, click Request to join, and wait for the host to admit you; no Pactto account needed. - [Room roles and permissions (Owner, Can edit, Can review, Can view)](https://www.pactto.com/help/roles-and-permissions.md): Every room has one Owner and members with Can edit, Can review or Can view; the owner and editors change roles and remove people from the Share dialog. - [How many people can join a room](https://www.pactto.com/help/room-capacity.md): Up to 20 people can be in a room at the same time, and a room can have up to 99 members with access. - [Allow camera and microphone access](https://www.pactto.com/help/camera-microphone-permissions.md): When Pactto asks, click Use camera and microphone and accept the browser prompt; if you blocked access, click Allow camera and microphone or follow Show manual steps, then reload. - [Why can't I open this room?](https://www.pactto.com/help/room-unavailable.md): If a room was deleted, you lack access, or something failed, Pactto shows a page that says which one and offers a way out; ask the owner for an invitation if you lack access.