Microsoft Teams can record meetings automatically or on demand, capturing video, audio, and shared content. Recordings are stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and can be shared with attendees or anyone else. Here is how to start recordings, where they are saved, and how to manage them.
Who Can Record a Meeting
In most Microsoft 365 configurations, meeting organisers and co-organisers can always record. Other participants can record if their IT admin has enabled it. For external participants (guests), recording is typically disabled by policy. If you do not see a Record button, ask the organiser to record or contact your IT team about permissions.
Starting a Recording
- During a meeting, click the three-dot menu (More) in the meeting toolbar
- Select Start recording
- Teams will notify all participants that the meeting is being recorded — a recording indicator appears in the top-left of the meeting window
Recording captures all audio, video feeds, and any screen sharing or content that is being presented. It does not capture content on participants’ screens that is not being shared.
Stopping a Recording
- Click the three-dot menu → Stop recording
The recording stops processing in the background. You will receive a notification in the meeting chat when the recording file is ready (usually within a few minutes to an hour depending on length).
Where Are Teams Recordings Saved?
Since mid-2021, Teams meeting recordings are saved to:
- Channel meetings: saved to the SharePoint document library of the channel where the meeting was held. The recording appears in the Files tab of the channel.
- Private meetings (non-channel): saved to the OneDrive of the person who started the recording, in a Recordings folder.
A link to the recording is automatically posted in the meeting chat so attendees can access it.
Accessing and Sharing Recordings
Click the recording link in the meeting chat to open it in the browser or Teams. From the SharePoint or OneDrive page where it is stored, you can:
- Share with specific people or via a link
- Download the MP4 file
- View automatically generated transcripts and captions
- Set an expiry date after which the recording is automatically deleted
Automatic Transcription
Teams generates a transcript alongside most recordings (requires Microsoft 365 Business Standard or above). The transcript appears as a side panel when viewing the recording and is searchable — click any line in the transcript to jump to that moment in the video. Transcripts can be downloaded as a Word document or VTT file.
Recording a Meeting You Did Not Organise
If you start the recording as a non-organiser, the recording is saved to your OneDrive. Be aware that you are responsible for sharing it with other attendees — the organiser does not automatically get access unless you share it with them.
Recording Policies and Compliance
Your IT administrator can configure policies that affect recording:
- Auto-recording: some organisations configure certain meeting types to record automatically when they start
- Retention policies: recordings may be automatically deleted after a set period (e.g. 60 or 90 days)
- Compliance recording: regulated industries may have all calls recorded automatically for compliance, separate from the in-meeting record feature
Tips
- Always inform attendees before recording — Teams notifies them automatically, but it is good practice to mention it verbally too
- If recording a long meeting (1+ hours), check the link in the chat during the meeting to confirm recording started correctly
- Share the recording link in the meeting notes or follow-up email rather than downloading and sending the file — it is much easier to manage access
