---
title: "How to Transcribe a Teams Meeting (2026)"
description: "Start a Microsoft Teams transcript, find it in Recap, download .docx or .vtt, and what to do when Teams won't let you transcribe. Checked September 2026."
url: https://exemplary.ai/blog/transcribe-teams-meeting
published: 2026-03-02
updated: 2026-09-30
author: "Sarath Chandran"
publisher: "Exemplary AI (https://exemplary.ai)"
---

# How to Transcribe a Teams Meeting (2026)

To transcribe a Microsoft Teams meeting, select **More actions** > **Record and transcribe** > **Start transcription** in the meeting controls, confirm the language people are speaking, and select **Confirm** ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/start-stop-and-download-live-transcripts-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-dc1a8f23-2e20-4684-885e-2152e06a4a8b)). Starting a recording also starts transcription automatically. After the meeting, open the meeting chat, select **Recap** and then **Transcript**. By default the organizer and co-organizers can download it as a .docx or .vtt file. If Teams won't let you transcribe, because you're a guest, the policy is off, or you're on Teams (free), record the meeting where you can and upload the file to a transcription tool, or send a notetaker.

*This guide covers Teams with a work or school account. Steps, policies and licences were checked against Microsoft Support and Microsoft Learn on September 30, 2026.*

## Before you start: can you transcribe this meeting?

Transcription depends on your organization's policy and your role in the meeting, not only on the button being there.

- **Your admin has to allow it.** Transcription is set in the Teams admin center under **Meetings** > **Meeting policies**, and it's **On** by default for new policies. It's both a per-organizer and a per-user setting: the organizer must have it on, and so must the person who starts it ([Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/meeting-transcription-captions)).
- **Guests and outsiders can't start it.** Guests, people from a different organization than the organizer, and anonymous users can't start transcription ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/i-can-t-transcribe-a-meeting-in-microsoft-teams)).
- **Meeting options can narrow it further.** An organizer can limit who starts transcription, for example to organizers and presenters only, or to organizers and co-organizers only ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/i-can-t-transcribe-a-meeting-in-microsoft-teams)).
- **Turning Copilot off turns transcription off.** Microsoft notes that when organizers turn off Copilot for a meeting, recording and transcription are turned off too ([Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/meeting-transcription-captions)).
- **Recording needs a licence.** To record, Microsoft lists Office 365 Enterprise E1, E3, E5, F3, A1, A3, A5, M365 Business, Business Premium or Business Essentials ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/start-stop-and-find-meeting-recordings-in-microsoft-teams)).

## Method 1: Start a transcript during the meeting

1. In the meeting controls, select **More actions**.
2. Select **Record and transcribe** > **Start transcription**.
3. In **Spoken language in this meeting**, choose the language people are speaking.
4. Select **Confirm**.

Everyone in the meeting sees a notification that it's being transcribed. The transcript appears in real time with each speaker's name and a timestamp. The organizer, co-organizers and presenters can stop and restart it: select **More actions** and then **Stop transcription** or **Stop recording**; both stop the transcription ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/start-stop-and-download-live-transcripts-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-dc1a8f23-2e20-4684-885e-2152e06a4a8b)).

## Method 2: Record the meeting and get the transcript with it

When you record a Teams meeting, transcription starts automatically ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/start-stop-and-download-live-transcripts-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-dc1a8f23-2e20-4684-885e-2152e06a4a8b)).

1. Start or join the meeting.
2. Select **More actions** > **Record and transcribe** > **Start recording**.
3. Select **Confirm**.

The organizer and people from the same organization can start and stop a recording; people from other organizations, guests and anonymous users can't. If you only need the words, you can choose **Audio only** under "Choose what to record" before confirming ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/start-stop-and-find-meeting-recordings-in-microsoft-teams)).

For meetings you always want transcribed, the organizer can switch on **Record and transcribe automatically** in the meeting options, if the admin allows it. It's off by default for meetings, so you set it per meeting ([Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/recording-transcription-overview)).

## After the meeting: find, edit and download the transcript

### Find it

1. Select **Chat** in Teams.
2. Open the past meeting's chat.
3. Select **Recap**, then **Transcript**.

The transcript is also available from the meeting event in your Teams calendar ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/start-stop-and-download-live-transcripts-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-dc1a8f23-2e20-4684-885e-2152e06a4a8b)).

### Download it

In the transcript view, select the arrow next to **Download** and choose **.docx** (for reading and sharing) or **.vtt** (a caption file with timestamps). By default only the organizer and co-organizers can download it, so attendees should ask one of them for a copy.

### Edit it

Meeting organizers can correct the transcript once the recording has uploaded. Go to **OneDrive** > **My files** > **Recordings**, open the recording in the browser, select **Transcript**, hover over a line, select **Edit**, make the change and select **Done** ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/edit-or-delete-a-meeting-transcript-in-microsoft-teams)).

### Where it's stored and how long it lasts

| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Where are transcripts saved? | With the recording: in the organizer's OneDrive for regular meetings, in the channel's SharePoint site for channel meetings | [Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/manage-teams-recording-expiration-policy) |
| How long are they kept? | Recordings and transcripts expire after 120 days by default. Admins can change this, and the maximum default for A1 users is 30 days | [Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/manage-teams-recording-expiration-policy) |
| What happens when they expire? | They move to the recycle bin, and once purged from there they can't be recovered | [Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/manage-teams-recording-expiration-policy) |
| Who can download the video? | Only the meeting organizer, as an .mp4 file | [Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/play-share-and-download-meeting-recordings-in-microsoft-teams) |
| Who can delete the transcript? | The organizer and co-organizers | [Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/edit-or-delete-a-meeting-transcript-in-microsoft-teams) |

If you need the transcript long term, download the .docx or .vtt file instead of relying on the Recap tab.

## Live captions are not a transcript

Live captions help people follow along, but they disappear when the meeting ends. To turn them on, select **More actions** > **Language and speech** > **Show live captions**. They're visible only to you, and Microsoft is explicit: "Teams doesn't save captions." If you want a record, turn on transcription ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-live-captions-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-4be2d304-f675-4b57-8347-cbd000a21260)).

## Copilot and intelligent recap

Transcription itself is a policy setting. The AI features built on the transcript need extra licences:

- **Intelligent recap** adds AI meeting notes, recommended tasks, speaker markers and chapters to the **Recap** tab. Users need a Teams Premium or Microsoft Copilot licence, transcription has to be allowed by policy, and without recording they get recap without speakers, topics and chapters ([Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/intelligent-recap-calls-meetings)).
- **Copilot "Only during the meeting"** lets licensed users ask Copilot for notes and tasks while the meeting runs, without transcribing. The catch: afterwards, Copilot isn't available in the Recap tab unless transcription or recording was on ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/copilot/use-copilot-without-transcribing-or-recording-a-teams-meeting-or-call)). If you want text to keep, transcribe.

## When Teams can't transcribe: record elsewhere and upload, or send a notetaker

**On Teams (free).** Microsoft's help for personal accounts covers recording, which needs a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium subscription. Recordings stay in the cloud for 30 days; to keep one, find it in the meeting chat and select **Download** ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/free/meetings/manage-meeting-and-call-recordings-in-microsoft-teams-free)). You can then transcribe the downloaded file.

**As a guest, or when policy blocks it.** You can't start Teams transcription or recording yourself. Ask the organizer to transcribe and share the .docx, or ask for permission to use a notetaker.

**Upload a recording.** Any Teams recording you're allowed to download is an MP4 file you can upload to a transcription tool. Exemplary AI, our product, transcribes MP4 uploads in 99 languages with speaker labels and exports DOCX, TXT, SRT or VTT ([AI transcription](https://exemplary.ai/transcription)). For other options, including Otter and Fireflies, see our [comparison of transcription software](https://exemplary.ai/blog/best-transcription-software-2025).

**Send a notetaker.** Exemplary AI's [meeting notetaker](https://exemplary.ai/meeting-notetaker) joins Teams, Zoom, Google Meet or Webex calls from a pasted meeting link as "Your name — Exemplary AI Notetaker". It records up to two hours per meeting and returns a transcript, a summary and key takeaways in your workspace. The organizer may have to admit it from the lobby, and your organization's policies still apply.

## Tell people they're being transcribed

Teams notifies everyone when transcription starts ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/start-stop-and-download-live-transcripts-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-dc1a8f23-2e20-4684-885e-2152e06a4a8b)) and when a recording starts ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/start-stop-and-find-meeting-recordings-in-microsoft-teams)). Admins can go further with an explicit recording consent policy, which requires participants to consent before they're included in a recording or transcript ([Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/recording-transcription-overview)). Laws on recording differ by country and state, so say out loud that you're transcribing when the meeting starts.

## What to do with the transcript next

- Turn it into action items: see [how AI meeting transcription saves time](https://exemplary.ai/blog/meeting-productivity-ai-transcription).
- Use the same approach for other platforms: [how to transcribe a Zoom meeting](https://exemplary.ai/blog/transcribe-zoom-meeting).
- Recording customer or research calls? See [how to transcribe an interview](https://exemplary.ai/blog/transcribe-an-interview).

## FAQ

### Is Teams transcription free?

In Teams for work or school, transcription is a meeting-policy setting that's on by default for new policies, so if your admin hasn't turned it off you can usually start one. Microsoft ties Teams Premium to extras such as live translated transcription ([Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/meeting-transcription-captions)). Intelligent recap, with AI notes and tasks, needs a Teams Premium or Microsoft Copilot licence.

### Why can't I start transcription in Teams?

The most common reasons, from Microsoft's troubleshooting page: you're a guest, anonymous or from another organization; your admin hasn't enabled transcription for you or the organizer; the organizer limited who can transcribe; or Copilot is turned off for the meeting ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/i-can-t-transcribe-a-meeting-in-microsoft-teams)).

### Where are Teams transcripts saved?

With the meeting recording, in the organizer's OneDrive for Business, or in the channel's SharePoint site for channel meetings. You reach them through the meeting chat's **Recap** tab.

### Can attendees download the transcript?

Not by default. The organizer and co-organizers can download it as .docx or .vtt. Attendees should ask them for a copy.

### Does Teams save live captions?

No. Captions are only shown during the meeting. Use transcription if you need a record.

### How long does Teams keep a transcript?

120 days by default for new recordings and transcripts, unless your admin set a different expiration. Download it if you need it longer.

> Exemplary AI is a browser-based AI tool that turns long videos and recordings into short captioned clips, transcripts in 99 languages, subtitles, translations into 116 languages, and written posts such as summaries, blog posts and YouTube chapters. It is built for YouTubers, podcasters and marketing teams; the Free plan includes 500 one-time credits with watermarked video exports. Pricing: https://exemplary.ai/pricing