- Start transcription during a meeting
- Get the language right
- Who can see and download the transcript
- Find and download the transcript afterwards
- Recording or transcription only?
- Where the transcript lives
- Stopping it
- Privacy features built in
- Translated transcripts
- Phone and tablet users
- A simple after-meeting routine
- Make the transcript worth having
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To transcribe a Teams meeting, select More actions in the meeting controls, choose Transcribe, confirm the spoken language and select Confirm. Recording a meeting starts transcription automatically too. Afterwards, open the meeting chat, select Recap, then Transcript, where organisers can download it as a Word or VTT file.
Teams can type up your meeting as it happens, with names and time stamps against every line, and keep the transcript with the meeting afterwards. The bit that confuses people is who can see and download it, which depends on whether they're the organiser, a colleague or a guest from another company. Here's how to start it, find it and share it.
Start transcription during a meeting
- In the meeting controls, select More actions.
- Select Transcribe.
- Confirm the language everyone is speaking.
- Select Confirm.
Everyone sees a notification that the meeting is being transcribed. If you start a recording instead, Microsoft says transcription starts automatically along with it.
Get the language right
Transcripts are only as good as the spoken-language setting. If people are speaking a different language from the one set for the meeting, Teams spots the mismatch and prompts the organiser, a co-organiser or whoever started transcription to update it. You can also change it yourself from the transcript pane: open Show transcript, then Language settings, choose the right language and select Update.
Who can see and download the transcript
| Person | What they can do with the transcript |
|---|---|
| Organiser | Start and stop it, see it live, see it afterwards and download it |
| Colleague in the same organisation | Start and stop it, see it live and afterwards; downloading needs permission |
| Guest from another organisation | See it live only |
| Anonymous attendee | Nothing: no live view and no access afterwards |
Microsoft adds that people who dial in by phone can't view the transcript at all. If a client asks for a copy, that's usually why they can't find it: as a guest from another organisation, they could see it live but not afterwards. Download it and send it, if that's appropriate.
Find and download the transcript afterwards
- Select Chat in Teams.
- Open the chat for the past meeting.
- Select Recap, then Transcript.
- Select the arrow next to Download and choose Word (.docx) or .vtt.
Microsoft says the transcript is available as soon as the meeting ends, and organisers and co-organisers can download it by default. Your IT admin may let others download too, depending on your organisation's policies.
Recording or transcription only?
You don't have to record video to get a transcript. Transcribe on its own gives you the text without a video file, which is lighter, easier to search and less awkward for people who don't like being filmed. Recording gives you both, because Microsoft says transcription starts automatically whenever you record. For most internal catch-ups, transcription alone is plenty; record when you'll need to show someone what happened on screen.
Where the transcript lives
Teams stores live transcripts in the meeting organiser's OneDrive for Business. People find them through the meeting chat and the Recap tab, and they stay there until the organiser deletes them. If you organise a lot of client meetings, that's worth knowing for both storage and privacy.
Stopping it
The organiser, co-organisers and presenters can stop and restart transcription during the meeting from the same menu. It also stops on its own when everyone leaves. Stop it before any part of the conversation that shouldn't be written down.
Privacy features built in
- Everyone is told when transcription starts.
- Participants can choose to hide their identity in captions and transcripts.
- Teams obscures obscenities with asterisks.
Even so, tell people at the start of a call why you're transcribing and what you'll do with it, especially with clients. My piece on AI note-takers and NDA risk covers the conversations worth having first.
Translated transcripts
If your organisation has live translation, there's a catch worth knowing. Microsoft says past translated transcripts aren't stored; only the original transcript is kept. People who join late can only see the translated transcript from the point they joined. So if a colleague relies on translation, make sure they join on time, and share the original transcript afterwards for anything they missed.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Phone and tablet users
If some people join from the Teams mobile app, Microsoft suggests uploading the transcript to the meeting chat afterwards so they can get it. Download it on your computer, then share it in the chat.
A simple after-meeting routine
- Open Recap, Transcript as soon as the meeting ends, while it's fresh.
- Pull out decisions, actions and owners into a short follow-up message.
- Download a copy if you'll need it outside Teams, or if guests need it.
- Delete transcripts of sensitive meetings once you've captured what matters, as the organiser can.
Make the transcript worth having
Good audio makes a good transcript. Ask people to use headsets, mute when they're not speaking and avoid talking over each other. Then, after the call, skim the transcript for decisions and actions rather than filing it away unread. If you're interested in how professional transcribers approach accuracy, my guide to audio-to-text transcription work is a useful read.
My verdict
Start transcription from More actions, Transcribe, and set the spoken language straight away. Afterwards, find it in the meeting chat under Recap, Transcript. Remember guests from other organisations lose access once the meeting ends, so send them a copy if they need one.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on transcription in Teams?
In the meeting, select More actions, then Transcribe, confirm the spoken language and select Confirm.
Where do I find a Teams meeting transcript?
Open the past meeting's chat, select Recap, then Transcript. Organisers can download it as .docx or .vtt.
Why can't I download a Teams transcript?
By default only organisers and co-organisers can download it. Your IT admin's policies may allow others.
Can external guests see Teams transcripts?
Microsoft says people from another organisation can view live transcription but not the transcript after the meeting.
Does recording a Teams meeting also transcribe it?
Yes. Microsoft says transcription starts automatically when you record a meeting.
