Here's how to record a Teams meeting: join the call, select More actions > Record and transcribe > Start recording, choose your language and recording options, and select Confirm. Everyone gets notified when recording starts, and Teams saves the file to the organizer's OneDrive or the channel's SharePoint.
Can't record directly in Teams? You can bring an AI note taker into the meeting or use Bluedot to capture the call from your computer without a bot.
Can you record a Teams meeting?
Yes, but Microsoft Teams' built-in recorder isn't available to everyone. In work or school Teams, both the organizer and the person recording need an eligible Microsoft 365 license, like Business Premium. The organizer's cloud recording policy must also allow it.
You can start a meeting recording even if the organizer hasn't joined yet, as long as you're from the same organization and have recording access. Guests, external attendees, and people joining anonymously can't.
With Teams Premium or Microsoft 365 Copilot, organizers get more control over who can record. They can limit it to themselves and co-organizers, include presenters, or turn recording off entirely.
Teams Free works differently. Anyone with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium can record. If you don't have a subscription, someone else in the meeting who does will need to start it.
Method 1. Record with Microsoft Teams' built-in recorder
If Teams lets you record, there's little reason to install another app just to save a meeting. You get the audio, video, and shared screen in one recording.
How to record a Microsoft Teams meeting on desktop or web
Follow these steps:
- Start or join your Microsoft Teams meeting.
- In the meeting controls, select More actions > Record and transcribe > Start recording.
- Choose your spoken language in the Start recording and transcription window.
- To change the recording type, expand More options and choose Video and audio or Audio only under Choose what to record.
- Select Confirm to start recording.
How to record a Teams meeting on mobile
The Teams mobile app supports meeting recording on iPhone and Android, if your account has permission.
- Open the Teams mobile app and join your meeting.
- Tap More options (the three dots) in the meeting controls.
- Select Start recording.
- To finish, open More options again and tap Stop recording.
How to stop recording or transcription
Open More actions > Record and transcribe in your meeting controls. You'll see three options:
- Select Stop recording to end both the recording and live transcription.
- Select Stop transcription to end the live transcript while meeting recording continues.
- Select Show transcript to open the meeting transcript.
If you only need written notes, you can turn on Teams transcription or transcribe a Teams meeting without recording.
Leaving a meeting won't stop a recording you've started. It ends when everyone leaves, so if you need to finish earlier, you'll have to stop a Teams recording yourself.
How to record Teams meetings automatically
You can also set Microsoft Teams to start recording a scheduled meeting automatically:
- Open Calendar in Teams.
- Select the meeting and select View event > Options.
- Find Recording and transcription.
- Turn on Record and transcribe automatically.
- Apply your changes.
Keep in mind that automatic recording still depends on your license, meeting settings, and IT admin policies.
What Teams recordings don't capture
Teams recordings miss some of what people see during a call. According to Microsoft, meeting recordings don't capture:
- More than four participants' video streams at once.
- Whiteboards and annotations.
- Shared notes.
- Content shared by apps.
- Videos and animations embedded in PowerPoint Live presentations.
If you're recording a training session or product demo, check the finished video before sharing it. A whiteboard discussion or a video played inside PowerPoint Live might be missing from the recording.
Where to find and save a Teams recording
To find a Teams meeting recording after the meeting, check the meeting chat first. In my test, Microsoft Teams posted the recording there with a View recap button and a notice showing when the file would expire.
The meeting type determines where Teams recordings go:
- Private meetings: The meeting organizer's OneDrive, in the Recordings folder.
- Channel meetings: The channel's SharePoint site, accessible through the Files tab.
The meeting organizer owns the recording. By default, organizers and co-organizers can download or delete it, but permissions may vary depending on the meeting settings.
Teams recordings have a default expiration date of 120 days, which your IT admin can change. If you have permission, you can open Manage > Expires in 120 days in the recording player to extend or remove the expiration date.
Once a recording expires, its owner has 90 days to recover it from the recycle bin.
How to download or share a Teams recording
To download a Teams recording, open it from the meeting chat using View recap, then select Manage > Download in the video player.
To share a Teams recording, you can use the file-sharing options in OneDrive or Microsoft Stream. Check the link permissions first, especially if you are sharing outside your organization.
You can also share the meeting recap directly from Teams, although this shares just the recap.
Why can't I record a Teams meeting?
Maybe recording works fine in calls with your colleagues, but the option is missing when you join a client's Teams meeting. That's because external attendees can't use Teams' built-in recorder.
If Teams shows a lock icon, hover over it to see what's blocking recording. Other possible reasons include:
- License or admin policy: Your Microsoft 365 license doesn't support recording, or your IT admin has disabled it.
- Meeting restrictions: The organizer has limited recording to certain roles, and yours isn't eligible.
- Copilot settings: Setting Allow Copilot to Off can disable recording and transcription.
- Someone is already recording: Teams allows only one meeting recording at a time.
Depending on the cause, ask the meeting organizer to change your role or contact your IT admin.
Method 2. Record a Teams meeting with an AI note taker bot
Some AI note takers for Microsoft Teams record calls by joining as an extra participant. Once admitted, they can capture the conversation and prepare a transcript or AI notes.
To set one up:
- Choose an AI note taker for Teams and connect your calendar or meeting link.
- Join the meeting and admit the bot if it appears in the lobby.
- Open the app afterward to access your recording, transcript, or AI notes.
Some companies block third-party recording bots entirely, so check whether they're allowed before relying on one for an important meeting.
Method 3. Record a Teams meeting without a bot via Bluedot
With Bluedot, you can record Teams meetings even when you don't have access to the built-in recorder. The desktop app notices your call and asks whether you want to capture it. There's no bot to admit, and you can use the Chrome extension for browser meetings.
Here's how to record with the desktop app:
- Download and install Bluedot for Microsoft Teams.
- Sign in and join your Teams meeting.
- Once Bluedot detects the call, choose Audio/video, Audio only, or Transcript only, then select Start capture.
- Open the recording controls beside the timer to Save, Pause, or Discard the capture.
- Select Save to open the recording in your Bluedot workspace.
When you've saved the meeting, you can play it back or search the transcript for something you missed. Bluedot also prepares AI notes, so you don't have to sit through the whole recording to find out what was discussed.
Bluedot also works with Zoom and Google Meet. When recording a Teams meeting, remember to inform participants and follow your organization's policies.
Which recording method should you use?
If you only need a video to watch later, Teams' built-in recorder is usually enough. A meeting bot can help with transcripts and AI notes, but you'll need to get it into the call first. Some companies block these bots altogether.
Bluedot gives you another option. You can record Teams meetings without a bot, even if you don't have access to Teams' recording button. After the call, you can replay the recording, search the transcript, or use AI notes to catch up on what you missed.
And you're not limited to Teams. Bluedot also works with Zoom and Google Meet, so you can keep your meeting recordings and notes in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I record in a Teams meeting?
Common reasons: an ineligible Microsoft 365 license, missing recording permissions, or restrictions set by your IT admin or meeting organizer. Setting Allow Copilot to Off can also disable recording.
How to record a Teams meeting when you are not the host?
You can record without being the meeting organizer if you're an eligible participant from the same organization. Otherwise, ask the organizer to record, or use an approved third-party tool like Bluedot that doesn't require Microsoft Teams recording permissions.
Can I record a meeting by myself on Teams?
Yes. You can start a Teams meeting without inviting anyone else and record yourself, provided your account has recording permissions.
Can you record a Teams meeting without anyone knowing?
Microsoft Teams notifies everyone when built-in recording starts, so you can't record a Teams meeting secretly with it. Bot-free tools don't trigger the same Teams notification, but you should still inform participants and obtain consent where required.
How long do Teams meeting recordings last before they expire?
The default expiration date is 120 days for work and school accounts, although IT admins can change it. Personal Teams recordings expire after 30 days. Expired work recordings can be recovered from the recycle bin for up to 90 days.
Does everyone in a Teams meeting have access to the recording?
Internal participants generally have access, depending on the organizer's settings. Guests and external attendees need a direct sharing link. For channel meetings, channel members can access the recording through SharePoint.
Are Teams calls recorded?
Regular Teams calls and meetings aren't recorded by default. However, Teams calls are recorded automatically when a compliance recording policy applies. Webinars and town halls also record automatically unless the organizer disables it.
How do I share a Teams recording?
Open the recording in OneDrive or Microsoft Stream and use Share to copy a link. Check who can access the file before sending it, particularly to people outside your organization.
Does Teams record my screen?
Microsoft Teams captures screen sharing during a meeting. It doesn't record other windows or applications unless you share them.
Does the recording stop if I leave the meeting?
In work or school Teams, recording stops when everyone exits, even if you left first. If someone stays connected, Teams ends and restarts the recording every four hours.
