How to Record a Meeting in Microsoft Teams

Meetings in Microsoft Teams offer a convenient way to stay connected and work together, whether you're in the same office or scattered across the globe.

Ever wished you could revisit those meetings or share them with colleagues? Well, that's where recording steps in. Just like in Google Meet and Zoom - Microsoft Teams simplifies the recording process. In this guide, we'll show you how to record a meeting in Microsoft Teams. Let’s get into it.

Table of contents

• Who can record a meeting in Microsoft Teams?

• How do you record a meeting in Microsoft Teams?

• How to access your Microsoft Teams recordings

• How long can you access Microsoft Teams recordings?

• Troubleshooting recording issues

Who can record a meeting in Microsoft Teams?

Here's who can start or stop a recording in Microsoft Teams:

• You have one of these licenses - Office 365 Enterprise E1, E3, E5, F3, A1, A3, A5, M365 Business, Business Premium, or Business Essentials.

• Your IT admin has enabled recording for your account.

• You are not a guest or a part of a different organization.

• You have Teams Premium and are an organizer, co-organizer, or presenter.

The meeting organizer doesn't need to be present; they just need to have their cloud recording policy switched on.

With Teams Premium, when the meeting organizer sets up the meeting, they have the option to designate participants as co-organizers and presenters. They can specify who is allowed to record the meeting.

Also, just a heads up - you can't run multiple recordings of the same meeting at the same time. 

How do you record a meeting in Microsoft Teams?

If you check one of those boxes, you can record any Teams meeting or call, capturing everything, including audio, video, and screen sharing. You can then share the recorded meeting with others. Let’s break it down.

1. Start or Join the Meeting

To record a meeting, start or join the meeting you want to save. To start a meeting, just head over to your Teams Calendar and click on New meeting up in the top right-hand corner. 

To join a meeting, you can access it via a link or find it in your calendar and select Join.

Or, you can click Join with an ID in the top right-hand corner, where you’ll be asked to input the meeting ID. 

2. Start Recording

Once you're in the meeting, hit More on the top toolbar. 

Then click Record and transcribe. 

Once you’re all set, click Start recording. 

Once you start recording, everyone in the meeting gets a message telling them that the recording and transcribing have begun. Keep in mind that in some locations worldwide, you might need to get permission before recording. 

3. Stop Recording

To stop recording, select More, and choose either Stop recording to halt both the recording and live transcription or Stop transcription to end live transcription while keeping the recording running.

You’ll be asked one more time if you’re ready to stop recording and transcription. If you are, hit Stop.

How to record on your phone

There you have it - recording in Microsoft Teams is easy. Plus, you can use this feature on your phone as well. The process is pretty much the same as on a computer, with just one small difference: the toolbar is in a slightly different spot. To get started, hit More, which is indicated by the three dots.

Then hit Start recording, and follow the same steps we outlined above to stop your recording.

How to access Microsoft Teams recordings

Teams meeting recordings are no longer saved to Microsoft Stream unless your organization relies on it. Instead, they’re stored in OneDrive and SharePoint, depending on the type of meeting. 

• If it was a channel meeting, it gets processed and stored in SharePoint. You can also find the recording of the meeting chat or channel conversation, which all channel members can access.

• For any other type of meeting, it goes to the Recordings folder in the OneDrive directory of the person who started the recording.

Keep in mind that guests can only see the recording if you share it with them.

How to play, share, and download a Microsoft Teams recordings

Let's take a look at how to play, share, and download your meeting recordings in Microsoft Teams—it's simpler than you might think. 

Playing a meeting recording

Here's how to access a recording after your meeting. 

• If you were part of a scheduled meeting, go to the Details tab in your calendar event to find the recording.

• For channel meetings, you'll spot the recording in the channel chat.

• You can also click on the More actions or More options button on the recording and choose Open in OneDrive for chat meetings or Open in SharePoint for channel meetings.

• If you still use Microsoft Stream instead of OneDrive and SharePoint, you can access the recording in Stream under My Content > Videos. 

Just a heads up, closed captions aren't available on OneDrive and SharePoint for Teams meeting recordings.

Sharing a link to a meeting recording

If you're the meeting's host or recorder, you have the power to share the recording. It's as simple as sharing any other file:

• Find the recording file in OneDrive, SharePoint or Microsoft Stream.

• Share it directly, or copy a link to share as you like.

• Guests can view the recording, but you need to share it explicitly with them.

Downloading a meeting recording

Downloading a meeting recording is reserved for the person who started the recording and the meeting organizer. Here's how to do it:

• Access the recording in OneDrive or SharePoint. 

• Check out these steps to download files or folders from OneDrive or SharePoint.

• Meeting owners or recorders can download the recording from the chat history if you still use Microsoft Stream for recordings. Just select More options > Open in Microsoft Stream. On the Microsoft Stream portal, choose More options > Download original video. After downloading, you can add the video to a Teams conversation or share it in your preferred way.

How can I check and adjust a recording's expiration date?

If your recording has an expiration date, you'll see a message in the meeting chat. 

Depending on which file-sharing service you use, there are a few ways to check or change the date. However, in just a few clicks you can extend the date, choose a specific day, or remove the expiration date.

Troubleshooting recording issues

If you run into any issues while trying to record a meeting, here are a few things to keep in mind. First off, make sure that both the meeting organizer and the person doing the recording have the right licenses for this feature. If you run into this issue, your IT admin can help you sort it out. Also, remember that guests or federated users are not able to record meetings or calls.

Final Thoughts

Now that you have the know-how to record and handle meetings in Microsoft Teams, you're all set to capture and share insights and information. Keep in mind, along with Teams, tools like Tella, Loom and Vidyard offer additional features to boost your communication and collaboration. So, explore these options to make your digital workspace even more effective.