For a scheduled Microsoft Teams meeting, start transcription during the call, then use the meeting’s Recap > Transcript as the searchable source record. Add short, shared notes for decisions and actions rather than treating the full transcript as minutes. For audio outside Teams, Word or OneNote can transcribe a recording. Availability, downloads, and retention depend on your Microsoft 365 setup and organization policies.
Choose the right Microsoft workflow
Use a transcript when you need to search what was said; use meeting notes to capture the outcome. These options serve different purposes, and the best route depends on where the conversation happens and who needs access.
| Workflow | Best fit | What you get | Important limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams transcription and recap | A scheduled Teams meeting where transcription is permitted | A searchable transcript in the meeting recap; permitted users can download it as DOCX or VTT | Meeting discovery, download controls, and retention depend on event type and organization policy. |
| Teams manual notes | A shared agenda, decisions, and action list | Editable collaborative notes associated with the meeting | External attendees cannot access or edit Teams meeting notes. |
| Teams AI notes or recap | A generated summary, key points, or follow-up tasks | AI-generated recap material alongside meeting content | Eligibility depends on meeting duration, transcription language, license, and policy. Verify the output. |
| Word or OneNote transcription | In-person conversations or audio outside a Teams meeting | Transcribed audio that can be corrected; Word’s transcript separates speakers and includes timestamps | Availability varies by client and tenant. Word’s monthly uploaded-audio quotas are license-specific. |
If you need a durable, searchable source, prioritize a saved transcript and confirm who can retrieve it. If you mainly need follow-through, prioritize concise notes with owners and due dates. A generated summary is useful as a draft, not a substitute for checking the source.
Transcribe a scheduled Teams meeting
Before the meeting
Check whether your organization allows transcription and who can start it. Admin policy can affect access to meeting content and download controls. If you plan to use shared notes, add an agenda in the Teams calendar invitation or open Notes during the meeting. Teams notes can include agenda items, discussion notes, and tasks, including tasks that tag colleagues. Since external attendees cannot access or edit those notes, send them a separate recap through an approved channel if they need one.
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Start transcription
- In the meeting controls, select More actions > Record and transcribe > Start transcription, then confirm.
- If needed, choose the spoken language in the transcript pane’s language settings. The language selection matters for transcription and for eligibility for some AI notes.
- To pause transcription, an organizer, co-organizer, or presenter can stop it and restart it later. Stopping the recording also stops transcription.
Microsoft says the transcript is available in the meeting event after the meeting. By default, organizers and co-organizers can download it as DOCX or VTT; other users’ download access may depend on administrator settings. See Microsoft’s instructions for starting, stopping, and downloading Teams meeting transcripts.
Find and search the transcript afterward
- Open the meeting chat and select Recap.
- Select Transcript to inspect the transcript and speakers.
- Search within the transcript for a name, date, decision, or commitment, then check the surrounding context before adding it to the notes.
The Meeting Recaps app is another way to discover meetings by title, organizer, or related keywords. Its homepage lists scheduled meetings from the past 30 days that were recorded or transcribed. It excludes instant Meet Now events, meetings with temporary transcription only, and meetings without a recording or transcript. If a meeting is missing there, check its chat or calendar event and confirm that a transcript or recording was actually saved. Microsoft details these limits in Getting started with the Meeting Recaps app.
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Turn the transcript into useful notes
A transcript is detailed source text, not an edited minutes document. Use it to locate evidence, then write only what a reader needs to act or understand the outcome.
- Decisions: State the decision and, when material, the rationale.
- Action items: Record the task, owner, and due date only when the meeting established them.
- Open questions: Capture unresolved issues and any agreed follow-up.
- Topics to revisit: Note items deferred to a later discussion.
Teams notes save automatically and can be revisited through the calendar event or recap. For how to create and use them, see Microsoft’s guide to taking meeting notes in Teams. Don’t turn a tentative suggestion into a commitment or assign an owner when none was agreed.
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When to use AI-generated notes
Teams recap can bring together a transcript, recording, shared files, notes, agenda, and follow-up tasks. Microsoft says AI notes in recap are available for events longer than five minutes that were transcribed in English. Intelligent recap features require Microsoft Copilot or Teams Premium; audio and video recaps require Microsoft Copilot. A person without a Copilot license may still be able to access transcripts or recordings they have permission to view.
Copilot can also be used only during a meeting without recording or transcription. In that setup, Copilot is not available in the post-meeting Recap unless recording or transcription is turned on. Prompts and responses may still be retained under the organization’s Purview retention policy. If you need a persistent searchable transcript, enable transcription or recording rather than assuming meeting-only Copilot creates one. Microsoft describes recap eligibility and content in its Teams recap documentation.
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Generated notes can misstate names, numbers, decisions, or ownership. Microsoft Support cautions, “The summary is generated by AI and should be checked for accuracy.” Compare the recap with the transcript before forwarding it or treating it as an official record.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Transcribe audio outside a Teams meeting
Use Word
- In Word, go to Home > Dictate > Transcribe.
- Record directly or upload an audio file, subject to the client and tenant options available to you.
- After recording, choose Save and transcribe now.
- Review and correct the transcript, then save it as a Word document or insert it into an existing document.
Word’s documented transcript separates speakers and includes timestamps. Microsoft’s current support documentation, accessed October 4, 2026, lists a monthly uploaded-audio limit of 300 minutes for Microsoft 365 subscribers and 30,000 minutes for Microsoft Copilot license holders. These are Word transcription quotas, not Teams meeting transcription limits. Check Microsoft’s current instructions for transcribing recordings and your tenant’s available features.
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Use OneNote
OneNote can record while you take notes on the canvas and transcribe the audio in the background. This can be useful when the notes need to sit beside the recording. Availability depends on the OneNote client and tenant, so the option may not appear in every Microsoft 365 environment.
Check accuracy, access, and retention
Verify the record
Automated speech recognition can produce errors. Review proper names, technical terms, numbers, dates, decisions, and commitments against the audio or surrounding transcript context. Word supports transcript corrections. Teams transcript editing and deletion are handled through the Microsoft 365 player page or Teams recap, depending on the action. Microsoft says deleting a transcript in Teams desktop deletes both its OneDrive and Exchange Online copies; deleting it before AI notes are generated also means those notes will not be available.
Know what may expire
In Microsoft’s audio-recap documentation, Teams meeting transcripts expire after 120 days unless the organizer deletes them sooner, while generated audio recaps expire after 60 days. These time periods apply to the documented recap workflow and can change with product updates or tenant settings. Organization policies can also affect event data and AI-note expiration. Recordings are stored in OneDrive and SharePoint under applicable governance policies. Confirm access, retention, and download settings with your Microsoft 365 administrator before relying on a transcript as a long-term archive. See Microsoft’s audio recap guidance.
Quick Recap
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