TL;DR: If you want to transcribe Microsoft Teams meetings automatically in 2026, use Teams' built-in recording and transcription tools first. They are fast, native, and good enough for many internal meetings. But if you need cleaner exports, easier sharing outside Microsoft 365, or want to process Zoom, Google Meet, Loom, and uploaded files in one place, a dedicated web platform like QuillAI makes the workflow a lot less annoying.
Microsoft Teams can now handle a big part of the transcription job on its own. You can start a live transcript during the meeting, pair it with recording, download the transcript afterward as a .docx or .vtt file, and control who can access it. Microsoft documents the core workflow in its guides for starting and downloading live transcripts, customizing transcript access, and recording storage in OneDrive and SharePoint.
That sounds simple, and mostly it is. The catch is that Teams works best when the meeting already lives inside the Microsoft stack. The moment you need to clean up a rough transcript, work across several meeting platforms, or turn one call into notes, subtitles, and a blog draft, the native tool starts to feel narrow. This guide shows the clean Teams workflow first, then where QuillAI fits better.
What Microsoft Teams transcription can do in 2026
For routine team meetings, Teams covers the basics well. A live transcript can run during the call, participants see a notice when recording or transcription starts, and organizers or co-organizers can download the transcript after the meeting. Microsoft also lets organizers choose whether access is open to everyone in the meeting, limited to organizers and co-organizers, or restricted to specific people. That is a practical improvement if you handle client calls, hiring interviews, or internal leadership meetings with mixed sensitivity.
📝 Live transcript during the meeting
Teams can show a running transcript while people speak, so participants can follow along in real time instead of waiting for recap later.
🎥 Recording and transcript together
When you record a Teams meeting, the transcript can sit alongside the recording, which makes playback and review much less painful.
⬇️ Downloadable files
Organizers and co-organizers can download transcripts as .docx or .vtt, which is useful if you want a readable document and a caption-ready file.
🔐 Access controls
You can decide whether the recording and transcript are open to everyone, only organizers, or a chosen set of people before the meeting starts.
⚠️ Important limitation
Teams transcription is still policy-driven. If your IT admin disabled recording or transcription for your account, the buttons simply will not be there. Check permissions before the meeting, not after the CEO finishes talking.
Microsoft also supports spoken-language settings for live transcription, and transcript owners can generate transcript translations in 100+ languages in Microsoft 365 video workflows. For live translated captions inside Teams events and meetings, Microsoft publishes a separate supported-language list, and the exact experience depends on your license and admin setup. In other words: the language features are strong, but not every Teams tenant gets every option by default.
How to transcribe a Microsoft Teams meeting automatically
1. Start or join the meeting
Open the meeting in the Teams desktop or web app. If transcription is part of your workflow, do not wait until minute 20. Start clean.
2. Open More actions
In the meeting controls, click More actions and then open Record and transcribe. Microsoft uses the same menu for recording and transcription actions.
3. Choose Start transcription or Start recording
If you only need text, start transcription. If you want the full package for review later, start recording too. Microsoft notes that one person can record at a time and everyone in the meeting sees the notice.
4. Set the spoken language correctly
In the transcript pane, open Language settings and confirm the spoken language. This matters more than people think. A wrong language setting quietly wrecks accuracy.
5. Let the meeting run without people talking over each other
This is the unglamorous part, but it matters. Better mic discipline, less crosstalk, and fewer side conversations usually improve the transcript more than any AI magic button.
6. Download the transcript after the meeting
Open the meeting chat or recap, choose Transcript, then download the file as .docx or .vtt. Use .docx for editing and .vtt if you need subtitles.
If you want a broader platform-agnostic workflow, the next step after download is usually the real work: clean the transcript, pull action items, trim filler, and share a readable version. That is where people often hit the wall with native meeting tools. The transcript exists, sure, but it is not yet a usable artifact.
Where Teams stores the transcript after the meeting
Storage is one of those details people ignore until they cannot find the file. According to Microsoft Learn, non-channel meeting recordings and transcripts live in the meeting organizer's OneDrive for Business. For channel meetings, the files are stored in the related SharePoint site and usually surface through the channel's Files tab. Microsoft also notes that if upload to OneDrive fails, the recording can stay in temporary storage for 21 days before it is deleted.
- Non-channel meeting: recording and transcript usually live in the organizer's OneDrive Recordings area.
- Channel meeting: files live in SharePoint and are tied to the team/channel workspace.
- Download path: after the meeting, open chat or recap, then export the transcript as .docx or .vtt.
- Access path: organizers can change who can open the recording or transcript before the meeting starts.
ℹ️ Retention rule worth remembering
Microsoft says meeting transcripts used by Teams audio recap expire after 120 days unless the organizer deletes them sooner. If your team depends on transcripts for compliance or knowledge management, set a retention process instead of assuming the file will sit there forever.
When Teams is enough — and when you should use QuillAI instead
Here is the honest version. Teams is fine when the meeting starts in Teams, stays in Teams, and the only question is, "Can I get the text back later?" For that job, native transcription is convenient. But if your real workflow includes uploaded audio, client videos, webinar replays, YouTube links, or content repurposing, you will outgrow the built-in flow pretty fast.
Use Teams native transcription if:
- Your organization already runs on Microsoft 365 and you want the least-friction setup.
- You mostly need a searchable meeting recap, not a polished deliverable.
- The speakers are internal, the access rules are already managed, and the transcript stays inside the Microsoft environment.
- You need a quick .vtt export for captions on the meeting recording.
Use QuillAI if:
- You want one transcription workflow for Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Loom, uploaded audio, and video links in one web dashboard.
- You need to turn the transcript into something useful: notes, highlights, key points, subtitles, or content assets.
- You share transcripts with people outside your Microsoft tenant and do not want them digging through Teams chat history.
- You often work with recordings after the meeting, not just during it. That is where QuillAI feels more like a production tool than a meeting add-on.
If you are comparing workflows, these related guides help: How to Transcribe Meeting Recordings Automatically, How to Transcribe Zoom Meetings Automatically, and How to Transcribe Google Meet Recordings Automatically. Read those if your team lives in more than one meeting app, because that is usually where the messy decisions begin.
A simple workflow that produces cleaner transcripts
- Set the meeting language before people start speaking.
- Ask speakers to use a headset or decent laptop mic if the meeting matters.
- Keep one person from talking over another whenever possible.
- Download the transcript right after the call while the context is fresh.
- Clean names, jargon, and action items before the transcript gets forwarded around the company.
- If the transcript needs to travel outside Teams, move it into a tool built for editing, sharing, and repurposing.
This last point is the one most teams skip. They think the hard part is getting words off the audio. Usually it is not. The hard part is turning raw text into something another person can actually use. That is why teams start with native transcription and then add a dedicated platform later.
FAQ
Can Microsoft Teams transcribe a meeting without recording it?
Yes. Microsoft provides a separate Start transcription option, so you do not have to record video and screen share just to get the text. Whether you see the option depends on your Teams policy and permissions.
Where do I find the Teams transcript after the meeting?
Open the meeting chat or recap in Teams, then open Transcript. Microsoft says organizers and co-organizers can usually download the file as .docx or .vtt from there.
How long do Teams transcripts stay available?
Retention depends on policy, but Microsoft states that transcripts used for Teams audio recap expire after 120 days unless deleted sooner. If retention matters, set rules instead of relying on the default behavior.
Who can access a Teams meeting transcript?
The organizer can set access to Everyone, Organizers and co-organizers, or Specific people before the meeting begins. That setting helps, but admins and storage permissions can still affect who gets in.
When should I use QuillAI instead of Teams transcription?
Use Teams when you just need a native meeting transcript. Use QuillAI when you want a web platform for transcripts across different sources, cleaner sharing, and post-meeting work like summaries, subtitles, or repurposed content.
Need a transcript workflow that goes beyond Teams? — Upload recordings, process links, and turn raw speech into useful text with QuillAI — the transcription web platform built for real post-meeting work.
