How to Record and Transcribe a Teams Meeting Without a Bot

Microsoft Teams can record and transcribe meetings if your account and the meeting settings allow it. If those options aren't available to you, an app on your own computer can do it instead. It records the audio and makes a transcript without joining the meeting as a bot.

Whichever way you go, tell everyone in the meeting before you start.

Meetily Community is free and open source. It runs on Windows and Mac, transcribes on your own computer, and never joins the call as a bot. Download Meetily.

Can Microsoft Teams record and transcribe a meeting on its own?

Yes. Teams has its own tools for recording meetings and making transcripts. Whether you can use them depends on your account, your permissions and the organizer's company settings.

A recording is a video or audio file. A transcript is the words people said, with their names and timestamps. When you start a recording, Teams starts the transcript too, as long as transcription is allowed. You can also start a transcript without recording.

How do I start recording or transcription in Teams?

Do this during the meeting. It takes three steps.

Step 1: Select More (the three dots)

Select More (the three dots) in the meeting controls.

Step 2: Open Record and transcribe

Open Record and transcribe to see the recording options.

Step 3: Choose Start recording or Start transcription

Choose Start recording for a recording and a transcript. Choose Start transcription for a transcript only. In the version we tested, Start transcription made a text transcript without a video file.

If you choose Start recording, Teams asks which language people are speaking and what to record: video and audio, or audio only. Then it starts the recording and the transcript.

Your menu may look a little different, because Microsoft moves things around between versions. Microsoft's guide to recording a meeting(opens in new tab) has the current steps.

Do I need Copilot or Teams Premium to transcribe a meeting?

No. Transcription is a standard Teams feature, and it's turned on by default. You don't need Copilot or Teams Premium just to get a transcript. Your company can still turn it off. See Microsoft's page on transcription and captions(opens in new tab).

Teams transcription is AI speech-to-text, and the transcript panel says so: "AI-generated content may be incorrect." Copilot and Teams Premium add an intelligent recap(opens in new tab) on top, with AI notes, tasks and mentions.

If your company turns transcription off, your recordings won't come with a transcript.

Where is my Teams recording saved, and how long is it kept?

For a regular meeting, Teams saves the recording to the organizer's OneDrive. For a channel meeting, it goes to the channel's SharePoint site. See Microsoft's page on meeting recordings(opens in new tab).

Recordings expire after 120 days by default, and admins can change that. In the company account we tested, Teams showed 60 days. Read about recording expiration(opens in new tab).

How do I download a Teams transcript?

1. Open the meeting chat.
2. Go to Recap.
3. Find Transcript and select Download.
4. Choose .docx (a Word file) or .vtt (a subtitle file).

By default, only the organizer and co-organizers can download it. If you need a copy, ask the organizer to share it or to make you a co-organizer.

Can you transcribe a Teams meeting without recording it?

Yes. Pick the option that matches what you need:

• Start transcription only. Teams saves a transcript but no video.
• Use Copilot "only during the meeting". You can ask Copilot questions during the call, and no transcript is kept afterward. It needs a Copilot license, and your admin has to allow it.
• Turn on live captions. Words appear on screen as people talk, but nothing is saved.
• Record on your own computer. A desktop app captures the call audio and turns it into text on your computer.

Start transcription only

Select More → Record and transcribe → Start transcription. Teams saves the transcript in the meeting's Recap, but it doesn't make a video file. Everyone in the meeting is told that transcription has started.

Use Copilot "only during the meeting"

If your company has Copilot and your admin allows it, the organizer can open Meeting options → Copilot and other AI and choose Only during the meeting. You can ask Copilot about the call while it's happening, but no transcript is kept afterward. See Microsoft's page on Copilot in Teams meetings(opens in new tab).

Turn on live captions

Live captions show the spoken words on your screen. Anyone in the meeting can turn them on for themselves from the More menu. They make a call easier to follow, but you can't read them later, because Teams doesn't save them. See Microsoft's page on live captions(opens in new tab).

Record on your own computer instead

A desktop app can record the sound playing on your computer, plus your microphone, and turn it into text. It doesn't join the meeting, so there's no bot in the participant list. This helps when Teams' own options are locked for you. Here's the step-by-step guide.

Why won't Teams let me record or transcribe?

Usually it's one of these:

• You're a guest, or you're joining from another company.
• The organizer or your IT team turned recording or transcription off.
• You're on the free version of Teams.
• Copilot is turned off for that meeting. When an organizer turns Copilot off, recording and transcription go off too.
• It's a one-to-one Teams call, not a meeting. Calls follow a separate admin setting, and recording and transcription are off there by default.
• Your meeting-notes bot is blocked or stuck in the lobby.

To see the exact reason, hover over the lock icon on Start recording. Your account needs permission, and the organizer's company decides what's allowed. See Microsoft's help page for recording problems(opens in new tab).

Recording is grayed out because I'm a guest or from another company

This is the most common reason. When you join a meeting run by another company, Teams locks Start recording and Start transcription for you. The message says: "Unavailable to people in a different org from the organizer."

You can't change this from your side. Ask the organizer to record the meeting, or to share the transcript afterward.

My organizer or IT team turned it off

Admins can turn recording or transcription off for everyone, or only for some people. Organizers can also limit recording to themselves and presenters, so an attendee may be locked out even inside their own company. If the options are missing or gray in your own company's meetings, ask the organizer or your IT team.

One-to-one Teams calls work differently from meetings. They follow the calling policy, where recording and transcription are both off by default, so an admin has to turn them on. See Microsoft's list of Teams settings(opens in new tab).

If your company turned recording off on purpose, don't try to get around it. Check the policy before you use another app.

I'm on the free version of Teams

Teams Free, for personal accounts, works differently. Microsoft says you need a paid Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium plan to record meetings. Its help pages cover live captions for Teams Free, but not saved transcripts. See recordings in Teams Free(opens in new tab).

My meeting-notes bot is stuck in the lobby or blocked

Many meeting assistants join the call as a bot. By default, Teams keeps bots it recognizes in the lobby until someone lets them in. See managing external bots(opens in new tab).

Microsoft is also rolling out an admin setting in October 2026 that blocks these bots completely. It stays off unless an admin turns it on. See the Message center notice MC1459141(opens in new tab) (an unofficial mirror of Microsoft's admin notices).

An app that records on your own computer doesn't join the meeting, so it never waits in the lobby.

Step-by-step: Recording and transcribing locally without a bot

Use a desktop app that records your computer's audio and transcribes it on the same computer. This guide uses Meetily Community.

You need a Mac with Apple Silicon, or a Windows PC with an x64 processor that supports AVX2.

Step 1: Tell everyone you're recording

Before you start, tell the people in the meeting. You could say:

"I'm recording the audio on my laptop so I can take notes."

Say it at the start of the call, or post it in the meeting chat. Teams won't announce it, so this part is up to you. Check your company's recording policy too.

Step 2: Install Meetily Community (free and open source)

Download Meetily from meetily.ai/downloads and install it like any other app. You don't need an account.

The install guide has screenshots for Windows and Mac. The code is on GitHub(opens in new tab).

Step 3: Allow microphone and system audio access

Meetily needs two things:

• Your microphone, to hear you.
• System audio, to hear everyone else in the Teams call.

Allow both when the app asks.

On a Mac, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording. Under System Audio Recording Only, turn on meetily.

Step 4: Wait for the models to download

The first time you open Meetily, it downloads a speech-to-text model of about 670 MB, then a summary model. This takes a few minutes, once.

After that, transcription runs on your computer, with nothing more to download.

Step 5: Start recording, then join the Teams call

Select the red microphone button to start recording. Then join the Teams meeting in the desktop app or your browser. That way you don't miss the start of the call.

Each time you start recording, Meetily reminds you to tell everyone. Once you have, select I've Notified Participants.

The words show up in the transcript as people speak. Meetily isn't in the call, so nothing changes in the Teams participant list.

Step 6: Read the transcript and make a summary

When the meeting ends, stop the recording and select Generate Summary. Meetily writes a summary with key decisions, action items and discussion highlights.

Under AI Model, you choose what writes the summary: the built-in local model, a model on your computer through Ollama, or your own API key for a provider such as OpenAI or Anthropic.

Step 7: Copy your notes

Select Copy above the transcript or the summary. Then paste it into your notes, an email or your task tracker. The summary keeps its formatting.

If only one side is recorded, or you hear an echo

• Only the other people are recorded: Meetily is missing microphone access, or it's listening to the wrong microphone. On a Mac, check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. If you use a headset, pick its microphone in Settings → Recording.
• Only your voice is recorded: system audio access is missing. See Step 3.
• Echo or doubled voices: wear headphones, so your microphone doesn't pick up your speakers.
• Bluetooth headset on a Mac: update Meetily to the latest version. Version 0.4.1 fixed a Bluetooth microphone issue.
• Wrong microphone or speakers: pick the right ones in Settings → Recording.

Will participants know if I record or transcribe a Teams meeting?

If Teams records or transcribes, Teams tells everyone in the meeting. If you record on your own computer, Teams shows nothing, because no bot joins and Teams didn't start the recording.

So you need to tell people yourself. Meetily reminds you each time you start.

What participants see when Teams records

Teams shows a notice when recording or transcription starts, and the meeting chat notes who started and stopped it. Here's what the person who started it sees:

Admins can also turn on a setting that asks people to agree before they're recorded. It's off by default. See Microsoft's page on participant agreement(opens in new tab).

What happens when I record on my own computer?

Nothing appears in the Teams meeting. There's no new participant, banner or chat message. The recording stays on your computer.

When should I ask first, or stop recording?

Follow your company's rules and the laws where the people in the meeting are. Ask first if the meeting covers HR, legal, health or customer matters, or if people from outside your company are on the call. Stop if someone objects.

What is the best way to record a Teams meeting?

If you're allowed to record in Teams, that's usually the simplest way. If you can't, recording on your own computer is a good fallback, as long as the people in the meeting agree and your company allows it.

Which one fits:

• You're allowed to record in Teams: use Teams' own tools.
• You want help during the call but no saved transcript, and you have Copilot: use "only during the meeting".
• You're a guest, or recording is locked for you: ask the organizer to record or share the transcript. If everyone agrees and your company allows it, record on your own computer.
• Your IT team blocks meeting bots: a desktop recorder works, because it doesn't join the call.
• Your company turned recording off on purpose: ask IT first. Don't assume another app is allowed.

What should IT teams know about recording on your own device?

A desktop recorder such as Meetily doesn't join meetings as a bot. It doesn't need calendar access, and it doesn't send anything to the people in the meeting. It records the computer's audio, and transcription runs on that computer by default.

For summaries, people can use a local model or add their own API key. With an outside AI provider, the transcript text goes to that provider to make the summary.

So meeting audio doesn't have to go to a meeting-notes company. But it's still a recording, so your recording policy, consent rules and data-retention rules apply. IT teams that block meeting bots often want a clear rule for desktop recorders too. For more, see compliant meeting notes without a bot.

Try it on your next Teams call

Meetily Community is free and open source, and it works with Teams on Windows and Mac. It doesn't add a bot to the call, and you don't need an account.

Want speaker labels? Meetily Pro adds speaker identification, so each person gets a name in the transcript. It can also spot when a meeting starts. You can try it free for 14 days without paying.