Microsoft Teams transcription: what admins control and what organizers see
Whether anyone can start a transcript in Teams is set by meeting policy in the Teams admin center. Here is what that setting covers and the questions to answer before you change it.
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Key takeaways
- Teams meeting policies, set in the Teams admin center, control whether users can start transcription.
- Graph-based note-takers can only read transcripts that Teams already created, so the policy gates them too.
- Decide scope, guest notice, app access and retention before enabling it broadly.
Transcription is a policy decision
In Microsoft Teams, transcription and live captions are governed by meeting policies that admins manage in the Teams admin center. If the policy that applies to a user does not allow transcription, that user cannot start one in their meetings.
Because third-party note-takers that use Microsoft Graph read transcripts Teams has already produced, this one setting also decides whether those integrations have anything to read.
Questions to answer before you switch it on
| Question | Who decides |
|---|---|
| Which users or groups get transcription? | IT, with legal or compliance for regulated teams |
| Should external guests be told separately? | Legal or privacy |
| Which apps may read transcripts via Graph? | IT, through admin consent |
| How long are transcripts kept? | Records management |
Tell people before the first transcribed meeting
Teams shows a notice when transcription starts, but a policy change that suddenly enables it for a department deserves an announcement of its own.
Frequently asked questions
Can a meeting organizer turn transcription on if the policy blocks it?
No. The meeting policy assigned to the user determines whether the option is available.
Does enabling transcription automatically share transcripts with apps?
No. Apps need their own permissions, granted through admin consent, to read transcripts through Microsoft Graph.
