A Beginner's Guide: How To Record Microsoft Teams Meetings
Microsoft Teams has become one of the most popular platforms for meetings, video calls, and collaboration in businesses across the UK.
With the shift to remote and hybrid working, the ability to record your Teams meetings has become invaluable.
Whether you need to revisit the discussion, share with absent colleagues, or ensure accurate meeting minutes, recording your Teams meetings is a great way to improve productivity.
For those new to Microsoft Teams, the recording function can seem daunting, so we’ve prepared a simple, step-by-step guide to get you started:
Pre-Meeting Preparations
Before recording a meeting, it’s important to notify participants in advance and get their consent.
You can do this directly or by sharing that it will be recorded in the meeting invite.
Explain what the recording will be used for – whether it’s for reference, training, or sharing with others who couldn’t attend.
On your Teams calendar entry for the meeting, toggle the “Record meeting” switch to “On.” This will enable recording automatically when you start the meeting.
You can also choose whether to record a separate audio and video file or just one combined file.
The separate files allow more flexibility for sharing and streaming just one part of the recording later if needed.
Test Your Setup
It’s a good idea to test that your equipment can record a Teams meeting properly in advance.
We recommend setting up a test meeting and checking that your microphone, headset, and camera are working correctly.
Make sure the audio levels are audible but not too loud. Position your camera so it captures you appropriately. Test sharing your screen and system audio, too.
Familiarise yourself with where the recording controls are located in Teams so you can pause, resume, and stop the recording as required.
Starting The Recording
Once you begin the Teams meeting, recording will start automatically if enabled in your calendar entry. You will see a small “Recording” text on the top menu bar to confirm it has commenced.
Participants will also receive a notification that the recording has started. Make sure to give them a moment to react and voice any concerns before proceeding.
During The Recording
Carry on with your meeting as normal. Mute/unmute and turn cameras on and off as required. All audio and video will be captured in the recording.
Speak clearly and audibly for anyone who will watch the recording later. Avoid side conversations and excessive noise that could make parts hard to understand.
If you need to pause the recording temporarily, select “More options” then “Pause recording.” Resume recording when you are ready.
You can check the recording status and pause/resume at any time by clicking the three dots next to your profile picture.
Ending And Accessing The Recording
Once your meeting ends, stop the recording manually via the controls. You can also end it when closing the meeting. The recording will then process automatically.
It may take a few minutes for Microsoft Stream to finalise the file after you end the meeting. You’ll get an email notification when it is ready to view.
To access the recording, open the Teams meeting chat or calendar entry again. Scroll down to the Posts section, where you will see the recording available.
Click on the video file to play it back directly in Teams. You can also download it to your device for sharing or backing up.
Managing Your Recordings
Recordings are saved to Microsoft Stream, which has tools for editing, sharing, and setting permissions. You can trim the start and end, blur backgrounds, auto-generate captions, and more.
In Stream, you can create channels to organise your recordings by team, project, or subject. Manage which groups or individuals can view each video.
Additional Tips For Success
Here are some additional tips for getting the most out of recording your Microsoft Teams meetings:
- Use a headset for best audio quality and minimum background noise
- Adjust camera framing to showcase visuals or speakers properly
- Remind participants to mute when not speaking to reduce interference
- Test recording network sharing and system audio for demos
- Edit long recordings in Stream to extract key sections
- Add automatic captions in Stream for accessibility
- Share via Stream links or embed to control access
- Download and back up important recordings
- Train others on recording policies and procedures
Our Final Word
Recording your Teams meetings can be beneficial for meeting minutes, sharing the meeting with colleagues who couldn’t attend, and much more.
You can get the most out of your Teams meeting recordings with proper setup, planning, and communications.
Just follow these tips, and you’ll be up and running in no time!
Did you know we are a Microsoft Teams specialist? Reach out if you’d like to chat about using Teams for your business.
Further reading: Microsoft Teams Tips For Beginners.