Review access to a Teams recording and transcript

A Teams recording captures audio, video and screen sharing and is stored in OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint, depending on meeting type. A transcript may have its own viewing and editing permissions. A meeting link or attendee list is not a complete map of who can access the saved artifacts. Before distributing a recording of a sensitive meeting, inspect the actual file, its owner, expiration and access settings; guests may require an explicit share.

Before you start​

Confirm that recording and transcription were allowed by your organization and local requirements. Locate the meeting title, date and organizer. Identify which participants need a copy and whether it contains personal or confidential information. If a recording was made unintentionally, follow retention policy rather than deleting evidence without authorization.

Do it step by step​

1. Open the meeting chat or channel conversation after processing finishes and locate the recording. If absent, check the organizer's OneDrive Recordings folder or the relevant SharePoint location.
2. Open the recording's Manage access panel. Review people, groups and links. In a channel meeting, team membership can affect access; in a private meeting, invited and attended users may have viewing access under the applicable settings.
3. Inspect the meeting's Who has access to the recording and transcript option when available. Some audience controls require Teams Premium or a Copilot license; do not assume every organization has them.
4. If the transcript exists, review its permissions separately where Teams offers them. Grant Can view or Can't download where appropriate; avoid edit rights unless a named person must correct the transcript.
5. Check expiration and retention settings. A viewer watching the file does not necessarily reset its expiry. If preserving the record is required, coordinate with the organizer or records team.
6. Test with an intended attendee and, where feasible, an excluded account. Remove broad links or direct grants that exceed the approved audience, and notify recipients of any changed access.

Check the result​

The organizer knows the file location, approved viewers, download or edit rights and expiry. Intended people can access it, while unauthorized recipients cannot through the managed links.

If something goes wrong​

If a guest cannot view the recording, Microsoft may require explicit sharing. If permissions cannot be edited, check ownership and admin policy. If the transcript button or audience setting is unavailable, do not bypass policy with a public file link; ask the organizer or IT.

Know the limit​

Can't download does not prevent screen recording, photographs or copied speech. A transcript may contain recognition errors, so it should not replace a verified record for high-stakes decisions. Deleting one link cannot revoke content already downloaded or copied elsewhere. Teams recording rules Teams transcript permissions