A man working in front of a laptop.

How to Transcribe Microsoft Teams Meeting Recordings & Live Transcription

2022-09-136 mins

If you've ever considered transcribing a Microsoft Teams meeting by hand, it can seem like a daunting task. You can end up with a fruitless endeavor if you constantly have to rewind the video repeatedly.

A better alternative is to have the meetings transcribed in real time by AI. Then you can focus on being present with your guests. You'll also have access to an accurate record of what guests say afterward. 

This article will discuss how to set up live transcription in Microsoft Teams. We'll also explain connecting cutting-edge transcription services to your meetings. Then we'll cover the benefits of using these services.

How to Enable Live Transcription in Microsoft Teams

You will need a Business or Enterprise license for Teams to use live transcription. If you do not have this license, we’ll look at other ways to get a transcript of your meeting below. If you do have an eligible subscription for Teams, here’s how to enable it:

Step 1: While your meeting is in progress, click ‘More’ (‘...’).

Step 2: Click ‘Start Transcription.’ to begin the live transcription for your meeting.

Red rectangles around the three dots and Start transcription option on Microsoft Teams.

Via Microsoft

How to Review and Edit Your Teams Recording

Sometimes you'll want to watch and edit your video before transcribing it. You need a paid Microsoft Enterprise or Business account to access meeting recordings. If you don't have a license, don't worry, we'll discuss how to work around that later. If you do, here's how to play and edit your Teams recordings:

Download and play your Microsoft Teams Recording:

Step 1: From the Teams Dashboard, click 'Chat.'

Step 2: Find the meeting you want to watch and click 'Play.' This will bring up the video in a new tab.

The Recording of a meeting.

via Content Office

Step 3: If you want to download the video, click 'Download' on the toolbar at the top.

A red arrow points to the Download option to download Microsoft Teams meeting recording.

via Saginaw Valley State University

Edit your Microsoft Teams Recording:

There are a variety of tools you can use to edit the video. The best free options are:

● YouTube's Web-Based Video Editor

● OpenShot Video Editor

● iMovie (Mac Only)

For this guide, we'll use YouTube:

Step 1: Follow the steps above to download your Teams recording.

Step 2: Go to YouTube and click 'Create'. We will be uploading the video as private, then once we edit it, we will download it.

Step 3: Upload your video. Select 'Private' at the end.

Step 4: You will then be brought to your Creator Studio. Refresh the page, and your video will appear. Click on your video.

A red rectangle around the video you want to edit with YouTube editor.

Step 5: Click ‘Editor’.

A red rectangle around the Editor option on Youtube.

Step 6: Click ‘Trim & Cut’.

A red rectangle around the Trim & Cut option on YouTube video editor.

Step 7: Drag the sliders to create the start and end points for your video.

A red rectangle around the Save option.

Step 8: When you’re done editing, click ‘Save’.

A red rectangle around the Save option.

Step 9: This notification does not apply to us because we will be downloading the video and not showing it to anyone. Just click ‘Yes’.

A red rectangle around the Save option on the pop up Window.

Step 10: Click ‘Content’ on the toolbar to the right.

A red rectangle around the Content option.

Step 11: Click on ‘Options’ (‘...’) next to your video. Then click ‘Download’.

A red rectangle around the Download option on YouTube Editor.

Now you have your edited Teams video.

How to Transcribe Teams Meeting Recordings with Notta

Chances are, if you have a Teams recording, you also have a transcript. That transcript may not be the best quality though. It may have too many errors to correct without watching the video. In this case, we’ll transcribe the meeting after recording it. If you want to have a professional quality transcription, we’ll show you how to create one with Notta:

Step 1: Login to your Notta Dashboard.

Step 2: On the toolbar to the right, click ‘Import Files’.

A red rectangle around the Import Files option on Notta.

Step 3: Upload your file.

The upload file interface of Notta.

Step 4: Close the upload window after your video is done uploading. Once it’s done transcribing, click on your transcript.

The video you would like to transcribe with Notta

Step 5: View and edit your transcript to your liking.

The transcript of the uploaded video.

How to Automate Recording and Transcribing Teams Meeting with Notta Robot

You can also send a Notta robot to record and transcribe your meeting in real time. It allows you to get a highly accurate meeting transcript without being present. Here’s how to use the robot to automate your meeting transcription:

Step 1: While the meeting is in progress, click ‘Show Participants’ on the toolbar at the bottom.

A red rectangle around the Participant icon on Microsoft Teams.

Step 2: On the window that appears to the right, click ‘Share invite.’

A red rectangle around the Share invite option.

Step 3: Click ‘Copy meeting link.’

A red rectangle around the Copy meeting link option.

Step 4: Login to your Notta Dashboard. 

Step 5: Click ‘Join Live Meeting’ on the toolbar to the right.

A red rectangle around the Join Live Meeting option.

Step 6: Paste the link to your Teams meeting in the box. You can also give your robot a name in the second box that appears. Then click ‘Transcribe Now.’

A red rectangle around the Transcribe Now button on Notta

Step 7: You will see the robot appear under ‘People’ in your Teams meeting. The host may have to allow the robot to join.

A red rectangle around the transcribing recording on Notta.

Step 8: You will also see ‘New Record from Microsoft Team’ on your Notta Dashboard. Click on it to watch the robot transcribe the meeting in real time.

Transcript of the live Microsoft Team meeting.

Step 9: Click ‘Stop’ to remove the robot from the meeting and save the transcript. The robot will automatically save the transcript when the meeting ends as well.

Transcript of the live Microsoft Team meeting.

Why Choose Notta as a Microsoft Teams Meeting Transcription Tool?

Notta offers the convenience of meeting transcription tools you can use at your desk. It also provides multilingual services, it's highly accurate, and is easy to navigate. 

With multi-terminal synchronization, the meeting transcripts will sync to all your devices. The audio recordings will sync with the transcript. When anyone listens to the recording, they have a written transcript side by side. They will also anchor to timestamps from the audio transcript.

Because of Notta's multilingual services, you can select different languages for each transcript. You may prefer to translate from Spanish and someone else from French or Japanese.

You need to attend your meeting. But you also have another session simultaneously and can't be present for both. Or, you're not feeling any meetings today but want all the notes on a particular project. That's where the Notta robot can help!

You can send the Notta robot to transcribe one meeting while you attend the other. Then you can just read the transcript from the other meeting when you have time. Or you can take the day off and let Notta sit through all the appointments! You can easily double or triple your efficiency at work by signing up for a free account.

FAQ

Where Does Microsoft Teams Save Recordings?

Teams saves the recording in two locations, depending on the type of meeting. It will choose either OneDrive or Sharepoint by default. Teams will save recordings to Sharepoint by default if it's a Channel meet. Teams will send all other recordings to OneDrive.

Where Are Teams Transcripts Stored?

Transcripts will appear in the Recording and Transcripts tab in chat. You can download the transcript from this tab. Teams is storing them in the account of the Organizer. If you did not start the meeting, you could contact them, and they may be able to send it to you.

Does Teams Offer Free Transcription?

No, Teams does not offer transcription for free. You will need an Enterprise or Business account to record or transcribe a meeting. These accounts come with a monthly fee which is dependent on your company size.

Why Isn’t My Teams Transcription Working?

Live Transcription may be working just fine. However, it's not visible to you. To see the transcript, click on 'Show Transcript' under the 'More' menu. You can scroll up and down to view all past conversations.

A red arrow points to the Show transcript option on Microsoft Teams.

Via Allthings.how

Is Teams Transcription Any Good?

Microsoft Teams is about 78% accurate. It’s also available in dozens of languages, including English, Dutch, Japanese, and German. Those transcribing meetings where the transcript could be evidence may find it unusable. You'll still need a human transcriptionist for a detailed account of that situation. The Teams transcription will work fine if you're transcribing your weekly book club.

Final Thoughts

Whether transcribing recordings or doing live transcription, you'll need the right tools. We hope this guide helps you get set up and transcribe like a pro. With the power of Microsoft Teams and Notta, your meetings can be more productive than ever.