Who has access to my teams transcript and where is the data stored?

Hi @Jo, 

Welcome to the Q&A Community 

I’m here to assist with your problem. 

I will reply to each of your bullet points so you can understand more clearly: 

Point 1: Storage location of Teams Meeting transcripts: 

Microsoft Teams meeting transcripts are automatically generated when transcription is enabled during a meeting (either live or with recording). As of the full rollout completed by mid-August 2024, transcript storage has been standardized across all scenarios to ensure consistency and better management. Here's the definitive breakdown: 

• For Private Meetings (1:1, group calls, or ad-hoc meetings not tied to a channel): Transcripts are stored in the meeting organizer's OneDrive for Business account, typically in a "Recordings" folder. This includes meetings with transcription only (no recording) or those with both recording and transcription enabled. Previously, transcription-only meetings saved transcripts in the organizer's Exchange Online mailbox, but this has been migrated to OneDrive for unified access, retention, and deletion. 
• For Channel Meetings (meetings scheduled in a Teams channel): Transcripts are stored in the team's SharePoint site, either in a "Recordings" folder (with full access for channel owners) or a "Recordings\View only" folder (restricting members to view-only access, no downloads or edits), depending on the organization's policy settings (e.g., via the -ChannelRecordingDownload policy). 

Transcripts are saved as .VTT or .DOCX files and are subject to the same storage quotas and retention policies as other OneDrive/SharePoint files. They may expire automatically based on admin-configured policies (default is 60 days, but customizable), after which they move to the Recycle Bin for 93 days before permanent deletion, unless overridden by Microsoft Purview retention rules. For compliance-heavy environments, transcripts can be searched and held via eDiscovery in the Microsoft Purview portal. 

Refer to: Microsoft Teams transcripts are only available for download by the organiser, not the participants - Microsoft Q&A 

Teams meeting recording and transcript storage and permissions in OneDrive and SharePoint - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 

Admins- Manage transcription and captions for Teams meetings - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 

Manage Teams recording policies for meetings and events - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn  Point 2: Who has access to Teams Meeting transcripts: 

Access to transcripts follows the permissions model of OneDrive and SharePoint, with built-in safeguards for privacy and compliance. Microsoft emphasizes that transcripts are treated as sensitive data, and organizations can enforce consent requirements before transcription starts (e.g., via the "Require participant agreement for recording and transcription" policy, which logs consent in audit reports). Here's who typically has access: 

• Meeting Organizer/Co-Organizers: Full control by default. They own the transcript file and can view, edit, download, share, or delete it directly from Teams, OneDrive, or SharePoint. They can also customize sharing settings, such as restricting access to specific people or setting expiration dates. 
• Meeting Participants (Internal): View and download access by default if they were invited to the meeting. They can access the transcript via the Teams meeting recap (in the chat or calendar), but the organizer can revoke this or set it to "People currently in my organization" or "Specific people." For channel meetings, all channel members have at least view access, but downloads/edits can be blocked for non-owners. 
• External Participants/Guests: No automatic access. They can only view or download if the organizer explicitly shares the transcript file (e.g., via a share link). Without sharing, they won't see it in their Teams app. 
• IT Admins and Compliance Officers: Broad access for management purposes. They can configure global policies (e.g., enabling/disabling transcription, setting expiration, or requiring consent), apply retention policies via Microsoft Purview, and search/retrieve transcripts through eDiscovery or audit logs. However, they don't have direct file access unless granted via permissions or compliance tools. 
• Other Considerations:  

1. Transcripts may be used by AI features like Copilot for summaries or insights, but access remains tied to the underlying file permissions. 
2. In Teams Premium or with Copilot, additional controls allow managing access to AI-generated insights from transcripts. 
3. Privacy policies can be customized at the organization level, and all access is logged for auditing. 
4. No one outside the organization (including Microsoft employees) has routine access; data is protected under Microsoft's privacy commitments, but subject to legal requests or compliance holds. 

Refer to: Customize who can access a recording or transcript in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support 

Play, share, and download a meeting recording in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support 

Edit or delete a meeting transcript in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support 

For the most tailored advice, check your organization's specific Teams policies in the Microsoft Teams admin center, as admins can customize storage and access settings. If you're an admin, use PowerShell or the admin center to verify configurations. 

If these steps don't resolve it, check for error messages and search them in the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant tool, or contact Microsoft support via the admin center (they can review your tenant for specific conflicts). Your data should remain safe in OneDrive/SharePoint during this process. 

We appreciate your kind patience and understanding that sometimes the initial response may not immediately resolve the issue or there may be some misunderstandings about your scenario, but we would love to hear updates from you and find out further suggestions.  Thank you for your kindness and understanding. If you need anything else, please feel free to contact me.  

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