AI notes in Microsoft Teams: Copilot vs third-party note takers

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In Teams, the question usually isn't "which app is best". It's "what has my IT admin turned on, and what does my license include". Microsoft's own AI notes need specific licenses and transcription settings, and outside note-taker bots now meet a lobby by default when Teams detects them. Here's what Microsoft's pages say, as of 2026-10-25.

Quick answer

• Your company already has Microsoft Copilot licenses (Microsoft's older pages call it Microsoft 365 Copilot): use Copilot in the meeting. Microsoft says each participant with a Copilot license can ask it questions during the meeting, and with transcription on, after it too.
• Your company has Teams Premium but not Copilot: look for intelligent recap (AI notes and suggested tasks) on the Recap tab after the meeting. Microsoft says it needs transcription turned on.
• Neither license: Teams transcription is an admin policy setting. Ask IT whether your plan and policy allow it. If they do, you can read the transcript afterward, and the AI summary has to come from somewhere else.
• You want an outside note taker (Fireflies, Otter, Notta and others): when Teams detects it, expect it to wait in the lobby until someone admits it, and some organizations block bots outright.
• You'd rather not send a bot: a bot-free app records from your own computer. Check your company's policy first. See note takers that don't send a bot.

What Microsoft says each option needs (as of 2026-10-25)

We didn't check Microsoft Copilot or Teams Premium prices for this page. Ask your IT admin what your organization's plan already includes before buying anything.

How Copilot and transcripts work in a Teams meeting

From Microsoft Learn (Manage Microsoft Copilot in Teams meetings and events):

• Organizers choose a Copilot mode in meeting options: "During and after the meeting", "Only during the meeting", or Off.
• "During and after" needs a transcript. Once someone starts transcription, licensed users can use Copilot during and after the meeting.
• "Only during" doesn't save the speech-to-text data after the meeting ends. Microsoft notes that, depending on your organization's Microsoft Purview retention policies, Copilot prompts and responses might still be kept for compliance.
• Turning Copilot off also turns off recording and transcription for that meeting.
• Not in end-to-end encrypted meetings, per Microsoft.
• Saved transcript by default: Microsoft says the default admin setting requires a saved transcript for Copilot, and organizers can't change it unless the admin picks another setting.

From Microsoft Learn (meeting recording policies):

• Where recordings go: to the organizer's OneDrive for private meetings, or SharePoint for channel meetings.
• Who can watch: Microsoft says people invited to the meeting have permission to view the recording. Guests and external attendees can view it only if it's explicitly shared with them.
• Consent prompt: admins can turn on a policy that requires participants to give explicit consent before they're recorded or transcribed.

Outside note-taker bots in Teams

Microsoft says Teams admins can now automatically block identified external bots from joining meetings through Teams meeting policies (Teams admin release notes, September 23, 2026). It's an admin setting, so it depends on the organization hosting the meeting. By default, Microsoft says Teams detects bots and holds them in the lobby until someone admits them. Microsoft also says some bots may not be detected.

What that means in practice:

• Your bot may sit in the lobby. If you're the organizer, you (or a presenter, depending on settings) have to admit it.
• Other companies' meetings follow their rules. If you join a customer's or partner's Teams meeting, their admin's setting decides whether your bot gets in.
• Bot-free isn't a loophole. A bot-free app doesn't show up in the meeting, so nobody gets a notice. Many companies have policies on recording tools whether or not a bot joins. Ask IT first, and tell people yourself.

Compare the outside tools on price and free limits in AI meeting note takers. For sales teams that need CRM sync, see AI note takers for sales calls.

Privacy and consent

Recording laws: tell people first. Federal law and most states let you record a conversation you're part of. About 11 states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, generally require everyone's consent, and a few states mix the rules. Oregon, for example, requires that everyone in an in-person conversation be told it's being recorded, while phone calls need one person's consent (RCFP guide, ORS 165.540). If people are in different states, the stricter law may apply. Rules outside the US differ too, and many employers, schools and clinics have their own policies. A meeting bot showing up in the participant list is a notice, not consent. The same goes for a "this call may be recorded" greeting: it may not tell people that an AI service is transcribing or summarizing the call, so name the AI note taker when you ask. This is general information, not legal advice. If you're unsure, ask a lawyer where you live.

A simple way to ask. Start recording first, so your announcement is captured on the recording (Washington law requires that). Then say:

"Quick heads-up: I'd like to record this and use an AI note taker to transcribe it, so I don't miss anything. The recording and notes are stored with [tool name]. Is everyone OK with that?"

Wait for a clear yes from each person. If anyone says no, stop and delete what you captured. For meetings with outside guests, also put a line in the invite: "This meeting may be recorded and transcribed by an AI note taker. Let me know beforehand if you'd prefer it isn't."

• Microsoft's own tools keep data in your Microsoft 365 setup. Recordings and transcripts sit in OneDrive or SharePoint under your organization's permissions and retention rules, per Microsoft. Microsoft says prompts and responses aren't used to train the underlying large language models.
• Outside tools keep their own copy. A third-party bot or bot-free app stores the audio and notes with that vendor. Fireflies' pages give different answers on training: its pricing page says "Your data is never used for AI training", while its security page also says "We don't train on it by default" (checked 2026-10-25). Check before uploading sensitive calls. Granola says anonymised data from Basic (free) and Business may be used for its own models by default, with a per-user opt-out. Read the vendor's privacy page first.
• Health data: don't record patient information without a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) from the vendor.

What we did and didn't do

We read the Microsoft Learn pages, Microsoft's Copilot business page and the vendor pages below on 2026-10-25. We didn't use Copilot, Teams Premium or any note taker in a Teams meeting, and we don't have admin access to a Teams tenant, so we can't say how these settings look in your organization.

Sources (checked 2026-10-25)

• Microsoft Learn, Manage Microsoft Copilot in Teams meetings and events (updated 2026-08-28): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/copilot-teams-transcription
• Microsoft Learn, Intelligent recap for Teams calls, meetings, and events (updated 2026-10-15): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/intelligent-recap-calls-meetings
• Microsoft Learn, Manage transcription and captions for Teams meetings (updated 2026-08-18): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/meeting-transcription-captions
• Microsoft Learn, Recording and transcription overview (updated 2026-08-18): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/recording-transcription-overview
• Microsoft Learn, Manage Teams recording policies (storage, who can view, explicit consent; updated 2026-08-18): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/meeting-recording
• Microsoft Teams admin release notes (entry dated September 23, 2026): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/teams-admin
• Microsoft Learn, Manage external bots in Teams meetings (updated 2026-07-20): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/manage-external-bots
• Microsoft Learn, Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft Copilot (training statement, product name; updated 2026-10-08): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-privacy
• Microsoft Copilot for business (Copilot Chat vs Copilot license): https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/business
• Fireflies pricing: https://fireflies.ai/pricing
• Fireflies security (training statements, checked 2026-10-25): https://fireflies.ai/security
• Otter pricing: https://otter.ai/pricing
• Notta pricing: https://www.notta.ai/en/pricing
• Granola pricing: https://www.granola.ai/pricing
• Granola model training help: https://docs.granola.ai/help-center/consent-security-privacy/model-training
• Bluedot pricing: https://www.bluedothq.com/pricing
• RCFP recording guide: https://www.rcfp.org/introduction-to-reporters-recording-guide/
• Oregon ORS 165.540: https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_165.540

Changes

• 2026-10-25: page first written. Teams licensing, Copilot modes, recap, recording permissions and the bot policy checked on Microsoft's own pages; vendor rows on the vendor pages in Sources.
• 2026-10-25: legal review fixes. Uses Microsoft's current name (Microsoft Copilot), drops an unsourced transcription-license claim, adds the bot-detection caveat, the saved-transcript default and dated Microsoft Learn sources.
• 2026-10-25: Fireflies training line now shows both of Fireflies' statements.
• 2026-10-26: standard consent block now adds that a "this call may be recorded" greeting may not tell people an AI service is transcribing or summarizing the call.
• 2026-10-27: Granola's free plan named Basic, as on Granola's pricing page.