# Microsoft Copilot in Teams: Meeting Recap Explained > What Copilot can do in a Teams meeting and after it, what it needs, and how to check a recap, using only Microsoft's own help pages. Free lesson links. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/copilot-teams-meeting-recap · Updated 2026-10-16 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) Quick answer Copilot in Microsoft Teams can summarize a meeting from its transcript, list [action items](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/action-items) and unresolved questions, and answer questions about what was said. Microsoft's help pages say you need a Microsoft 365 license and a [Microsoft Copilot](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/microsoft-copilot) license, and transcription or recording must be on. Whatever Copilot gives you, check it against the meeting, the same routine as in the free [Summarize a Meeting Transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript) lesson. Last updated October 16, 2026 [Take the free module →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/intro-to-ai-automation/3)Module 3 of the free [Intro to AI Automation](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/intro-to-ai-automation) course, about 9 minutes. No account needed. By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) · Published October 16, 2026 · Updated October 16, 2026 · 4 min read Microsoft Copilot · Teams · Meetings Everything about Copilot below comes from Microsoft's own help pages, listed at the end. Features and licensing change, so confirm them on the current pages before you rely on them. ## What does Copilot in Teams need before it works? Copilot needs a transcript to work from. Microsoft's page says Copilot works only from the [meeting transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/meeting-transcript), so transcription or recording has to be turned on. If it is off when you select Copilot, you are asked to turn it on. When too little has been said, Copilot tells you it needs more information before it responds. Two more limits are on Microsoft's page. Copilot is not available if the meeting was created by someone outside your organization, though it still works when external people are only invited. And anyone added to an existing one-on-one call cannot use Copilot. ## How do I use Copilot during a Teams meeting? Select **Copilot** in the meeting controls. It opens in a panel on the right side of the meeting window. You can pick a suggested prompt under **More prompts** or type your own. Microsoft's example prompts include unresolved questions, team members' opinions on a topic and a pros-and-cons table. Copilot also offers help on its own. If you join at least five minutes late to a recorded or transcribed meeting, it offers a summary of the meeting so far. When the meeting is ten minutes from ending, it offers notes and action items. Everyone is told. In meetings and VoIP calls, all participants see a notification that the call is being transcribed. In PSTN calls, all participants hear an announcement that it is being recorded. ## How do I get a recap after a Teams meeting? Select the meeting in your Teams Calendar and open the **Recap** tab in the meeting details. Microsoft's page names the tab but does not describe everything in it, so look at what your own tenant shows. Copilot can format answers as a table, written as a markdown table you can copy and share. That suits an action items list with task, owner and due date, so ask for those columns by name. ## What is a Copilot audio recap? An audio recap is an AI-generated spoken summary of up to 8 meetings that have transcripts. It needs a Microsoft 365 license and a Microsoft Copilot license. Microsoft says transcripts are kept for 120 days unless the organizer deletes them sooner, and you cannot make recaps of older meetings. A generated audio recap is available to you for 60 days, then it expires and is deleted automatically. You start one in Teams from the Meet app's Audio recaps tab, or from a meeting chat's Recap tab or a meeting's details page in Calendar. Microsoft's page states the summary "is generated by AI and should be checked for accuracy." ## How should I check a Copilot recap before I share it? Treat it as a draft. Compare each action item with what was said, and fill in any missing owner or due date yourself. If your request told Copilot to write "Not stated" instead of guessing, the gaps are easy to find. Ask Copilot to update the table once you add them, then read the follow-up email before sending it from your own account. If you do not have a Copilot license, the same checking routine applies to a Teams transcript pasted into any approved assistant. See [Turn a Teams Transcript into Action Items](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/teams-transcript-to-action-items) for that route. ## Which assistant should my team use for meetings? Use the assistant your company pays for and allows. The free [Choose the AI Assistant Your Team Should Use](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-vs-copilot-same-task) lesson tests ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot on the same task, and [Use AI at Work Without Leaking Client Data](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/safe-ai-at-work-what-not-to-paste) covers what never goes in. For other tools, see [Claude: Summarize a Meeting Transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/claude-summarize-meeting-transcript) and [Turn a Meeting Transcript into Action Items](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/meeting-transcript-to-action-items). ## Where can I practice and find templates? Practice the checking routine on [Summarize a Meeting Transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript) or [Summarize a Client Meeting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-client-meeting-recap-accounting-firm). If you need formal minutes rather than a recap, use the [AI meeting minutes template](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/ai-meeting-minutes-template). The glossary entry for [meeting transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/meeting-transcript) explains the record Copilot reads from. ## Where do these facts come from? All Copilot facts above are from Microsoft support pages, read on October 16, 2026: - [Welcome to Copilot in Microsoft Teams](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings-events/welcome-to-copilot-in-microsoft-teams) - [Listen to audio recaps of your meetings](https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/teams/copilot/listen-to-audio-recaps-of-your-meetings) ## Key takeaways - Copilot in Teams works from the meeting transcript, so transcription or recording must be on. - Microsoft's pages say you need a Microsoft 365 license and a Microsoft Copilot license. - Open Copilot from the meeting controls during a meeting, or the Recap tab in the meeting details afterward. - Audio recaps cover up to 8 meetings with transcripts, which Microsoft keeps for 120 days. - Microsoft says AI summaries should be checked for accuracy, so check owners, dates and numbers before sharing. ## Frequently asked questions **Does Copilot in Teams need the meeting to be recorded?** It needs transcription or recording to be on. Microsoft's page says Copilot works only from the transcript and asks you to turn it on if it is off. **Where do I find the Copilot recap after a meeting?** Select the meeting in your Teams Calendar and open the Recap tab in its details. **Can Copilot list action items?** Yes. Microsoft's page lists action items, perspectives by topic and unresolved questions among what Copilot can produce. **Is a Copilot summary always accurate?** No. Microsoft's audio recap page says the summary is generated by AI and should be checked for accuracy. ## Build it yourself, free **Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT**. Paste a long meeting transcript into ChatGPT and get the decisions, an action items table with owners and due dates, and a follow-up email ready to send. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/chatgpt-meeting-summary) [Or read the full step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript) ## Free lessons in this post - [Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript): Paste a long meeting transcript into ChatGPT and get the decisions, an action items table with owners and due dates, and a follow-up email ready to send. - [Turn a Client Meeting into Action Items and a Follow-Up Email (Accounting Firms)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-client-meeting-recap-accounting-firm): Turn the transcript of a client's quarterly review into the decisions, an action items table with owners and due dates, and a follow-up email to the client. - [Choose the AI Assistant Your Team Should Use, Tested on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-vs-copilot-same-task): Give one real office task to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, check each answer on the facts, and pick the one to use at work. - [Use AI at Work Without Leaking Client Data using ChatGPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/safe-ai-at-work-what-not-to-paste): Turn off model training, strip a tenant's bank details and address out of a prompt, then catch the two promises ChatGPT made up before the reply goes out. ## Watch it in a free lesson: Choose the AI Assistant Your Team Should Use, Tested on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot ### Same Task, Four Assistants: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Copilot: video walkthrough Full walkthrough · 1:51 · with captions Give one real office task to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, check each answer on the facts, and pick the one to use at work. The whole lesson narrated step by step, recorded in Stepthrough’s simulated practice environment. [Watch it with chapters and the full transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-vs-copilot-same-task#watch) From the free lesson [Choose the AI Assistant Your Team Should Use, Tested on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-vs-copilot-same-task) ## Related terms Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Action items](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/action-items) · [Microsoft Copilot](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/microsoft-copilot) · [Meeting transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/meeting-transcript) · [Accrual accounting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/accrual-accounting) · [AI assistant](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-assistant) · [AI governance](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-governance) · [AI note-taker](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-note-taker) · [AI policy](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-policy) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Related prompts - [Action items table prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/action-items-table-prompt): Paste a meeting transcript or rough notes and get a table of every task, owner and due date, with "Not stated" wherever nobody… - [AI assistant answer scorecard prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/ai-assistant-answer-scorecard-prompt): A prompt that checks four AI assistants' answers to the same task against your own facts and fills a scorecard, so you can pick… - [AR aging summary prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/ar-aging-summary-prompt): Turn an accounts receivable aging report into a one-page summary for the owner: what is overdue, who owes the most, and which… - [Budget request memo prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/budget-request-memo-prompt): Write a one-page memo asking for next year's budget: the problem, the amount, what it buys, the options you weighed and how… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) ## More terms on this topic [Fixed asset](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/fixed-asset) · [Voicemail transcription](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/voicemail-transcription) ## More prompts on this topic - [Meeting request email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/meeting-request-email-prompt): Ask a busy client, vendor or partner for a meeting: what it will settle, a short agenda, a set length and real times, so saying… - [One-on-one meeting prep prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/one-on-one-meeting-prep-prompt): Prepare a one-on-one from your notes: what you owe them from last time, specific wins, questions that let them talk first, and… ## Visual guides The same ideas as quick visual guides: swipe through the slides, or read each one as text. - [Turn a client meeting into action items and a recap email](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/accounting-not-stated-dates): Most missing client documents start as a request said in a meeting and never written down with a date. - [ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Copilot: One Task, Compared](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/chatgpt-claude-gemini-copilot-same-task-compared): A visual guide to the same office task in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot: what each one added, what to check, and how to pick the one for work. - [Meeting notes myth: “summarize this” is all ChatGPT needs](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/summarize-this-myth): Myth: paste a transcript, type “summarize this”, done. Fact: ask for the decisions, an action items table with owners and dates, and open questions. [All visual guides](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual) ## Keep reading - [AI Meeting Minutes Template (Copy and Paste)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/ai-meeting-minutes-template): A fill-in meeting minutes template plus an AI prompt that fills it from a transcript, with Not stated for gaps. Works in ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot. - [Meeting Minutes vs Notes vs Summary: Which Do You Need?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/meeting-minutes-vs-meeting-summary): Meeting minutes are the formal record, notes are your own, a summary is the short version. When to use each, with examples and ChatGPT prompts. - [Google Meet Transcript to Action Items with ChatGPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/google-meet-transcript-to-action-items): Turn a Google Meet transcript into action items with ChatGPT: where Meet saves the Google Doc, what to copy, and the request that avoids made-up deadlines. [All blog posts](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog) · [All free tutorials](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content)