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Recording Microsoft Teams Meetings with Vinyl

This guide explains how to set up, start, manage, and troubleshoot recordings of your Microsoft Teams meetings using Vinyl.

Clarenz Miralles avatar
Written by Clarenz Miralles
Updated over a month ago


Recording Your Microsoft Teams Meetings

Once you've connected Vinyl to your Microsoft 365 account, you're ready to start recording your Teams meetings. This guide covers the entire process from scheduling to accessing your recordings.
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Ways to Record Microsoft Teams Meetings

Vinyl offers two methods to record your Microsoft Teams meetings:
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1. Schedule in Advance (Recommended)

This method ensures Vinyl is prepared to join and record your meeting:

  1. In your Vinyl dashboard, go to the Calendar tab

  2. Find your Microsoft Teams meeting in the calendar view

  3. Toggle the recording switch to ON

  4. Optionally, click the meeting to configure:

    • AI summary preferences

    • Participant notification settings

    • Custom speaker names

Pro Tip: For recurring meetings, you can set Vinyl to record every instance or select specific occurrences.
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2. Record an Active Meeting

If a meeting has already started:

  1. In your Vinyl dashboard, click Record Now

  2. Select "Microsoft Teams" as the platform

  3. Paste the Teams meeting link from your meeting

  4. Click "Join and Record"

  5. Vinyl will attempt to join your meeting as a participant

  6. You may need to admit Vinyl from the lobby, depending on your meeting settings

Before the Recording Starts

Participant Notification

It's both a legal requirement and good practice to inform participants when recording:

  1. Automated Notifications: Vinyl can send an email to all participants before the meeting, notifying them about the recording. Configure this in your meeting recording settings.

  2. In-meeting Announcement: When Vinyl joins your Teams meeting, participants will see a new attendee. Additionally, you should:

    • Verbally announce that the meeting is being recorded

    • Explain how the recording will be used

    • Give participants an opportunity to leave or turn off their camera if uncomfortable

Legal Compliance

Recording laws vary by location. In general:

  • One-party consent jurisdictions require only one participant (you) to consent to recording

  • All-party consent jurisdictions require everyone to be informed and consent

Always err on the side of caution by getting explicit consent from all participants.
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Teams-Specific Setup

For the best experience with Microsoft Teams:

  1. Meeting Options:

    • Set "Who can bypass the lobby?" to "Everyone" or "People in my organisation and guests" to ensure Vinyl can join without manual admission

    • Ensure "Allow microphone for attendees" is enabled
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  2. External Participants:

    • If your organisation restricts guest access, work with your IT admin to ensure Vinyl can join

    • For highly secure meetings, you may need to add [email protected] to the meeting invite directly

During the Recording

Identifying an Active Recording

When Vinyl is recording your Microsoft Teams meeting:

  1. Vinyl appears as a participant named "Vinyl Recording Assistant" (or your custom name)

  2. Unlike Teams' native recording, there is no persistent recording indicator, so it's important to inform participants verbally

Managing Meeting Lobby

If Vinyl is waiting in the lobby:

  1. You'll see a notification at the top of your Teams meeting

  2. Click "Admit" to allow Vinyl to join the meeting

  3. Once admitted, Vinyl will begin recording automatically

Best Practices for Quality Recordings

For optimal transcription and summary quality:

  1. Clear Audio

    • Use a good quality microphone or headset

    • Find a quiet location with minimal background noise

    • Mute when not speaking
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  2. Speaker Clarity

    • Speak at a moderate pace

    • Avoid talking over others

    • Introduce yourself before speaking in larger meetings
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  3. Meeting Structure

    • Start with introductions for better speaker identification

    • Clearly state agenda items and transitions between topics

    • Explicitly state decisions and action items

Managing the Recording in Progress

During the meeting, you can:

  1. Stop Recording Early

    • Locate Vinyl in the participant list

    • Right-click on Vinyl's name (or use the three-dot menu)

    • Select "Remove" to end the recording

    • You can re-invite Vinyl later if you wish to resume recording

Special Microsoft Teams Scenarios

Recording Teams Channel Meetings

For meetings scheduled in a Teams channel:

  1. Ensure Vinyl is connected to the Microsoft 365 account of a participant

  2. Toggle recording ON for the meeting in the Vinyl dashboard

  3. If the channel has restricted access, you may need to:

Working with External Participants

When recording meetings with participants outside your organisation:

  1. Ensure your Teams tenant settings allow external participants

  2. Be aware that some organisations block recording or third-party applications

  3. Consider sending a pre-meeting notification about recording to external participants

  4. Be prepared to explain Vinyl's role if external participants have questions

Large Teams Meetings

For meetings with many participants (15+):

  1. Schedule the Vinyl recording well in advance

  2. Consider adding Vinyl as a presenter in webinar-style meetings

  3. Ask the meeting organiser to admit Vinyl promptly if it's held in the lobby

  4. For very large meetings, notify participants about recording in the meeting invitation

Recording with Teams Breakout Rooms

Currently, Vinyl has limitations with breakout rooms:

  1. Vinyl can only record the main meeting room

  2. When breakout sessions begin, Vinyl will remain in the main room

  3. For important breakout discussions, consider:

    • Recording each breakout separately using multiple Vinyl instances

    • Scheduling breakouts as separate meetings

    • Having key points repeated in the main room after breakouts conclude

After the Meeting

Processing Time

After your Microsoft Teams meeting ends:

  1. Vinyl will automatically leave when the meeting ends

  2. Processing begins immediately

  3. Typical processing times:

    • Transcription: 1-5 minutes (depending on meeting length)

    • Summary: 3-10 minutes

    • Full processing: Usually complete within 15 minutes of meeting end

Accessing Your Recording

To find your completed recording:

  1. Check your email for the notification (if enabled)

  2. Or go to your Vinyl dashboard and look under "Recent Recordings"

  3. Click on the meeting to access:

    • AI-generated summary

    • Full transcript with speaker identification

    • Audio recording

    • Action items and key points

Post-Meeting Editing

After processing, you can:

  1. Edit the Transcript

    • Correct any transcription errors

    • Identify unlabeled speakers

    • Add comments or highlights
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  2. Customise the Summary

    • Edit or expand the AI-generated summary

    • Add additional key points

    • Adjust action items
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  3. Share the Results

    • Send to meeting participants

    • Export to your documentation system

    • Generate a shareable link with custom permissions

Troubleshooting Teams Recording Issues

Lobby Access Problems

If Vinyl gets stuck in the lobby:

  1. Check Meeting Settings

    • Verify "Who can bypass the lobby" settings in Teams

    • Ensure your organisation allows guest access
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  2. Manual Admission

    • Look for the lobby notification in your meeting

    • Manually admit Vinyl when it attempts to join
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  3. Pre-emptive Solutions

    • Add [email protected] directly to the meeting invitation

    • Ask your IT admin to whitelist Vinyl in your Teams settings

Audio Quality Issues

If your transcript has accuracy problems:

  1. Teams-Specific Audio Settings

    • Check if "High fidelity music mode" was enabled (this can affect speech clarity)

    • Verify that all participants had microphone permissions

    • Check if noise suppression settings were appropriate

  2. Network and Connectivity

    • Poor internet connection can degrade Teams audio quality

    • Consider wired connections for important meetings

    • Ask participants to close bandwidth-heavy applications

Vinyl Didn't Join the Meeting

If Vinyl fails to join your Teams meeting:

  1. Check Calendar Integration

    • Verify your Microsoft 365 Calendar is connected in Vinyl settings

    • Ensure the meeting has Teams conferencing enabled
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  2. Check Meeting Settings

    • Confirm the recording toggle is set to ON for this meeting

    • Verify the meeting hasn't been cancelled or rescheduled
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  3. Security Restrictions

    • Some organisations have strict security policies that may block Vinyl

    • Check with your IT department about third-party app restrictions

    • Verify that guest access is enabled for your Teams meetings

Recording Ended Prematurely

If Vinyl left the meeting before it concluded:

  1. Check for Internet Disruptions

    • Temporary connection issues might have disconnected Vinyl
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  2. Verify Meeting Details

    • Ensure the scheduled meeting duration was accurate

    • Check if the meeting was extended beyond its scheduled time
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  3. Rejoin the Meeting

    • Use "Record Now" to add Vinyl back to an active meeting

    • Copy the Teams link and use the direct recording option

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is Vinyl different from Teams' built-in recording feature?
A: Vinyl provides AI-generated transcriptions, summaries, and action items, while Teams' recording primarily captures video/audio. Vinyl also identifies speakers and makes the content searchable.
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Q: Can I use Vinyl in Teams meetings where I'm not the organiser?
A: Yes, any participant can add Vinyl to record a meeting, though you should inform the organiser and get consent from participants.
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Q: Will participants see a "recording" indicator like with native Teams recording?
A: No, Teams doesn't show an indicator for third-party recording tools. This is why verbally informing participants is essential.
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Q: Does Vinyl work with all types of Teams meetings?
A: Vinyl works with regular scheduled meetings, channel meetings, and most recurring meetings. It has limited functionality with webinars and doesn't support Teams Live Events.
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Q: Can I record Teams meetings on my mobile device?
A: Yes, but you need to schedule the recording through the Vinyl web dashboard first. Vinyl will join automatically even if you're on the Teams mobile app.
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Q: How do I record an instant Teams meeting that wasn't scheduled?
A: Use the "Record Now" feature in your Vinyl dashboard to add Vinyl to an active Teams meeting by pasting the meeting link.
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Q: Does Vinyl work with Teams phone calls or one-on-one chats?
A: Vinyl is designed for Teams meetings, not direct calls or chat sessions.
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Q: Will Vinyl work with Teams in GCC, GCC High, or DoD environments?
A: Vinyl has limited support for standard GCC environments. Please contact Vinyl support for information about GCC High or DoD compatibility.
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Need More Help?

If you're experiencing issues with Microsoft Teams recordings, contact our support team:

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