✅ Issue Summary: "Start recording" button is grayed out, locked, or completely missing during meetings
✅ Root Causes: Copilot disabled, restrictive meeting options, guest/external accounts, licensing issues, or policy restrictions
✅ Quick Fix: Check meeting options for Transcription and Who can record and transcribe settings, verify Copilot is enabled, then review policies, storage location, and licenses in order
- Rejoin via
teams.microsoft.com(web) and retry Record and transcribe. - Make sure you’re not a Guest/External; rejoin with an account from the same organization.
- Ask the organizer: Meeting options → Recording & transcription → Transcription = On.
- Ask the organizer: Copilot → Allow Copilot = On (if Off, recording/transcription buttons are disabled).
- Relax Who can record and transcribe to Organizers & co-organizers (add Presenters if available), then rejoin.
Table of Contents
Common Causes
- Policy/Role Restrictions: Meeting recording is disabled in organizational policy, or the meeting option "Who can record and transcribe" is restricted to organizers/co-organizers only.
- Licensing/Identity Issues: User lacks a qualifying work or education Microsoft 365 license, or is joining as a guest/external user from another organization.
- Storage/Environment Problems: OneDrive/SharePoint storage policies (expiration/retention/capacity) or client version/cache issues blocking the recording from starting.
Where Most People Get Stuck
During a meeting, when you click More (...) → Record and transcribe and see a lock icon, there's usually a permission/policy tooltip explaining the reason.
Most of the time, the issue can be resolved immediately by assigning the organizer role or adjusting meeting options based on what the message says.
| What the tooltip says | Do this now |
|---|---|
| “Only organizers can record” | The organizer starts recording or promotes you to co-organizer, then rejoin. |
| “Recording disabled by policy” | Ask admin: Admin center → Meetings → Meeting policies → Recording & transcription → Meeting recording = On |
| “Guests can’t record this meeting” | Rejoin with an account from the same organization, or ask a user from the same organization to start recording. |
| “Transcription is off” | Organizer: Meeting options → Recording & transcription → Transcription = On, then retry. |
Comparison Table by Cause
| Cause | Description | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Policy Disabled | Meeting recording turned Off in Teams admin center policy | Ask admin to enable Meeting policies > Recording & transcription > Meeting recording |
| Meeting Option Restrictions | Who can record and transcribe is too restrictive for this meeting | Organizer expands options to Organizers, co-organizers (and presenters if available)
(Presenter option requires Teams Premium or Copilot license) |
| Guest/External User | Users from outside the organization or guests cannot start recording by default | Ask a user from the same organization to start recording, or switch accounts |
| Incompatible License | Missing work/education Microsoft 365 license (organizer or recorder must have valid license) | Verify supported licenses (e.g., Business Basic/Standard, E1/E3/E5, A3/A5, etc.) |
| Storage/Expiration Policy | Default expiration (default 120 days, changeable by org policy), retention policy, or folder permission issues | Check org expiration/retention settings and folder permissions; adjust policies if needed |
| Copilot Off Blocking Recording | When Allow Copilot=Off in meeting options, recording/transcription buttons are disabled (hidden/locked) | Organizer turns on Meeting options > Copilot and other AI > Allow Copilot |
Troubleshooting Steps
1️⃣ Steps Participants Can Try Immediately
Recording/transcription menus often get disabled due to participant-side issues. Start by checking these basic items that you can resolve on your own.
- All users Restart Teams and update to the latest version. If the issue persists, try accessing via
teams.microsoft.comin a web browser. - All users Verify you're not using a guest/external account and rejoin with an account from the same organization.
- All users During the meeting, check More (
...) →Record and transcribemenu. If you see a lock icon, read the tooltip message for details.
2️⃣ Settings Organizers Need to Check
Meeting organizers can directly control recording and transcription permissions through the options menu. These settings are often disabled by default and need to be enabled.
- All users Ask the organizer to open Meeting options:
Calendar > (select meeting) > Meeting options > Recording & transcription. - Organizer only Turn Transcription to On.
- Organizer only Copilot: Set Allow Copilot = On in Meeting options → Copilot and other AI. If Off, recording/transcription buttons are disabled. Rejoin after changing.
- Organizer only Set Who can record and transcribe? appropriately for your environment: Organizers, co-organizers (and presenters if available).
(Presenter option appears with Teams Premium or Copilot license) - Organizer only Adjust Automatic recording/transcription to On/Off based on your organizational policy. (Turn Off if not needed)
3️⃣ Admin Policy & License Verification
Recording features can be restricted due to policy blocks or license mismatches. The items below require administrator privileges.
For admins: policy, licenses, expiration (open if needed)
- Admin only Verify licenses: Both organizer and recorder must have work/education Microsoft 365 accounts. (Presenter permission option appears with Teams Premium or Copilot license)
- Admin only Cloud recording policy On:
Teams admin center > Meetings > Meeting policies > Recording & transcription > Meeting recording = On - Admin only Check/adjust Default expiration policy. (Default is 120 days; changes apply only to recordings created after the policy update)
- Admin only If policy isn't taking effect, sign out, sign back in, and restart Teams.
- All users Check storage location: Non-channel meetings → organizer's OneDrive
Recordingsfolder / Channel meetings → team's SharePointRecordingsfolder.
※ For 1:1 or group calls, unlike meetings, recording files are saved to the Recordings folder in the OneDrive of the user who started the recording.
Quick Check That Often Solves It
Designating a co-organizer from the same organization ahead of time allows recording to start immediately even if the organizer is unavailable. If issues persist, try using the web version (Edge/Chrome) instead of the desktop client to reduce client-dependent variables.
Case: Recording button shows, but start/upload fails
This is typically caused by storage location permissions, expiration, or capacity policy issues.
- Check access permissions for the OneDrive/SharePoint Recordings folder.
- Verify organizational default expiration (default 120 days) and check for retention policy conflicts.
- Confirm client restart/re-login after recent policy changes.
If upload to OneDrive/SharePoint fails, the recording may be kept in temporary storage for up to 21 days. The organizer needs to re-upload or download as guided.
Exceptions & Workarounds
If the meeting was scheduled via Graph API with AllowRecording=False, the button will be hidden for all attendees. The organizer must enable the option and create a new meeting.
Quick Q&A
Can I start meeting recordings with a free Teams account?
Basic recording requires a work or education Microsoft 365 license. Accounts without supported licenses or guests cannot start recordings.
Can someone start recording even if the organizer isn't present?
If meeting options/policies allow, co-organizers/presenters can start recording. However, they must be from the same organization.
Where are recording files saved?
Non-channel meetings save to the organizer's OneDrive Recordings folder; channel meetings save to the team's SharePoint site Recordings folder.
Final Checklist — 5-Step Quick Resolution Summary
- Retry with web client (eliminate client variables).
- Check for guest/external account status and rejoin with same-organization account.
- Relax Who can record and transcribe in meeting options (Presenter option requires Premium/Copilot).
- Verify organizer and recorder license support.
- Confirm admin policy (Meeting recording = On) and policy propagation completion.
- Only one person can record at a time.
FAQ
What should I check first when the recording button is grayed out or locked?
Hover over the button to view the tooltip. It will show the cause as text, such as policy, role, or account issues.
Why does recording start or stop automatically?
Webinar/town hall templates have automatic recording enabled by default. Turn it off in meeting options if not needed.
Will recording fail to start if storage is full?
Depending on organizational expiration/retention/capacity policies, uploads or display may be delayed or fail. Check OneDrive/SharePoint policies and folder permissions.
References
The following official documentation provides direct evidence for meeting recording prerequisites (policy, role, license) and storage locations.
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