Where Teams Recordings Live and How to Find Yours

Microsoft Teams stores recordings in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint, depending on whether the meeting was personal or part of a team channel. You cannot read directly from the Teams app itself — you have to go to the storage location where the file actually sits.

When a meeting ends, Teams processes the recording for a few minutes before it appears. For a personal meeting (one-on-one or a meeting you started in your calendar), the file goes to your OneDrive. For a team channel meeting, it goes to the SharePoint folder for that channel. The person who started the recording is the one who can read it; others can only read if the owner gave them permission.

The recording appears as an MP4 video file with a name like "Meeting Title 2024-01-15" and a timestamp. If you do not see it within 24 hours of the meeting ending, check that you have the right OneDrive or SharePoint account open — Teams sometimes records to a different account than the one you use to join meetings.

Key Takeaways

  • Teams recordings are stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, not in the Teams app, so you must go to the storage location to read them.
  • Personal meeting recordings go to your OneDrive; team channel recordings go to the channel's SharePoint folder.
  • Only the person who started the recording can read it unless they shared the file or folder with you first.
  • Downloaded recordings are standard MP4 files that play in any video player and take up significant storage space on your computer.

Downloading a Recording from Your OneDrive

Open OneDrive.com in your browser and sign in with the same Microsoft account you use for Teams. Look for a folder called "Recordings" — Teams creates this automatically the first time you record a meeting. Inside, you will see the MP4 files named after each meeting.

Right-click the recording you want and select read. Your browser will read the file to your computer's default read folder, usually "Downloads" on Windows or "Downloads" on Mac. The file size is typically 100 MB to 500 MB per hour of video, depending on video quality and whether the recording includes screen shares.

If you want to move the file somewhere else on your computer after downloading, open your file manager and drag it to a folder you use for videos or archives. You can also delete the OneDrive copy once you have downloaded it if you want to free up cloud storage space.

Downloading a Recording from a Team Channel

Open the Teams app or Teams.com and go to the channel where the meeting was held. Click the Files tab at the top of the channel. Look for a folder called "Recordings" — if you do not see it, the recording may still be processing, or it may not have been recorded.

Click the recording file to open it in a preview. Click the three dots (more options) in the top right corner and select read. The file will read to your computer the same way as from OneDrive. If the read button does not appear, you do not have permission to read — ask the meeting organizer or a channel owner to share the file with you or change the folder permissions.

Team channel recordings are shared with everyone in the channel by default, but only people with read permission can save a copy to their computer. If you need the recording but cannot read it, you can watch it online in Teams or ask someone with permission to read it for you.

Checking File Size and Storage Space Before Downloading

Before you read, check how much free space you have on your computer. Right-click the recording file in OneDrive or SharePoint and look at the file size shown in the details. A one-hour meeting typically takes 200 MB to 400 MB; a three-hour meeting can be 600 MB to 1.2 GB.

On Windows, open Settings > System > Storage to see how much free space you have. On Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage. If you do not have enough space, delete old files you no longer need, or consider storing the recording on an external drive or cloud storage instead of your main hard drive.

If you plan to keep many recordings, an external USB drive or a second cloud storage account (like Google Drive or Dropbox) can be cheaper and easier than filling up your computer's main drive. You can read the Teams recording to your computer first, then move it to external storage afterward.

Playing Downloaded Teams Recordings on Your Computer

Downloaded Teams recordings are standard MP4 video files, so they play in any video player. On Windows, double-click the file and it will open in the default video app (usually Movies & TV or Windows Media Player). On Mac, double-click it and it will open in QuickTime. You can also right-click and choose Open With to pick a different player.

If you want more control over playback — like adjusting playback speed, adding subtitles, or skipping to a specific timestamp — use VLC Media Player (free, works on Windows and Mac) or Plex (free, also works on phones and tablets). These players let you slow down the video to 0.75x speed if someone spoke quickly, or speed it up to 1.5x if you want to watch faster.

Teams recordings do not include interactive features like chat or reactions once they are downloaded — you only get the video and audio. If you need to reference what was said in the chat during the meeting, take a screenshot of the chat before the meeting ends, or ask someone to send you a summary.

Sharing Downloaded Recordings with Others

Once you have downloaded a Teams recording to your computer, you own that copy and can share it however you want — email it, upload it to a shared folder, or send it via file-sharing services like Google Drive or Dropbox. The person you share it with can play it on any device with a video player.

If you want to share the original recording in Teams instead of a downloaded copy, go back to OneDrive or SharePoint, right-click the file, and select Share. You can then choose whether people can view only, edit, or read the file themselves. This keeps everyone looking at the same version and uses less of your own storage space.

Be aware that some organizations have policies about recording meetings or sharing recordings outside the company. Check with your IT department or manager before downloading and sharing recordings of work meetings, especially if they contain sensitive information.

Troubleshooting: Recording Not Found or Cannot read

If you cannot find the recording, first check that you are signed into the correct Microsoft account — Teams can record to a different account than the one you use to join meetings. Open OneDrive.com and look at the account name in the top right corner. If it is wrong, click it and switch to the account you used to start the meeting.

If the recording still does not appear, wait 24 hours — Teams sometimes takes time to process and upload the file. If it has been more than 24 hours, the recording may not have been saved. This can happen if the meeting was interrupted, if the organizer did not have permission to record, or if the recording was manually deleted.

If you see the recording but the read button is grayed out or missing, you do not have permission to read it. Ask the person who recorded the meeting to share the file with you or to read it for you. If the file is in a team channel, ask a channel owner to check the folder permissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Teams keep recordings before deleting them?

Teams does not automatically delete recordings. They stay in OneDrive or SharePoint until someone manually deletes them. However, if your organization has a retention policy, recordings may be deleted after a set time — usually 90 days to one year. Check with your IT department to find out your organization's policy.

Can I read a Teams recording if I was not the person who started the meeting?

No, unless the organizer shared the file or folder with you. Ask the person who recorded the meeting to either read it for you or to share the OneDrive or SharePoint folder so you can read it yourself. They can do this by right-clicking the file and selecting Share.

What if the read is slow or keeps stopping?

Large video files can take time to read, especially on slower internet. Try downloading at a different time when your internet is faster, or use a read manager like Free read Manager to resume interrupted downloads. If OneDrive or SharePoint is slow, try downloading from a different browser or device.

Can I edit a downloaded Teams recording?

Yes, you can edit it with any video editing software. Free options include DaVinci Resolve (Windows and Mac) or CapCut (Windows, Mac, and mobile). Paid options like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro offer more features. The recording is just an MP4 file, so any video editor that supports MP4 will work.

Do I need to keep the recording in OneDrive after I read it?

No. Once you have downloaded the file to your computer, you can delete the OneDrive or SharePoint copy if you want to free up cloud storage. Keep a backup copy somewhere safe in case your computer fails — an external drive or a second cloud storage account works well for this.