How to Transcribe Microsoft Teams Meetings on Mac (2026)

Microsoft Teams can transcribe your meetings on its own, but the built-in version only goes so far — it needs a Microsoft 365 plan that includes it, it stores the transcript in the cloud, and exporting it cleanly takes a few extra steps most people never find. Here's how to use what Teams already gives you, and what to do instead if you want a transcript that stays on your Mac.

Turning On Teams' Built-in Transcription

1. Start or join a Teams meeting.
2. Click the More options (•••) menu in the meeting toolbar.
3. Select Start transcription. Everyone in the meeting sees a notice that transcription is on. Teams requires this, so don't expect to do it invisibly.
4. When the meeting ends, the transcript is saved to the meeting's chat and, if the meeting was recorded, alongside the recording in Microsoft Stream or OneDrive depending on your organization's setup.

This requires a Microsoft 365 plan with transcription included (not every tier has it), and the transcript lives on Microsoft's servers, tied to your organization's retention policy, not something you control from your Mac.

Exporting a Teams Transcript

Open the meeting chat, find the transcript entry, click the ••• next to it, and choose Download. Teams exports as a .vtt file, a subtitle format with timestamps that's readable in any text editor but not the easiest to skim as prose. Converting it to plain text usually means pasting it into another tool.

A Free, Local Alternative

If you don't have a Teams plan with transcription, don't want the transcript stored in the cloud, or just want speaker labels and a real searchable transcript instead of a .vtt file, Hapi transcribes any Teams meeting directly on your Mac, and the audio never leaves your device. It captures both your microphone and system audio during the call, so it works whether or not Teams' own transcription is available on your plan.

• No Microsoft 365 add-on required
• Works fully offline once the meeting's captured
• Speaker labels included automatically
• Export as plain text, SRT, VTT, JSON, or Markdown

Teams Transcription: Built-in vs. Local

	Teams built-in	Hapi (local)
Requires a paid add-on	Often, depending on plan	No
Where it's processed	Microsoft's servers	Your Mac only
Speaker labels	Yes	Yes
Works without a Teams license	No	Yes
Export formats	VTT only	TXT, SRT, VTT, JSON, Markdown

If you already have Teams transcription on your plan and you're happy exporting .vtt files, the built-in option works fine. If you want a transcript that's private by default, searchable, and doesn't depend on your organization's Microsoft 365 tier, that's what a local tool is for.