How to Take Meeting Notes in Microsoft Teams?

It can be tough to keep up with everything discussed in a meeting, especially when trying to note key points while staying fully engaged. With meetings packed into our schedules, manual note-taking can become a challenge. It’s not only time-consuming but also prone to mistakes, especially when trying to capture key action items or ideas in real time.

This is where Microsoft Teams can help. With the introduction of AI-generated notes, Teams has taken the hassle out of manual note-taking. This feature automates note-taking based on meeting discussions, making it easier to stay organized, collaborate in real-time, and focus on the conversation rather than scribbling down every word.

In this guide, we’ll explore how AI-generated notes can simplify your meeting experience. From setting up notes in advance to collaborating during the meeting and refining them afterward, we’ll walk you through each step. 

What Are AI-Generated Notes in Microsoft Teams?

AI-generated notes are an advanced feature in Microsoft Teams that automatically captures key discussion points, tasks, and action items during meetings. Using AI transcription, Teams converts meeting discussions into written notes in real time.

These notes are accessible to all participants (except external attendees) and can be edited during and after the meeting, ensuring a collaborative and organized approach to note-taking.

AI-generated notes offer a significant upgrade from traditional manual note-taking. Instead of worrying about typing every detail, the AI listens to the conversation and captures what’s important. These notes help ensure nothing is missed, giving you an accurate summary of the meeting, along with clear tasks and action items for follow-up.

Once the meeting ends, the AI-generated notes are saved in a Microsoft Loop page, allowing anyone involved in the meeting to edit and update them as needed. This feature enhances the meeting experience by promoting collaboration and clarity, reducing the need for post-meeting catch-ups.

How to Add AI-Generated Notes to a Meeting Invite

If you’re preparing for an upcoming meeting, you can add AI-generated notes right from the start. Here’s how:

Scheduling a Meeting with AI-Generated Notes:

1. Go to your Teams Calendar.

2. Click on New Meeting to create a meeting invite.

3. Turn on the toggle next to the AI-generated notes icon in the meeting details section.
4. Once enabled, AI-generated notes will automatically be turned on for the meeting, and transcription will begin once the meeting starts.

Important Reminder: AI-generated notes can only be added to scheduled meetings. They won’t work for channel meetings, instant meetings, or Teams calls.

By adding AI-generated notes to your meeting invite, you’re already ensuring that real-time transcription begins as soon as your meeting starts, capturing key points from the get-go.

How to Add AI-Generated Notes During a Meeting

Once your meeting starts, it’s time to turn on the AI-generated notes if you haven’t done so already. Here’s how:

1. During the meeting, click on the AI notes in Teams chat option.

2. Select the Copilot sparkle icon to turn on AI-generated notes.

3. You’ll notice the Notes icon will change to an AI-generated notes icon, indicating the feature is active.

Real-Time Notes Generation: AI-generated notes will begin to appear a few minutes after the meeting starts, based on the live discussion captured in the transcript. Notes will continue to update automatically as long as the transcript remains on.

For Mobile Users: Mobile participants can see the live notes being generated, but only organizers or presenters on web/desktop can toggle the AI-generated notes on or off.

This feature ensures that key points and action items are captured in real-time, leaving you to focus on the discussion rather than worrying about missing something.

How to Turn Off AI-Generated Notes During a Meeting

Sometimes, you may want to stop the AI from transcribing once the meeting has progressed. Here’s how:

1. Click on the AI-generated notes icon in the meeting controls.

2. Toggle it off to stop AI-generated notes.

Impact: Turning off the AI-generated notes will halt transcription. However, any notes that were already captured will remain in place. This allows you to stop AI-generated notes while still keeping the valuable information already documented.

How to Review AI-Generated Notes After a Meeting

After the meeting, you’ll want to review and collaborate on the notes. Here’s how to access them:

1. Go to Chat in Teams and find the relevant meeting chat.

2. At the top of the chat, click on Recap to access the meeting summary.

3. Select the AI-generated notes icon to open the meeting notes stored in the Microsoft Loop page.

Editing and Collaborating: The AI-generated notes stored in Loop can be edited by all meeting participants. You can update the notes as needed, add new action items, or provide clarifications on previous discussions. The AI Summary Tab provides a full-transcript summary of the meeting, ensuring nothing gets lost in translation.

This feature ensures that meeting notes are always up to date and accessible for follow-up actions.

Benefits of AI-Generated Notes in Microsoft Teams

Apart from freeing us from the stress of manual typing, AI-generated notes offer several other key benefits:

• Organization: The AI captures the most relevant points, tasks, and deadlines in real-time.
• Collaboration: All participants can access, edit, and add to the notes, ensuring a collaborative environment.
• Efficiency: Automating the note-taking process allows participants to focus on the discussion, improving productivity.
• Access: Notes can be easily shared, accessed, and edited within the Teams platform or via Microsoft Loop, making collaboration seamless.

By using AI-generated notes, you can ensure that your meetings are well-organized, productive, and aligned.

Limitations and Considerations

While AI-generated notes offer many advantages, there are some limitations to be aware of:

• Access Restrictions: External participants cannot access or edit AI-generated notes.
• Feature Availability: AI-generated notes are currently part of the public preview program and may change before the official release.
• Platform Compatibility: Only Microsoft 365 Copilot users can enable AI-generated notes, and the feature is limited to scheduled meetings.

These limitations should be considered when planning your meeting note-taking strategy, particularly if your team involves external participants or is using older versions of Microsoft Teams.

Step-by-Step Guide to Manage Meeting Notes in Microsoft Teams

If you prefer to manage notes manually, here’s how you can use Teams to organize your meeting notes effectively:

1. Start Notes Before the Meeting: Set clear expectations by adding an editable agenda to the meeting invite.

2. Add or Change Meeting Notes in an Existing Meeting: You can modify or add to notes as the meeting progresses, with real-time updates.

3. Access Notes During the Meeting: Use the Notes button to access meeting notes and collaborate in real-time.

4. Access Notes After the Meeting: Review and refine the notes via the Recap feature in the Teams calendar.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your meeting notes are organized, easily accessible, and shared with the right participants.

Tips for Effective Note-Taking in Microsoft Teams

To make your note-taking in Teams even more effective, keep these tips in mind:

• Stay Organized: Structure your notes using bullet points, headings, and bold text.
• Collaborate: Encourage participants to add their insights by tagging them with @mentions.
• Use Tags: Tag action items or agenda items (e.g., #marketing, #followup) for easy reference.
• Refine Notes: Always review and edit your notes after the meeting to ensure they’re accurate and complete.

By following these tips, you can create a more efficient and collaborative note-taking process in Teams.

Enhance Meeting Efficiency with Clockwise

While taking notes in Microsoft Teams helps you stay organized during and after meetings, the scheduling process can still present a challenge. With busy schedules and back-to-back appointments, finding the right time to meet can feel like a puzzle. That's where Clockwise comes in. By automatically optimizing your calendar, it helps you schedule meetings with less effort and more efficiency.

Clockwise is a powerful tool that ensures meetings are scheduled during the most productive times, minimizing overlap and reducing the constant shuffle between tasks. 

Here’s how Clockwise works alongside Microsoft Teams to boost productivity:

1. Automated Meeting Scheduling for Stress-Free Note-Taking

Clockwise takes the hassle out of managing your schedule by automatically finding time slots that work best for you. It ensures that meetings are spaced out, giving you time to reset and focus between calls. 

This allows you to fully immerse yourself in each meeting, whether preparing, participating, or taking notes. Instead of juggling back-to-back calls, you’ll have the breathing room to stay engaged and organized.

2. Focus Time Blocking to Eliminate Distractions

Clockwise automatically blocks out Focus Time—dedicated periods of uninterrupted time on your calendar. This feature helps you stay free from meeting requests, allowing you to concentrate on preparing for your meetings in Teams, reviewing notes, or taking a moment to catch up on follow-up tasks.

3. Time Zone Awareness for Global Teams

Clockwise automatically detects and adjusts for team members in different time zones. This helps you avoid scheduling conflicts that often occur when coordinating with global teams, ensuring that your Microsoft Teams meetings are scheduled at convenient times for everyone.

This means no more missed meetings or trying to remember what was discussed in the meeting when you join late—allowing you to contribute effectively to note-taking and make sure all action items are captured.

4. Smart Scheduling for Recurring Meetings

Clockwise automatically manages recurring meetings and optimizes their scheduling to prevent overburdening you with back-to-back appointments. For example, if you're working with your team in Microsoft Teams on a weekly check-in, you can mark that meeting as flexible and automate recurring meeting scheduling. Flexible meetings allow us to move your events to resolve conflicts, open up blocks of Focus Time, and ensure you don’t have to reschedule your recurring meeting manually. 

5. Auto-Syncing with Microsoft Teams and Other Tools

Clockwise integrates with Microsoft Teams and other tools, ensuring that your meetings are aligned across platforms. This synchronization ensures that your meeting times in Clockwise reflect on your Outlook and Google calendar, reducing the chances of missed or overlapping meetings.

This seamless integration also means that once your meetings are scheduled with Clockwise, you can focus on engaging in the meeting.

6. Customizable Scheduling Preferences

Clockwise allows you to customize your scheduling preferences to fit your work style. Whether it’s adjusting your availability to avoid early morning meetings or setting buffer times after meetings, Clockwise works around your schedule, ensuring that you can be fully present in every meeting and dedicated to capturing high-quality notes in Microsoft Teams.

7. Real-Time Scheduling Adjustments

Clockwise offers real-time scheduling adjustments, automatically shifting meetings when unexpected conflicts arise. Whether it's shifting a meeting forward by 15 minutes or rescheduling it for a better time, Clockwise ensures you won’t have to manually scramble to adjust meeting times.

This allows you to stay focused on what matters.

Integrating Clockwise into your workflow means fewer scheduling conflicts and less wasted time, allowing you to maximize your productivity in Teams meetings. By pairing this powerful scheduling tool with AI-generated notes in Teams, you can take your meeting efficiency to the next level.

Conclusion

Taking effective meeting notes shouldn’t be a distraction from the conversation itself. With AI-generated notes in Microsoft Teams, you can capture key points, track action items, and collaborate seamlessly—all without lifting a pen. This feature keeps you on track, ensuring you capture every important detail, whether leading a crucial meeting or checking in with the team.

Clockwise helps make them more manageable by organizing your calendar and ensuring you have the right amount of time between calls. This means less stress and more focus, as you can prepare properly for each meeting without feeling rushed. With Clockwise, you can create space in your day for deeper work and more meaningful discussions. It helps you reduce the mental load of constantly shuffling between tasks.

Ready to simplify the way you manage meetings? Start for free with Clockwise today, and let it optimize your schedule so you can focus on what matters.

‍