Microsoft Teams: AI meeting archive file generation

Microsoft Teams will generate AI meeting archive files capturing key insights to enhance Microsoft 365 Copilot and Facilitator responses while ensuring privacy. Stored in tenant-owned SharePoint, archives are enabled by default with admin controls available before rollout in August 2026. Retention is configurable, and access is restricted to meeting participants.

[What and Why]

Microsoft Teams is introducing AI generated meeting archive files that capture key insights from meetings. These archives help Microsoft 365 Copilot and Facilitator deliver more accurate context aware responses while maintaining strong privacy controls by not storing raw meeting content. This capability supports enterprise ready AI by improving knowledge grounding while keeping data secure and manageable.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 558933.

[Rollout Schedule]

• Targeted Release: Beginning early August 2026 and expected to complete late August 2026
• General Availability (Worldwide): Beginning late August 2026 and expected to complete late September 2026

Teams admin center controls for this feature will be available approximately two weeks before archive file generation begins. The dates above reflect when admin controls become available.

[Impact on Your Organization:]

Who is affected

• Microsoft Teams administrators
• Users with Microsoft 365 Copilot or Facilitator capabilities enabled

Platforms/Services

• Microsoft Teams
• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• SharePoint Embedded

What will happen

• AI meeting archive files (.meeting files) will be generated for meetings where AI is turned on, one participant has a Copilot license, and transcription is enabled. The feature is enabled by default in your organization.
• Archive files are stored in a tenant-owned SharePoint Embedded container, not in user storage. You can control the default expiration time for these files within your organization.
• Users cannot directly view or access archive files.
• When the feature is released, Facilitator will use the archive to answer questions about meetings and responses include citations linking to meeting recaps or invites. In the future, Copilot will also use the archive to answer questions about meetings. 
• Archive files cannot be modified, renamed, or moved.
• All content in archive files is AI-generated. No raw transcript snippets are stored.
• Archive generation requires all of the following:
  • A meeting transcript is created and saved
  • At least one Copilot-licensed participant is invited
  • The meeting option "Allow Copilot and Facilitator" is set to "During and after the meeting"
• Archive files are not created for:
  • Meetings with sensitivity labels that include encryption
  • End-to-end encrypted meetings
  • Meetings with restricted copying or forwarding
• Access and data protection:
  • Only users with access to the meeting can receive responses grounded in its archive and AI tools do not surface insights to users who do not have meeting access.
  • Archive knowledge is only shared with users who are in the same tenant as the meeting organizer.

[Action Required / Recommendations]

No immediate action is required. However, administrators should review configuration settings and consider organizational policy alignment.

Admins can enable or disable this feature in the Teams admin center.

Recommended actions:

• Review the AI archive setting in Teams admin center before rollout. Setting path: Meeting Policies > AI Memory and Archive > "Allow AI to archive meetings with .meeting file generation".
• Evaluate the default expiration period, which is set to five years (1,825 days), and adjust retention settings as needed to align with compliance policies.
• Communicate this capability to helpdesk teams and compliance stakeholders.
• Monitor availability of the AI archive setting in Teams admin center and review or update settings when they become available. Archive file generation will begin 2 weeks after the setting is released to your organization.

Learn more: AI Archives for Microsoft Teams Meetings | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 

[Compliance considerations]

Question	Answer
Does the change store new customer data, and if so, where, and is the data cached or permanently stored?	Yes. The change introduces AI-generated meeting archive files that are stored in a tenant-owned SharePoint Embedded container and retained according to a configurable retention period.
Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed?	Yes. Meeting transcripts and metadata are processed into structured AI archive files that enable downstream AI systems such as Copilot and Facilitator to reason over meeting content.
Does the change introduce or significantly modify AI or machine learning capabilities that interact with or provide access to customer data?	Yes. Copilot and Facilitator use AI meeting archive files to generate context-aware responses grounded in prior meeting content.
Does the change provide users any new way of interacting with generative AI?	Yes. Users can interact with Copilot and Facilitator, which leverage meeting archive data to answer questions and provide insights about meetings.
Does the change modify retention policies, holds, or deletion workflows?	Yes. AI meeting archive files are governed by a default retention period of five years and are automatically deleted upon expiration.
Does the change include an admin control, and can it be controlled through Entra ID group membership?	Yes. Administrators can enable or disable AI meeting archive generation and configure retention settings in the Teams Admin Center.