Teams Meetings are available to most full-time employees and students at Boston University. Meetings are available as on demand ("call now") or scheduled events for individuals and groups. Teams meetings include the ability to chat, record, and take polls.

To read more about hosting Webinars or Town Halls read more here.

Those looking for advanced features like transcription or Copilot assistance can request a Teams Premium license. To learn more about Teams Premium click here.

For faculty and staff members of the BU community, we strongly recommend using the Teams desktop app for the best experience. If you do not have Teams installed, you can download it from Microsoft.

Getting Started with Meetings

Meeting Types

Can I create scheduled meetings with Microsoft Teams?

Yes, Microsoft Teams supports scheduling single-instance and recurring meetings from the Teams app, website, or Outlook. You can also schedule Channel Meetings, which will automatically invite channel members, publish recordings to the channel's files, and post in-meeting chats as conversations in the channel.

Can I create instant meetings with Microsoft Teams?

Yes, you can start an instant or ad-hoc meeting from the Calendar tab in the Teams app or website, in channels, or in chats. Instant meetings cannot be created from Outlook.

Does Microsoft Teams offer a Personal Meeting Room or the ability to schedule a recurring meeting without a fixed time?

No, Microsoft Teams does not offer a feature like Zoom's Personal Meeting Room or its associated Personal Link option. Additionally, Teams does not have an equivalent to Zoom's "Meet anytime" or "No fixed time" recurring option.

We are investigating solutions for advisors who rely on MyBU or departments using similar systems to distribute a single Zoom meeting link for appointments and office hours. We do not recommend reusing the same meeting link for multiple appointments as names of participants and their chat messages may be inadvertently exposed to other participants if they are not manually removed from chat by the organizer.

Can I schedule a Microsoft Teams meeting for my Blackboard course?

At this time, you can schedule a Microsoft Teams meeting and then post the join link as a resource in your Blackboard course. IS&T is investigating Microsoft's Blackboard integration, which offers similar functionality to the current Zoom integration.

Meeting Limits

How many concurrent Microsoft Teams meetings can I host?

Microsoft Teams does not have a limit on the number of concurrent meetings an individual can host.

Do Microsoft Teams meeting links or IDs expire?

Yes, in general, Microsoft Teams meetings expire 60 days after the scheduled meeting time, last occurrence, or start of a Meet Now session. For more detailed information, please refer to Microsoft's meeting expiration table.

How long can a Microsoft Teams meeting run?

Microsoft Teams meetings, webinars, and town halls can run for up to 30 hours.

Meeting Access

Do participants need a BU or Microsoft account to join my meetings?

No, participants without a BU or Microsoft account can still join your meetings as a guest.

Do participants need to install the Microsoft Teams app to join my meetings?

Participants joining from a computer can use Teams for Web to join meetings without installing the Teams app. Wherever possible, installing the app is preferred as it provides full access to all features of a Microsoft Teams meeting.

Participants joining from an Android device, iPhone, or iPad must install the Microsoft Teams app for full meeting participation. Audio conferencing may be also used as a voice-only alternative, if the organizer has requested a license.

Can participants join my meetings by calling a local phone number?

Microsoft Teams does not include conference calling by default. An Audio Conference license can be purchased for $18/year.

Meeting Options

Can I customize how my Microsoft Teams meetings are run?

Yes, you can customize your scheduled Microsoft Teams options to tailor how meetings are run. If you would like to customize your settings while scheduling your meeting, we recommend using the Teams app or website instead of Outlook.

In an instant meeting, many options can still be adjusted by the host via the "Controls" menu option.

How can I customize settings for a Teams meeting I created with Outlook?

Teams meetings created with Outlook can be customized after the invite has been sent from Outlook or the Microsoft Teams app.

I. From Outlook (Desktop or Web)

1. Locate and open the meeting you'd like to manage on your calendar.
2. Scroll to the bottom and click the "For organizers: Meeting options" link.
3. Customize your meeting's options as needed.

II. From Teams (Desktop or Web)

1. From the Microsoft Teams app or website, open the Calendar tab.
2. Locate and open the meeting you'd like to manage by using the View event arrow button.
3. Click Options.
4. Customize your meeting's options as needed.

Can I create reusable settings templates from existing meetings?

Organizers with Teams Premium licenses can make personal meeting templates from scratch, while scheduling, or while editing an existing meeting. To learn more, please see Microsoft's instructions on using personal meeting templates.

Roles

• Organizer - The person who schedules the meeting and customizes settings. Organizers have complete control of the meeting and can designate co-organizers. When the meeting is complete, the organizer's OneDrive will be used to store the recording and transcripts.
• Co-Organizer - Assigned by the organizer to assist with running the meeting. They can change options, manage the green room, and admit attendees from the lobby. They cannot setup or configure the event page.
• Presenter - Speakers or moderators. They can speak, share their screens, and manage the Q&A. Presenters can also unmute attendees and end the meeting.
• Attendee - A meeting participant. Their access is limited based on which settings the Organizer has configured. Their ability to interact is limited and they cannot share their screen or unmute themselves unless permitted by someone with a higher role.

Meeting Experience

Meeting Notes and Transcription

Can I get a transcription of Teams Meetings?

Teams includes transcription services by default. Add-ons like Teams Premium and Copilot expand transcription features.

I currently use Zoom to create AI-generated meeting summaries or minutes. Can I do this in Teams?

Yes, with a Teams Premium license, Teams can create an Intelligent Recap, which can produce summaries, action items, or recordings with chapters. For more information, please see our Transcription and AI page.

Screen Sharing

Can I allow a remote participant to control my screen?

Remote participants can be granted access to remotely control your screen. You can toggle this setting on or off in your meeting settings (see above).

What can I share?

You can share your desktop, an app, or files you have open. When you click "Share Screen" you will be prompted to choose what you would like to share.

• Entire Screen: Displays everything on your selected monitor, which is helpful if you plan to switch between multiple apps.
• Window: Limits the view to a single open application, keeping other programs and pop-ups private.
• PowerPoint Live or Whiteboard: Allows interactive presentation and real-time collaboration.

Recording Storage and Sharing

Can I record a Microsoft Teams meeting locally to my computer?

No, Microsoft Teams only offers the option to record to the cloud.

Where in the cloud are my recordings saved?

Channel Meetings store recordings in the Team's SharePoint site. For all other meeting types, all recordings and transcripts are saved to the meeting organizer's OneDrive.

What does a Microsoft Teams meeting recording contain?

Microsoft Teams creates a single, combined video file that contains your participants in gallery view and any shared content.

I often use Zoom to record my presentations and submit them to Blackboard. What is the recommended alternative?

You can use Kaltura Capture, a screen recording tool from BU MyMedia, to record and submit your assignments. For more information, please see these guides:

• Creating a Video Using Kaltura Capture
• Submitting a Video Assignment using My Media

Post-Meeting Experience

What happens to recordings after meetings?

Channel meetings

For channel meetings, the recording will be stored on the Shared tab for the channel in the "Recordings" folder.

The Shared tab stores all files for the channel. Everyone who is a part of the channel will have permission to edit and view the recording.

All other meetings

For non-channel meetings, the recording will be stored in the Recordings folder in the meeting organizer's OneDrive folder. If you were invited to the meeting, you can access the recording through the Files or Shared tabs in the chat, channel, or meeting details.

What happens to meeting chats after the meeting?

Meeting chats are persistent and will continue to be available for participants after the meeting ends.

How do I access meeting transcripts after a meeting?

After a meeting you will see a notification in the activity center of Teams that your meeting recap is ready. The video and transcript will be published to the Meeting chat or can be accessed by going to the Recap tab in the Meeting chat.

Organizers can also review the meeting transcript by going to their OneDrive and finding the meeting under their Recordings folder. Opening the recording will give organizers access to the transcript for download.

Attendees can return to the chat in their Teams interface and click on the Transcript tab to find and download a copy.

How can I stop sharing a Teams meeting recording?

1. Open OneDrive and navigate to your My Files > Recordings folder.
2. Find the specific recording file you want to restrict.
3. Click the three dots (... ) next to the file name and select Manage access.
4. Click Stop sharing near the top right of the permissions window.
5. Confirm by clicking Stop sharing again on the pop-up prompt to remove access from all shared links.