How to Use Copilot in Teams: A Guide for HR and Managers

Table of contents

Copilot in Microsoft Teams can recap a meeting, summarize a chat and answer questions about a call. It needs a Copilot license and, for most recaps, a transcript. This guide shows HR teams and people managers how to use each feature, what to switch on first and what to decide about privacy before you use it on 1:1s.

What You Need Before You Use Copilot in Teams

To use Copilot in Teams, you need a Microsoft Copilot license, a meeting or call where Copilot is allowed, and a transcript if you want to ask questions after the meeting ends. The table below maps each requirement to what Microsoft says about it and who in your organization controls it.

Three settings vary most: the Meeting options for Copilot, the meeting policy in the admin center and the calling policy for 1:1 calls. Check all three with your IT admin before you plan how HR will use any of these features.

Several details change what these settings mean in practice. In Microsoft's terms, Only during the meeting uses temporary speech-to-text data that isn't saved after the meeting. So it doesn't count as a transcript.

For 1:1 calls, the default calling policy lets Copilot run with or without transcription, so a call can have no transcript at all unless a licensed user starts one. For government clouds, Microsoft says Copilot in Teams meetings isn't currently available for GCC High.

Copilot in Teams Requirements: License, Transcript and Settings

Read the table from left to right, from the requirement to the rule and then to the person who controls it.

Requirement	What Microsoft says	Who controls it
License	Copilot in Teams meetings and calls needs an add-on Microsoft Copilot license for each user. The intelligent recap is part of Teams Premium or the Copilot license.	IT admin
Meeting setting	Under Meeting options, Copilot and other AI, "Allow Copilot and Facilitator" has three values: During and after the meeting, Only during the meeting, Off.	Meeting organizer
Transcript	You can ask Copilot during a meeting with temporary transcription. To ask after the meeting, or to see a full recap, the meeting needs a transcript.	Organizer and admin
Admin policy for meetings	The Copilot setting in the meeting policy has four values: Enabled, EnabledWithTranscript (the default), EnabledWithTranscriptDefaultOn and Disabled.	IT admin
1:1 calls	Copilot works in 1:1 Teams calls. After a call, Copilot is available only if transcription is on in the calling policy.	IT admin
Not available	Meetings hosted outside your organization, end-to-end encrypted meetings and calls, and GCC High environments.	Microsoft

Ask your IT admin which policy values are set before you plan how HR will use Copilot, because the default and your tenant can differ.

How to Use Copilot in a Teams Meeting Step by Step

Copilot meeting options in Teams: Off, Only during the meeting and During and after the meeting, with what each allows

Use Copilot during a meeting to catch up and during or after it to recap, and set the meeting option before the meeting starts. That setting decides whether you can ask Copilot questions after the meeting ends and whether a transcript stays.

Microsoft's default meeting policy locks organizers to During and after the meeting, so check the policy before you rely on Only during the meeting. Even under that option, a transcript can still be kept if a participant starts transcription, so ask participants not to start it manually. The five steps below walk through the whole routine, from the setting you choose before the meeting to the final check before anyone shares the output.

Set the option: Before the meeting, open Meeting options, find Copilot and other AI and choose During and after the meeting if you want a recap later. Choose Only during the meeting if you don't want a transcript to stay.
Start the transcript: If you chose During and after the meeting, start transcription when the meeting begins, unless the meeting policy starts it for you. Participants see a notice that the meeting is being transcribed.
Ask Copilot during the meeting: Open Copilot in the meeting and ask for a recap so far, unresolved questions or action items. Only you see your questions and Copilot's answers.
Open the recap afterward: In the meeting chat, ask Copilot about the meeting, or open the Recap tab to read the summary, notes and action items.
Check and edit: Read the output against the discussion, correct names and dates, and share only what the group agreed on.

If you use Teamflect, keep the agreed actions in your Teamflect 1:1 notes as well, so the record doesn't depend on the transcription setting of one meeting.

How People Managers Can Use Copilot for 1:1s Without Losing the Record

Use Copilot to prepare and follow up on a 1:1. Keep the official record of agreed actions, goals and development in the system your team already uses for 1:1s. The real risk is treating Copilot as the record. Use it as a drafting aid.

The table below draws that line clearly, showing where Copilot helps and what still has to live somewhere permanent.

Copilot in a 1:1: Before, During and After

Read each row as a handoff, with Copilot drafting on the left and your own record holding the result on the right.

Moment	Use Copilot for	Keep in your 1:1 record
Before the 1:1	Summarize your recent chat with the person and list open questions from it.	The agenda and the talking points you both agree on.
During a 1:1 call	Ask for a recap so far, if Copilot is allowed in the call. Do this only when both people know.	Notes you write yourself on what matters.
After the 1:1	Draft a short follow-up with the agreed actions, then edit it.	The agreed actions, owners and dates that you and the employee confirm.
Before a review	List themes from your own notes and chats as a starting point.	The rating and the written feedback, which you decide and write.

Teamflect lets you keep 1:1 agendas, notes and goals inside Microsoft Teams, so Copilot helps with the draft and Teamflect holds the record.

How to Summarize a Teams Chat With Copilot

Open the chat, select Copilot and ask it to summarize what you missed. Copilot looks back 30 days by default, and you can name a shorter period. Chat summaries are one of the most practical uses for HR teams with busy project or service threads. They save real time when you're catching up after a few days away.

The four steps below cover the full routine, from opening the chat and asking for a summary to knowing what Copilot can't summarize and where its answers can fall short.

Open the chat: Copilot works in 1:1 chats, group chats and meeting chats, and it reads only the open conversation.
Ask for the summary: For example: "Summarize what I've missed." You can name a person or a period.
Check the citations: Answers carry references, so open the original message before you act on a point.
Mind the limits: Copilot doesn't summarize images, Loop components or files shared in the chat.

For a channel thread, Copilot needs at least 1,000 characters in the thread before it offers a summary.

Privacy, Transcripts and Consent: What HR Should Decide First

One-page Copilot rule for managers using Copilot on 1:1s, splitting what Microsoft handles from what HR decides

Before managers use Copilot on 1:1s, HR should decide who may use it, who sees the recap, how long transcripts stay and what employees are told. Keep these decisions simple and write them down. Vague guidance leads to inconsistent practice, which creates legal and trust risk.

The table covers the main questions and splits what Microsoft handles from what your organization has to decide.

Copilot in Teams: Privacy Questions for HR

Each row asks one question, then shows what Microsoft says and what HR still has to decide. On the second row, note that Microsoft's default meeting policy doesn't let organizers pick Only during the meeting. Ask IT to allow it before you decide whether 1:1s use it.

Question	What Microsoft says	What HR decides
Who sees a person's Copilot questions?	Only that person sees their conversations with Copilot, although they can copy and share an answer.	Tell managers not to forward answers about an employee.
Who sees the transcript and recap?	The recap and transcript follow the meeting's own rules, so they aren't the same as the private Copilot chat.	Decide whether 1:1s use "Only during the meeting".
How long is it kept?	With Purview retention, Copilot prompts and responses in meetings may be kept for compliance, even if recording and transcription are off.	Agree on retention with Legal and IT.
Do people know?	Participants see a notice that the meeting is transcribed, and phone callers hear an announcement.	Add a line to your 1:1 guidance: tell the employee before you use Copilot.
Is it accurate and fair?	Microsoft tells users to review the output.	Rule: AI output is never the only basis for a rating, pay or discipline decision.
What does the law require?	Microsoft's pages don't cover consent law, works councils or data protection rules.	Ask Legal, especially for teams in the EU, the UK and states with two-party consent.

If you're still building your wider Copilot governance, an adoption plan should cover the usage policy, training and measurement around these decisions. Our guide to Microsoft Copilot for HR maps the use cases by HR process. Write these decisions into a one-page rule for managers and add it to your onboarding for new people managers.

Copilot Prompts for Meetings, 1:1s and Chats

Good Copilot prompts name the task, the format and the rule to follow, such as "list decisions with owners and mark anything unclear". Generic prompts like "summarize this meeting" tend to produce generic output. Use the prompts below as they are, or adapt them to your workflow.

Copilot in Teams Prompts for HR and People Managers

Use these as a starting point, and edit them to fit your team's language.

Use	Prompt	Where to use it
Meeting recap	List the decisions, owners and deadlines from this meeting. Mark anything that wasn't stated clearly.	Meeting chat or Recap tab
Open questions	What questions are unresolved in this meeting?	During or after a meeting
1:1 follow-up	Summarize the priorities, blockers and agreed next steps from our 1:1. Separate what the employee asked for from what I committed to.	After a 1:1 call, with a transcript
Follow-up message	Draft a short message to the participants with the agreed actions and dates.	After a meeting
Missed chat	Summarize what I missed in this chat since Monday. List decisions, open questions and links shared.	Any chat
HR service thread	List the unanswered questions in this thread and who asked them.	Group chat or channel
Person-specific	What did [name] say about the onboarding plan?	Group chat or meeting chat

Don't ask Copilot to rate or rank an employee. Use it to organize what was said, and make the judgment yourself. Microsoft's own meeting prompts, such as asking for unresolved questions, are a good starting list, and you can adapt them for HR work.

Copilot in Teams FAQs

Do I need a Copilot license to use Copilot in Teams?

Yes. Each user needs an add-on Microsoft Copilot license to use Copilot in meetings and calls. Organizers without a license can still choose the Copilot setting for meetings they organize.

Does Copilot in Teams work without a transcript?

During a meeting it can work with temporary transcription. To ask questions after the meeting, or to see a full recap, the meeting needs a transcript.

Can Copilot summarize a 1:1 call?

Yes. Copilot works in 1:1 Teams calls, and after the call it's available only if transcription is on in the calling policy. Both people see a transcription notice.

How do I summarize a Teams chat with Copilot?

Open the chat, select Copilot and ask it to summarize what you missed. It works in 1:1, group and meeting chats, and it looks back 30 days by default unless you name a shorter period.

Who can see Copilot's meeting summary?

Your own conversation with Copilot is visible only to you. The transcript and the recap in the Recap tab follow the meeting's own rules, so check who attended and what the organizer allowed.

Why is Copilot not available in my Teams meeting?

The most common reasons are a missing Copilot license, the meeting option set to Off, a policy set to Disabled, an end-to-end encrypted meeting or a meeting hosted outside your organization.

How do admins turn Copilot on or off for Teams meetings?

In the Teams admin center or with PowerShell, an admin sets the Copilot value in the meeting policy to Enabled, EnabledWithTranscript, EnabledWithTranscriptDefaultOn or Disabled.