Permission & Access Issues

How to Access Microsoft Teams Recordings Owned by a Former Employee

John Wilson Oct 10, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to retrieve Microsoft Teams meeting recordings that were created by an employee who is no longer with the organization.

How to Access Microsoft Teams Recordings Owned by a Former Employee

Product: Microsoft Teams
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A meeting host has left the company, and other team members need to access important Teams meeting recordings locked in the departed user's OneDrive or SharePoint.
Observed behavior: The recordings are stored in the former employee's personal OneDrive for Business directory, requiring administrative intervention to bypass default permissions and grant access.

Before you start

Ensure you have Microsoft 365 Global Administrator or SharePoint Administrator privileges, as you will need elevated rights to access another user's OneDrive for Business files.

Solution 1Recommended

Grant Access via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center to generate a direct link to the former employee's OneDrive and share the specific recording files with active team members.

By default, non-channel Teams meeting recordings are saved directly to the OneDrive of the person who initiated the recording. When that person is unavailable, an administrator must manually extract and share those files to maintain business continuity.

Log into the Admin Center

Navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center and log in using your administrator credentials.

Locate the User Account

In the left-hand navigation pane, go to 'Users', then select 'Active users'. Scroll or search to select the former employee's account.

Access OneDrive Settings

In the user details pane that slides out, click on the 'OneDrive' tab.

Generate a File Link

Under the 'Get access to files' section, click on 'Create link to files'. A link to the user's OneDrive for Business will be generated.

Share the Recordings

Click the generated link to open their OneDrive. Navigate to the 'Recordings' folder, locate the required meeting videos, and share them with the appropriate team members.

Grant Access via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Compliance and Policies: Always ensure that accessing and sharing a former employee's files complies with your organization's internal data privacy and retention policies.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where are Microsoft Teams meeting recordings saved by default?

For channel meetings, recordings are saved in the Teams channel's SharePoint document library. For non-channel (private) meetings, they are saved in the 'Recordings' folder within the OneDrive for Business of the person who started the recording.

Can I access a former employee's recordings if their account has been deleted?

Yes, but only during the retention period. When a user is deleted, their OneDrive is typically retained for 30 days (or longer, depending on your organization's configuration) during which an admin can recover the files. After this period, the recordings are permanently deleted.

How can teams avoid losing access to recordings when someone leaves?

Best practices include hosting important meetings in standard Teams Channels (so recordings save to shared SharePoint storage) or instructing employees to regularly move or copy critical recordings from their personal OneDrive to a shared team folder.

Who normally has permission to view a private Teams recording?

By default, all invited attendees receive view access to the recording. However, external guests or users added after the meeting concludes must be explicitly granted permission by the recording owner or an administrator.

Document & File Issues