Deleted File Recovery

How to Recover Teams Recordings That Show an Access Error

Huma Ashraf Ch Oct 21, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users are encountering an access error or expiration warning when trying to view Microsoft Teams meeting recordings, even if they are the original meeting owner.

How to Recover Teams Recordings That Show an Access Error

Product: Microsoft Teams
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to access, play, or recover a previous Teams meeting recording from a Teams chat or shared link.
Observed behavior: The recording displays a 'Sorry, you don't have access' message or an expiration warning, making it impossible for hosts and attendees to view the video.

Before you start

Verify whether the recording was a channel meeting (saved to SharePoint) or a standard meeting (saved to the organizer's OneDrive), as this determines where you need to search for the deleted file.

Solution 1Recommended

Restore the Recording from SharePoint or OneDrive Recycle Bins

If a recording was deleted or expired due to retention policies, it is sent to the recycle bin of the associated SharePoint site or OneDrive account. Checking both the first-stage and second-stage recycle bins is the most effective recovery method.

Teams meeting recordings are not stored directly within the Teams application. They are saved in OneDrive for standard meetings or SharePoint for channel meetings. When a recording expires or is deleted, it is moved to the recycle bin of the respective storage platform.

Files typically remain in the first-stage recycle bin for 30 days. After that, they are moved to the second-stage (site collection) recycle bin for the remainder of the 93-day retention period.

Access the Storage Location

For a standard meeting, log in to Microsoft 365 and open OneDrive. For a channel meeting, open the corresponding SharePoint site.

Open the Recycle Bin

Look at the left-hand navigation pane and click on 'Recycle bin'.

Restore the Recording

Locate your meeting video (usually an .mp4 file), select the checkbox next to it, and click 'Restore' at the top of the page. The recording will no longer show as expired.

Check the Second-Stage Recycle Bin

If the file is not in the primary recycle bin, scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Second-stage recycle bin' to search for older deleted files, then restore it from there.

Restore the Recording from SharePoint or OneDrive Recycle Bins

Permanent Deletion Warning: If the recording cannot be found in either the first-stage or second-stage recycle bins, it has likely been permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

Solution 2

Verify File Permissions with the Meeting Organizer

If the recording was not deleted but you receive a 'Sorry, you don't have access' error, the file permissions may have been restricted or the file was moved.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Enhance Your Meeting Productivity with WPS Office

While you troubleshoot Microsoft Teams recording access issues, consider streamlining how you handle meeting notes and collaborative documents with WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, free alternative to Microsoft Office, ensuring you can open, edit, and share important meeting minutes without complex permission hurdles.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installation package for your device.
2. Install and Launch: Follow the simple on-screen instructions to install the software, then launch WPS Office.
3. Create Meeting Notes: Open a new Document to start taking meeting notes, and easily save them in standard Word formats to share with your team.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Office formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx)Free and lightweight suite for PC, Mac, and mobile devicesEasily document and share meeting minutes without strict cloud permission errorsFamiliar user interface requiring zero learning curve for Office users

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are Microsoft Teams recordings actually saved?

Recordings for standard individual or group chats are saved in the meeting organizer's OneDrive in a folder named 'Recordings'. Channel meetings are saved to the Teams channel's associated SharePoint site under the 'Documents' > 'Channel name' > 'Recordings' folder.

Why do Microsoft Teams recordings expire automatically?

To help manage cloud storage limits, Microsoft 365 administrators often set default expiration policies for Teams recordings (commonly 60 or 120 days). Once the time limit is reached, the recording is automatically moved to the recycle bin.

Can I recover a recording that was purged from the second-stage recycle bin?

No. Once a file has been manually deleted from the second-stage recycle bin, or the overall 93-day retention period has passed, the recording is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered by standard users or administrators.

Why does a Teams recording show 'Sorry, you don't have access' to the co-host?

This happens if the meeting organizer (whose OneDrive holds the recording) has restrictive default sharing settings, or if they accidentally moved the file out of the original Recordings folder, which breaks the automatic sharing permissions for co-hosts and attendees.

Migration & Recovery