Microsoft Teams: You Can Now Turn Copilot On or Off During a Meeting

One of the most requested capabilities in Teams is finally here: real control over when AI is used in meetings.

Microsoft is introducing a new in-meeting Meeting AI toggle, allowing organizers and presenters to decide in real time whether to use Copilot, Facilitator, and meeting recap… or not.

What’s actually changing?

Until now, AI behavior in meetings was mostly tied to pre-configured settings. With this update, control becomes dynamic.

Now you can:

Turn AI on when the discussion is valuable
Turn it off when topics become sensitive
Decide live, without relying only on pre-meeting settings

This applies to:

Copilot in meetings
Facilitator
Recap (automatic meeting summary)

How it will look in the meeting

A new control will appear directly in the meeting toolbar:

Additionally:

Only licensed organizers and presenters will see it
It only appears if AI is allowed by tenant policy
A visible indicator will show all participants when AI is active

What happens when you turn AI on or off

This is important to understand:

✅ When ON:

Copilot generates insights
Facilitator can assist
Recap is generated (if applicable)

❌ When OFF:

Copilot stops responding
No new notes or summaries are created
Previously generated content remains available (based on retention policies)

The key detail: dependency on transcription

This is where most confusion will happen if not communicated clearly.

If you turn on Meeting AI → transcription is automatically enabled
If you start transcription → Meeting AI and recap are automatically enabled

👉 In simple terms:

AI and transcription are still tightly connected.

If you need to avoid AI in a meeting:

Do not start transcription
Make sure the AI toggle remains off

What is NOT changing

This update adds control, but does not change:

Pre-configured meeting options
Compliance and retention policies
Sensitivity labels
Licensing requirements for Copilot and Meeting AI

Who is impacted

This applies to:

Microsoft 365 tenants with Copilot or Facilitator enabled by policy
Licensed meeting organizers and presenters
Teams across desktop, web, and mobile

Rollout timeline

Targeted Release: Early to mid-June 2026
General Availability: Mid to late June 2026

What you should do

There’s no required action, but you should definitely prepare:

1. Update your internal documentation

Make sure users understand:

Where the toggle is
Who can use it
What happens when it’s turned on or off

2. Communicate this clearly

Most users won’t realize this:

👉 “Starting transcription automatically enables AI and recap.”

3. Prepare your helpdesk

Expect questions like:

Why did Copilot activate on its own?
Why was a recap generated?
How do I prevent AI from being used in certain meetings?