Microsoft is updating how Live Captions and Real-Time Text (RTT) behave on Teams for Windows and Mac. This update enhances privacy by limiting visible caption history to the last five minutes when transcription is turned off.
Timeline
- The rollout should be completed by 15 September 2025 for commercial tenants.
- The rollout should be completed by 3 October 2025 for DoD tenants.
Until now
Previously, if transcription was turned off but live captions or real-time text were enabled, all captions remained visible for the entire meeting. This could create privacy risks if transcription was turned off during sensitive or private discussions, since participants could still scroll back and read earlier captions (e.g., to create screenshots).
What is changing
- If transcription is off and live captions/RTT are on: Only the most recent 5 minutes of captions will remain visible.
- If transcription and live captions/RTT are turned on: The entire conversation will be transcribed and captions will remain visible until transcription is turned off or the meeting ends.
- Applies to both live captions and RTT, ensuring a consistent, privacy-minded experience across features.
Note:
Live captions are not saved after a meeting ends. Enable transcription to keep a permanent written record. Participants can download the transcript once the meeting is finished.
