Microsoft Stream (Enterprise)

In its modern enterprise iteration, Microsoft Stream stores video files directly in SharePoint Online for standard channel videos and OneDrive for personal recordings. This shift away from a proprietary streaming server allows organizations to apply existing data governance, access control, and retention policies to their video content.

Yes, Stream features an automatic speech recognition engine that generates a time-coded transcript and closed captions for uploaded or recorded video files. Users can search for specific spoken words within the transcript, and the platform will jump directly to that point in the video timeline.

When you record a standard channel meeting in Microsoft Teams, the resulting MP4 file is automatically processed and published via the Stream service. It then appears as a post in the specific Teams channel chat history, viewable only by those who have permission to access that team.

External sharing is supported but heavily dependent on how your organization's IT administrator configures sharing permissions in the Microsoft 365 admin center. If enabled, you can generate a secure sharing link or grant specific external guest access, provided they authenticate with a work or school account.