Disabling Otter.ai in Microsoft Teams can be a crucial step for many users, whether for privacy concerns, managing meeting clutter, or simply streamlining your workflow. Otter.ai, while an incredibly useful tool for transcription and note-taking, can sometimes be too proactive, automatically joining meetings you didn't intend for it to record.
So, you're looking to take back control? Fantastic! Let's walk through the steps to effectively disable Otter.ai from your Microsoft Teams experience.
The Comprehensive Guide: How to Disable Otter.ai in Microsoft Teams
Disabling Otter.ai isn't a single switch; it often involves tackling it from a few different angles to ensure it's truly out of your Teams meetings. We'll cover options for individual users and, for the IT administrators among you, organizational controls.
 |
| How To Disable Otter Ai In Teams |
Step 1: Taking Control of Otter.ai's Auto-Join Settings (For Individual Users)
The most common reason Otter.ai appears in your Teams meetings is its "auto-join" feature, which syncs with your calendar. Let's start by stopping that.
1.1: Accessing Your Otter.ai Account Settings
First and foremost, you'll need to go to the source: your Otter.ai account.
Open your web browser and navigate to
Otter.ai Sign in to your Otter.ai account. If you typically sign in using your Google or Microsoft account, use that method.
1.2: Navigating to Meeting Settings
Once logged in, look for your profile icon or your name in the top left corner of the Otter.ai interface. Click on it.
From the dropdown menu, select "Account Settings". This is where the magic happens!
Within Account Settings, you'll see various tabs. Click on the "Meetings" tab.
1.3: Disabling OtterPilot's Auto-Join
On the Meetings tab, you should find a section specifically for "OtterPilot". This is Otter.ai's intelligent assistant that joins your meetings.
Locate the option that says "Auto-join all meetings" or something similar.
Toggle this setting to OFF. This is a critical step to prevent Otter.ai from automatically showing up in your future Microsoft Teams meetings based on your calendar.
1.4: Disconnecting Your Calendar (Optional, but Recommended for Full Control)
Even with auto-join off, Otter.ai might still have a connection to your calendar. To completely sever this tie, you can disconnect your calendar.
Within "Account Settings," look for the "Apps" or "Integrations" tab.
Scroll down to the "Connect calendars & contacts" section.
You'll see your connected Microsoft Outlook calendar (or Google Calendar if you use that for your Teams invites).
Click "Disconnect" next to the calendar account you wish to sever ties with.
Confirm the disconnection if prompted.
Tip: A slow skim is better than a rushed read.
Step 2: Removing Otter.ai During a Live Microsoft Teams Meeting
What if Otter.ai still shows up in a meeting, or you just need to remove it from an active call? The meeting host has the power here.
2.1: Identifying Otter.ai in the Meeting
During your Microsoft Teams meeting, Otter.ai typically appears as a participant, often named "Otter.ai Notetaker" or "OtterPilot."
2.2: Removing the Bot as a Host
As the meeting host, you have the ability to remove participants.
In the Teams meeting window, open the "Participants" pane.
Locate "Otter.ai Notetaker" in the list of participants.
Hover over its name, and you should see an ellipsis (...) or a context menu icon.
Click on it, and select "Remove" or "Remove participant."
Confirm the removal if prompted. This will immediately kick Otter.ai out of the current meeting.
2.3: Stopping Live Transcription from the Otter.ai Interface
If Otter.ai has joined a meeting and is actively transcribing, you can also stop it directly from the Otter.ai platform.
Go to your Otter.ai Home page.
In the calendar section on the right side, you should see the current live Notetaker recording displayed.
Click the "Stop recording" button.
Click "Yes, turn it off" to confirm its removal.
Step 3: Managing Otter.ai as a Microsoft Teams Administrator (Organizational Control)
For organizations, disabling Otter.ai across the board requires administrative privileges within Microsoft Teams. This is the most comprehensive way to prevent its use.
3.1: Accessing the Microsoft Teams Admin Center
You'll need to be a Microsoft 365 administrator.
Open your web browser and go to the Microsoft Teams admin center. (Typically accessible via
admin.teams.microsoft.comor through the Microsoft 365 admin center).Sign in with your administrator credentials.
3.2: Managing Apps and Permissions
In the Teams admin center, navigate to "Teams apps" in the left-hand navigation pane.
Then select "Manage apps".
In the search bar, search for "Otter.ai".
QuickTip: Slow down when you hit numbers or data.
3.3: Blocking or Uninstalling the Otter.ai App
Once you find the Otter.ai app, you'll have options to manage its availability.
You can choose to "Block" the app, which will prevent users in your organization from installing or using it.
Alternatively, you can select the app and choose to "Uninstall" it from the organization's app catalog, if it was deployed centrally.
Save your changes.
3.4: Configuring App Permission Policies
For more granular control, you can utilize "Permission policies" within the Teams admin center.
Go to "Teams apps" > "Permission policies".
You can either edit an existing policy (e.g., the Global policy) or create a new custom policy.
Within the policy, you can specify which apps are allowed or blocked.
You can set it to:
"Allow specific apps and block all others": If you choose this, ensure Otter.ai is not in the allowed list.
"Block specific apps and allow all others": If you choose this, add Otter.ai to the blocked list.
"Block all apps": This is the most restrictive option.
Assign the policy to specific users or groups as needed. Remember to save your policy changes.
3.5: Managing Meeting Policies for Transcription
While not directly for Otter.ai, it's worth checking your "Meeting policies" in the Teams admin center.
Navigate to "Meetings" > "Meeting policies".
Select the policy you want to edit (or create a new one).
Look for settings related to "Transcription" or "Live captions." While these control Microsoft's native transcription, ensuring they are managed appropriately can complement your efforts to control third-party services like Otter.ai. You can toggle Transcription On or Off here.
Step 4: Checking Browser Extensions and Other Integrations
Sometimes, Otter.ai might be integrated through a browser extension or another service.
4.1: Reviewing Browser Extensions
If you have the Otter.ai Chrome Extension (or for any other browser), it might be auto-joining meetings even if you've disabled it in the Otter.ai account settings.
Go to your browser's extension management page (e.g., for Chrome, type
chrome://extensionsin the address bar).Locate the Otter.ai extension and disable or remove it.
4.2: Disconnecting Other Services
Check any other productivity tools or calendar services you use that might have an Otter.ai integration. For instance, if you use a scheduling tool that links to Otter.ai, you might need to disconnect it there as well.
Refer to the integration settings within those specific applications.
Important Considerations:
Communication is Key: If you're an administrator disabling Otter.ai organization-wide, communicate this clearly to your users. Explain why the change is being made and provide alternatives if necessary (e.g., Microsoft Teams' built-in transcription features).
Data Privacy: Be aware that if Otter.ai has previously recorded meetings, those transcripts and audio files will likely still exist within your Otter.ai account. You may need to manually delete these from your Otter.ai account if data privacy is a significant concern. Otter.ai states that deleting a conversation moves it to trash, and it's automatically deleted after 30 days unless manually cleared sooner.
Host Responsibility: Even if Otter.ai is generally disabled, a meeting host can still manually invite it or use a personal account to record. Encourage hosts to be mindful of third-party tools during meetings, especially for sensitive discussions.
10 Related FAQ Questions (Starting with 'How to')
Reminder: Take a short break if the post feels long.
Here are some common questions you might have about managing Otter.ai and similar tools in Microsoft Teams:
1. How to know if Otter.ai is recording my Teams meeting?
Quick Answer: Look for a participant named "Otter.ai Notetaker" or "OtterPilot" in the meeting's participant list. Sometimes, a notification will also appear in the chat or meeting window indicating a recording has started.
2. How to stop Otter.ai from automatically joining all my future Teams meetings?
Quick Answer: Sign in to your Otter.ai account, go to "Account Settings" > "Meetings," and toggle off the "Auto-join all meetings" option under "OtterPilot."
3. How to remove Otter.ai from a live Teams meeting if I am the host?
Quick Answer: As the meeting host, open the "Participants" pane in Teams, find "Otter.ai Notetaker" in the list, click the ellipsis (...) next to its name, and select "Remove."
4. How to disconnect my calendar from Otter.ai?
Quick Answer: Log into your Otter.ai account, navigate to "Account Settings" > "Apps" (or "Integrations"), and then click "Disconnect" next to your Microsoft Outlook calendar under "Connect calendars & contacts."
5. How to disable Otter.ai's chat messages during Teams meetings?
Quick Answer: Within your Otter.ai "Account Settings" > "Meetings," look for "Notetaker chat messages" settings and toggle off options like "Send live transcript and summary" or "Send Otter Chat Q&A."
QuickTip: Scroll back if you lose track.
6. How to permanently delete my Otter.ai account and all associated data?
Quick Answer: Sign in to Otter.ai, go to "Account Settings" > "General," and find the "Delete account" option. Follow the prompts, ensuring you understand that this action is permanent and irreversible, and will also cancel any active subscriptions at the end of the billing cycle.
7. How to prevent users in my organization from using Otter.ai in Teams (for IT Admins)?
Quick Answer: As a Teams administrator, go to the Microsoft Teams admin center, navigate to "Teams apps" > "Manage apps," search for "Otter.ai," and either "Block" or "Uninstall" the application. You can also configure "Permission policies" to block specific third-party apps.
8. How to check if Otter.ai has browser extensions installed that might be active?
Quick Answer: In your web browser (e.g., Chrome, Edge), access the extensions management page (e.g., chrome://extensions for Chrome) and look for and disable or remove any Otter.ai extensions.
9. How to manage Microsoft Teams' own live transcription settings?
Quick Answer: For administrators, this is managed in the Microsoft Teams admin center under "Meetings" > "Meeting policies." For individual users, live captions can usually be toggled on/off within an active meeting, though this is a Teams native feature, not Otter.ai.
10. How to ensure data privacy when using AI transcription tools in Teams?
Quick Answer: Always review the privacy policies of any AI transcription service. For maximum privacy, consider using Teams' built-in transcription features if they meet your needs, as data stays within the Microsoft 365 environment. For third-party apps, disable auto-join, manually remove bots from meetings, and consider organizational policies to restrict their usage.
 |
