Meeting minutes template
A meeting minutes template that puts decisions and actions first
Good meeting minutes answer three questions: what did we decide, who will do what, and by when. Copy the full template for formal or cross-team meetings, or the short version for a regular team meeting. If the meeting runs in Meeto on a paid plan, the AI summary drafts most sections and you only check and complete them.
Copy this meeting minutes template
The full template suits project reviews, client meetings, committee meetings and anything where people outside the room rely on the record. Delete the sections you do not need rather than leaving them empty.
MEETING MINUTES
Meeting: [title]
Date and time: [date], [start]–[end] [time zone]
Location / link: [video link or room]
Facilitator: [name]
Minute-taker: [name]
Attendees: [names]
Absent: [names]
1. Purpose
[One sentence: why this meeting took place]
2. Summary
[Two or three sentences: what was discussed and
the main outcome]
3. Decisions
D1. [decision] — agreed by [who]
D2. [decision] — agreed by [who]
4. Action items
A1. [action] — Owner: [name] — Due: [date] — Open
A2. [action] — Owner: [name] — Due: [date] — Open
5. Key discussion points
- [Topic]: [options considered, main arguments, what was left open]
- [Topic]:
6. Open questions and parked topics
- [question] — to be answered by [name] by [date]
7. Next meeting
[date, time, link] — items carried over: [list]
Minutes reviewed by: [name], [date]Short version for a regular team meeting
A weekly team meeting rarely needs attendance lists and approval lines. Five lines are enough when everyone was there and the meeting repeats.
[Meeting] · [date]
Summary: [one or two sentences]
Decided: [decision]; [decision]
Actions: [owner] — [action] — [due]; [owner] — [action] — [due]
Next time: [carried-over topic]Keep all the short notes of one series in a single document, newest first, so the history of decisions sits in one place. For one-to-one meetings, use the running notes format in the one-on-one agenda.
How do you write minutes people actually read?
Lead with decisions and actions, write them as complete sentences and send them the same day. Everything else is supporting detail.
One owner per action
“Marketing will look at it” is not an action. Name one person, even when several help, and give a date.
Decisions as statements
Write “We will launch on the 14th with the reduced scope”, not “Launch was discussed”. If no decision was made, say so under open questions.
Neutral wording
Record what was agreed, not who argued well. Avoid adjectives about people or tone.
Mind who receives them
Send minutes to attendees and people with actions. Leave out personal or confidential details that the wider group does not need.
Which parts of the minutes does Meeto fill in?
On Pro and Team, a Meeto AI summary drafts the summary, decisions, action items and key points, with a full transcript behind them. You still add the purpose, due dates, attendance and anything decided outside the call.
| Minutes section | What the AI summary gives you |
|---|---|
| Summary | A short summary of the topic and the main outcome |
| Decisions | The decisions the conversation supports |
| Action items | Who will do what; add due dates that were not said aloud |
| Key discussion points | Up to ten key points from the conversation |
| Attendees | Speaker names in the transcript help you check the list; write it yourself |
| Purpose, next meeting, review | Not generated — fill these in |
- Consent first. The host starts the AI summary; every participant sees a banner and an indicator, and the host chooses whether only they or everyone in the call gets the result. Tell people why you are taking notes.
- Live transcript. While the summary runs, the transcript appears on the meeting page, so the minute-taker can check a name or a number during the call.
- Language. Each speaker's language is detected, and the summary is written in the language most of the meeting was held in.
- Export. Export the result as Markdown, plain text or a PDF summary sheet, or send a share link that the owner can switch off later.
- Allowance and retention. AI summaries cover 10 hours a month; after that a full transcript and a basic summary continue. If you also record, media is kept 90 days, while the transcript and summary stay until you delete them.
The AI summary captures no video and works only in calls held in Meeto; it does not join meetings on other platforms. Meeting content is not used to train AI models. Review the draft before it becomes the record — see the AI meeting summary page for details, meeting recording if you need the video too, and the privacy guide before capturing a client call. Teams that hold the same meeting every week can read how remote teams keep a recap link for each date of a series.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between meeting minutes and a transcript?
A transcript records everything that was said; minutes record what the meeting decided and who will do what. Minutes are short enough to read in two minutes. Keep the transcript as a reference when someone needs the exact words.
How soon should minutes be sent?
Within 24 hours, while people still remember the discussion and can correct mistakes. Ask for corrections by a set date, then treat the minutes as final.
Who should take the minutes?
Someone other than the facilitator, so the person running the meeting can concentrate on the discussion. Rotate the role in a recurring meeting. With an AI summary, the minute-taker's job becomes checking and completing the draft rather than writing it from scratch.
Should minutes include who said what?
Usually only for decisions and actions. Attributing every opinion makes people careful about speaking and turns minutes into a transcript. Formal bodies such as boards may have their own rules; follow those where they apply.
Can AI notes replace a person taking minutes?
Not entirely. An AI summary drafts the summary, key points, decisions and action items, but it can miss context or attribute a remark to the wrong speaker, and it does not know due dates nobody said aloud. A person should review it before it becomes the record.
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