Microsoft Stream Q&A: How to Leverage the Platform’s Best Features
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It’s no secret that Microsoft Stream can be a great way to record, store, and share video content in your organization. It makes keeping absent coworkers in the loop much easier and saves training sessions in one central location for users to go back and reference.
For as handy as Microsoft Stream is, though, it can also be a bit confusing for new users. We decided to gather some of the most popular questions from the community and answer them in this post. Read on for the Q&A as well as some handy bonus Stream usage tips!
Is it possible to track who viewed a video and how much time they spent on the video?
You can track who watched a video via the admin center in Microsoft Stream, but it’s not currently possible to see how long they spend on the video. However, the Stream audit logs do provide reporting on most actions users can take on the platform. Learn about the different auditing options here.
Is it possible to employ more Stream analytics? Such as:
- Graphical breakdown of views
- Views over time
- Playback location (embed vs. native)
- Source of traffic
Some of this can be ascertained via the curation and analysis of audit logs. It would be very easy to see how much of this information pans out over time by importing it into a Power BI Dashboard via Excel, for instance.
Have MS Stream questions you need answered? Check out this Q/A: Click To TweetCan you change video ownership if the original video owner leaves the company?
Yes! Microsoft Stream’s Admin mode allows admins to do anything a video owner can including changing permissions, editing/deleting comments, changing subtitles and more. You can find step-by-step instructions here.
Can non-owners download video content?
At this time, only the original uploaders and/or owners of video content can download it in Microsoft Stream.
Can you allow external public access for video sharing?
Not yet! This feature is on the way. The update will allow external users to access videos without a login and admins will be able to control who can make videos publicly available.
Can you replace/edit a source video file in Microsoft Stream while keeping the URL static?
Yes, content owners and Stream admins can replace existing video files with a new version without changing the URL, video details, or permissions. Here’s a step-by-step guide.
Can you embed Microsoft Stream videos in PowerPoint?
Yep! You can embed Stream videos in PowerPoint for both Windows and Mac OS. Stream videos can also be embedded into other applications like SharePoint, OneNote, Sway, and Yammer.
Can you share Stream videos in Microsoft Teams?
Yes. If you want to share videos with a larger audience, the most convenient way to do so is by adding a Microsoft Stream tab to the channel you’re working in.
Conversely, you can also share direct links to videos in Teams chat and channel conversations (and even designate a specific time for the shared video to start).
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Can you host live events?
Definitely! Microsoft Stream allows users to produce live events for everything from companywide leadership updates to live feeds at conventions. These can be scheduled for certain times and limited to specific people or teams in your organization.
For more on setting up live events in Steam, be sure to check out Microsoft’s official guide.
Other Notable Microsoft Stream Features
Speaker Search
Enable “People” in video options to turn on a timeline view that uses facial recognition to track when an individual is prominent in the frame. During playback, viewers can navigate through the video by that person.
This is helpful in situations where there are multiple speakers throughout a video. In a conference session, for instance, you can jump to any section of the video where a specific speaker was on camera.
Polls and Quizzes
Add polls and short quizzes directly into the video through Microsoft Forms integration. This is especially helpful for company training purposes as video tracking is not yet an available feature.
Text Transcription
Microsoft Stream can automatically generate video transcripts with time stamps. This way, if you ever need to search a video for a certain keyword, you no longer have to comb through the video bit by bit. And if text analysis gets a word wrong? You can easily edit the transcription to correct mistranslations.
Hashtags, Links, and Timestamps
If you want to keep track of all videos with the same subject matter, you can simply add a hashtag. You’ll then be able to easily look back on content with the same tag in your video library.
Timestamps are another helpful feature that makes it easy to organize your videos into categories or include a table of contents (e.g. Chapter One: 0:15, Chapter Two: 1:13, and so on).
