Free template
Meeting minutes template
A good meeting minutes template records who attended, what was decided, and who will do what by when. Copy the formal version below for board and committee meetings, or the simple version for team meetings, then fill in the brackets.
Formal minutes template (board, committee, nonprofit, HOA)
Use this when the minutes are an official record: boards of directors, nonprofit committees, homeowners associations, school councils and clubs. It follows the usual order of business, records motions and votes, and has signature lines for approval.
[ORGANIZATION NAME]
MINUTES OF THE [BOARD / COMMITTEE NAME] MEETING
Date: [Month Day, Year]
Time: [Start time] to [End time]
Location: [Room / address / video link]
Meeting type: [Regular / Special / Annual]
PRESENT
Members: [Name, title], [Name, title], [Name, title]
Absent: [Name], [Name]
Also present: [Guests, staff, advisors]
Chair: [Name]
Minutes taken by: [Name]
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at [time] by [Chair name].
A quorum [was / was not] present ([number] of [number] members).
2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
[Name] moved to approve the agenda [as presented / with these changes: ...].
Seconded by [Name]. Motion [carried / failed] ([for]-[against]-[abstain]).
3. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
The minutes of the [date] meeting were [approved as written / approved with
corrections: ...]. Moved by [Name], seconded by [Name]. Motion carried.
4. REPORTS
4.1 [Treasurer's report] - presented by [Name]
Summary: [Two or three sentences on what was reported.]
Action: [Received and filed / Questions referred to ...]
4.2 [Committee report] - presented by [Name]
Summary: [...]
5. OLD BUSINESS
5.1 [Topic]
Discussion: [Main points raised, without quoting everyone.]
Motion: [Name] moved that [exact wording of the motion].
Seconded by [Name]. Vote: [for]-[against]-[abstain]. Motion [carried / failed].
6. NEW BUSINESS
6.1 [Topic]
Discussion: [...]
Decision: [What was decided, or "Tabled to the next meeting."]
7. ACTION ITEMS
- [Task] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
- [Task] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
8. NEXT MEETING
[Date], [time], [location].
9. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at [time].
Submitted by: ______________________ Date: __________
[Secretary name]
Approved by: ______________________ Date: __________
[Chair name] Simple minutes template (team and project meetings)
Most team meetings don't need motions and seconds. This version puts decisions and action items at the top, because that's what people read. The discussion section is for context, not a play-by-play.
MEETING MINUTES: [Team / project name] Date: [Date] Time: [Start] - [End] Attendees: [Names] Absent: [Names] Note taker: [Name] PURPOSE [One sentence: why we met.] DECISIONS - [Decision 1] - [Decision 2] ACTION ITEMS | Task | Owner | Due | |--------------------------|---------|-----------| | [Task] | [Name] | [Date] | | [Task] | [Name] | [Date] | DISCUSSION [Topic 1] - [Key point] - [Key point] [Topic 2] - [Key point] OPEN QUESTIONS / PARKING LOT - [Question] - who will find out: [Name] NEXT MEETING [Date and time]
Both templates are plain text, so they paste cleanly into Word, Google Docs, Notion, OneNote or an email.
How to fill in the template
- Before the meeting, paste the template and fill in the header: name, date, time, location and the agenda items as section headings. Half the work is done before anyone arrives.
- As people arrive, mark who is present and absent, and note whether you have a quorum if your bylaws require one.
- For each agenda item, write two or three sentences on the main points, then the outcome. Record motions word for word, with who moved, who seconded and the vote count.
- Capture action items the moment they come up: the task, one owner (a person, not "the team") and a due date. If nobody owns it, ask before moving on.
- Note the adjournment time and the next meeting date before people leave.
- Within 24 hours, clean up the draft, check names and numbers, and send it to the chair for review.
- At the next meeting, the group approves the minutes (with any corrections) and the chair and secretary sign them.
For a full walkthrough, including what to leave out and how approval works, see how to take meeting minutes.
Example: meeting minutes filled in
Here is the simple template filled in for a 40-minute project meeting. Notice how short the discussion section is: anyone who missed the meeting knows what changed and what they need to do in under a minute.
MEETING MINUTES: Website relaunch team Date: March 4, 2026 Time: 10:00 - 10:40 AM Attendees: Dana Ruiz, Marcus Lee, Priya Shah, Tom Becker Absent: Elena Novak Note taker: Priya Shah PURPOSE Agree on the launch date and close out the content review. DECISIONS - Launch moves from April 1 to April 15 so the pricing page can be reviewed by legal. - The old blog stays live at /archive for six months, then redirects. ACTION ITEMS | Task | Owner | Due | |-----------------------------------|---------|-----------| | Send pricing page to legal | Dana | March 6 | | Set up /archive redirects | Marcus | March 20 | | Final copy edit of product pages | Tom | March 27 | DISCUSSION Launch date - Legal needs a week to review pricing language. - Marcus confirmed the hosting change can happen any weekday. Content review - 41 of 46 pages approved. Five product pages still need screenshots. OPEN QUESTIONS / PARKING LOT - Do we announce the relaunch by email? - who will find out: Elena NEXT MEETING March 11, 10:00 AM
What goes in minutes, and what stays out
| Include | Leave out |
|---|---|
| Date, time, place, attendees and absences | Who arrived late or left early (unless it affects a quorum or vote) |
| Exact wording of motions and the vote count | Word-for-word debate |
| Decisions and the main reason for them | Personal opinions and emotional language |
| Action items with one owner and a due date | Side conversations and jokes |
| Reports received and where to find them | Details from confidential or executive sessions |
Write minutes from a recording, not from memory
Hark records the meeting on your computer and transcribes it privately, with each speaker labeled. Check exactly how a motion was worded, then copy it into your minutes. Free forever.
Tips for faster, better minutes
- Write in the past tense and third person. "The committee approved the budget," not "We're approving the budget."
- Use names for motions and actions, not for every comment. "Members raised concerns about cost" is enough for discussion.
- Ask the chair to restate decisions. A simple "So we're agreed that..." before moving on gives you clean wording to copy.
- Keep a parking lot. Topics that come up but aren't on the agenda go there, so they don't get lost and don't clutter the minutes.
- Send minutes fast. Minutes sent the same day get read and corrected. Minutes sent a week later get ignored.
- Keep approved minutes in one place with a consistent file name, such as
2026-03-04 Board minutes (approved).
Using a recording to write your minutes
Taking minutes while also taking part in a meeting is hard. A recording and transcript let you focus on the meeting and write the minutes afterwards, checking exact wording instead of guessing. Recording laws vary by place, and many require everyone's consent, so always announce that you are recording.
Hark is a free desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux that records the meeting on your own computer and transcribes it there, so the audio is not uploaded anywhere. No bot joins your call. It labels who spoke by voice, and once you name someone it recognizes them in future meetings. You can click any word in the transcript to replay that moment, which is handy when you need to confirm how a motion was worded. On a Mac, Hark records the microphone only, which works well for in-person meetings around a table.
With a Hark subscription (or the 2-day preview for new accounts), Claude can also write AI meeting notes from the transcript in a choice of styles, which gives you a strong first draft of decisions and action items. Transcription is English only.
Related templates and guides:
Related
- Meeting notes template Meeting note formats: action-first, Cornell and agenda-based.
- 1-on-1 meeting template Manager and employee 1-on-1 templates with a question bank.
- Meeting summary template A short, shareable summary format with an example.
- How to take meeting minutes What to capture before, during and after a meeting.
- Meeting cost calculator See what a meeting costs per minute, per meeting and per year.
Frequently asked questions
What is the format for meeting minutes? +
Standard meeting minutes list the organization, date, time and place, who attended and who was absent, then each agenda item in order with a short summary of the discussion and the exact decisions or motions. They end with action items, the next meeting date, the time the meeting adjourned and space for the secretary and chair to sign.
What should not be included in meeting minutes? +
Leave out word-for-word transcripts, side conversations, personal opinions, jokes and emotional language. Minutes are a record of what was decided and who will do what, not of everything that was said. For confidential matters, note only that the item was discussed in executive session.
Who approves meeting minutes? +
Usually the same group approves the minutes at its next meeting. The secretary circulates a draft, members suggest corrections, and the minutes are approved by a vote or general consent. The chair and secretary then sign the approved copy.
Are meeting minutes and meeting notes the same thing? +
Not quite. Minutes are the official, approved record of a formal meeting such as a board or committee, written in a set format. Meeting notes are informal and can follow any format that helps the team, usually focused on decisions and action items.
How long should meeting minutes be? +
As short as possible while still capturing every decision, motion and action item. For a one-hour team meeting, one page is usually enough. Board minutes are often two to four pages because motions and votes must be recorded exactly.
Can I record a meeting to help write the minutes? +
Yes, many secretaries record meetings so they can check wording and votes afterwards. Recording laws vary by place, so tell everyone and get consent first. Some organizations also have rules about whether recordings are kept after the minutes are approved.
Record, transcribe and remember every meeting
Hark records your calls on your own computer, transcribes them privately, and learns who is speaking. Free forever, with a 2-day preview of AI meeting notes.