StreamLive ProI cannot hear my guest in the live stream
Can't hear a guest in your live? Usually the guest arrived muted, joined without a microphone, or picked the wrong mic. The checks for host and guest, in order.
When a guest is in the room but nobody hears them, the most likely cause is simple: guests arrive muted. A guest who joins lands in your participant strip muted, and you decide when they reach the stage. The second most likely cause is the way the guest joined: "Camera only" or "Listen only" sends no sound at all. The third is on the guest's computer: a blocked microphone, or the wrong one chosen on the preparation screen.
If only you cannot hear the guest, while viewers can, the problem is your speakers or headphones, not the guest.
Symptom, cause, fix
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The guest is in the strip, no sound from them | Guests join muted | Unmute the guest in their row |
| Unmuted, still silent, no level | The guest joined with Camera only or Listen only | Unmute them: their browser asks for the microphone and joins them to the conversation |
| The guest says their mic works elsewhere | Blocked for the site, or the wrong mic chosen on the preparation screen | The guest allows the mic and opens the link again, choosing the right one |
| The guest is very quiet | Their volume in your studio is low | Raise the guest's volume in their row |
| Viewers hear the guest, you do not | Your output device is wrong or muted | Choose your headphones with "Select speaker for guests" |
| The guest sounds broken up | The guest's connection is weak | The guest moves closer to the router, closes other uploads |
| The guest sees "the room has expired" | The invite link is older than four hours | Create a New link in the invite window and send it |
Steps
- Unmute the guest. In the guest's row, press unmute. The guest sees a message that the host unmuted them.
- Check how they joined. A guest who chose Camera only or Listen only sends no sound. When you unmute a listener, their browser asks for the microphone and they join the conversation without leaving and rejoining.
- Raise their volume. Each guest has a separate volume in your studio. It changes what you hear and what goes into the broadcast.
- Check your own output. In the live studio, under Add Guests to Stream, press "Select speaker for guests" and pick the headphones or speakers you are listening on. In the Podcast studio, use the audio output button. If the browser offers no output choice, set the output in your computer's sound settings.
- Have the guest check their microphone. On the preparation screen the guest sees a level meter that says when it hears them. If the meter does not move, the microphone is blocked or wrong. If access was blocked, the guest clicks the lock icon in the address bar, allows camera and microphone, and reloads. Steps per browser: My microphone does not work in the browser.
- Rejoin with the right device. A guest cannot switch microphones mid-call. They leave, open the same link again, and choose the right microphone on the preparation screen. The link stays valid for four hours from when you created it.
- Test before air. Bring the guest in a few minutes early and ask them to count to five. Watch the level and listen.
What the guest hears
Each guest receives their own mix: you and the other guests, without their own voice. If a guest says they cannot hear you, check your microphone first (Viewers cannot hear me: no sound in the live stream), then their speakers. If everyone hears everyone twice, that is echo, not missing sound: see Echo during a live stream with guests.
The full guest flow, from the invite to the controls, is in Guests and invitations — bringing people into the room.
When to contact support
If the guest is unmuted, joined with camera and microphone, their meter moves on the preparation screen, and you still hear nothing, write to [email protected]. Send the time of the session, which studio you used (live or podcast), your browser and the guest's browser, and whether viewers heard the guest. Do not send the invite link to anyone else.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the guest muted when they join?
That is the default. A guest arrives muted in the participant strip so you decide when they are heard. Unmute them in their row.
The guest joined as a listener. Can they speak now?
Yes. Unmute them, and their browser asks for the microphone and joins them to the conversation, without leaving the room.
Can a guest change microphone during the call?
No. They leave the link, open it again, and choose the right microphone on the preparation screen.
Viewers hear the guest but I do not. Why?
Your own output is the problem. Choose your headphones or speakers with Select speaker for guests, or in your computer's sound settings.
How long does the invite link work?
Four hours from the moment you create it. After that, create a new link from the same invite window.
Keep reading
Echo in a live with guests usually comes from someone using speakers instead of headphones, or watching the live in another tab. How to find who and fix it.
Echo cancellation and noise suppression explainedEcho cancellation removes your speakers from your microphone; noise suppression removes background sound. What each does, its limits, and the StreamLive Pro settings.
What is mix-minus? Echo-free sound for remote guestsWhat is mix-minus: a sound feed for each remote guest with everyone except their own voice. Why it prevents echo, how it works, and how StreamLive Pro builds it.
The guest link does not workGuest link not working? Usually it expired after 4 hours or your studio was closed, so the room is gone. What the guest sees, what it means, and how to fix it fast.
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