StreamLive Pro

Manage guests during a live: mute, place, remove

Manage guests during a live stream in the browser studio: mute and unmute, change how each guest appears, rename them, set their volume, and remove someone from the room.

Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read

During a live, every guest has a row in the studio's participant list and a tile in the inputs strip. From the row you mute or unmute the guest, remove them from the room, choose how they appear on screen (Split, PiP, Cam, Full or Hide) and how big their name label is. From the tile you set their volume and open their settings, where the name, the role and the layer they are on live. Each action reaches the guest at once.

Before you start

• Guests in the room. Inviting them: How to do a live interview with a remote guest. Putting them on air the first time: Talk to a guest off air, then bring them on.
• Any plan, including the trial. Muting and removing work on every plan. The number of guests a room holds, and bringing a listener on air, depend on the plan: /pricing?lang=en.

Steps

1. Find the guest's row. The participant list shows a coloured dot for the connection (it pulses while connecting and turns red if the connection failed), a microphone badge when the guest is muted, and the name.
2. Mute or unmute. Press the mute button in the row. The guest sees a message that the host muted them, so they do not think their microphone broke. Unmuting a guest who joined as a listener brings them in as a speaker, on Pro and Studio and in the trial.
3. Change how they appear. Under the name choose Split, PiP, Cam, Full or Hide. Hide keeps them in the room and off the picture.
4. Set the name label. Label: Normal, Large or Hidden.
5. Set the volume. On the guest's tile, move the volume slider and watch the level meter under it.
6. Rename or move to another layer. Open the gear on the tile, Guest tab: Display name (Lower-Third), Subtitle (role / topic), On-air layout, and Push live to layer 1 to 6. Clicking the guest's current layer again takes them off air without removing them.
7. Remove someone. Press the X in the guest's row. The guest's browser leaves the room and they see that the host removed them from the session. Their picture and sound leave the broadcast and every other guest's mix.

What each control changes

Each guest hears a mix of everyone except themselves (mix-minus). A mute you apply also enters that mix, so a muted guest is muted for the other guests too.

During the show, for example

• Two guests talk over each other. Mute one for a moment, then unmute; both see what happened.
• A guest's connection is weak. The dot shows it. Switch them to Hide or take them off the layer, carry on, and bring them back when the dot is steady. A dropped guest reconnects by itself and returns to the same place in your list.
• A guest should leave early. Thank them on air, take them off the layer, then remove them.
• A stranger joined with a forwarded link. Remove them, and press + New Link in the invite window for the next show: Guests and invitations — bringing people into the room.

Automatic switching

With Active Speaker on (Audio in the studio bar), Program follows whoever is talking, host or guest. It depends on the plan: Automatic camera switching for podcasts: the camera follows whoever speaks.

What can go wrong

• You cannot hear a guest. I cannot hear my guest in the live stream.
• There is an echo. Echo during a live stream with guests.
• Unmuting a listener opens an upgrade window. Bringing a listener on air is on Pro and Studio and in the trial; muting always works.
• The guest is in the list but not on screen. They are off air or on Hide. Choose a display mode or a layer.
• The removed guest is back. They opened the link again, which works until it expires. Send the next guests a new link.

Frequently asked questions

How do I mute a guest during a live stream?

Press the mute button in the guest's row in the participant list. Viewers and the other guests stop hearing them, and the guest sees a message.

Can I remove a guest from the live?

Yes. Press the X in their row. They leave the room and see that the host removed them.

Does the guest know I muted them?

Yes. The guest's screen shows that the host muted them, so they know it is not their microphone.

Can I take a guest off screen without removing them?

Yes. Choose Hide in their row, or click their layer number again in their settings. They stay in the room.

How many guests can I have in a live?

It depends on the plan. When the room is full, the next guest is told so. See the pricing page for the numbers.

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