Open Settings in the Talk Studio (Shift+G) to configure participant names, audio cues, guest-facing indicators, and video layout. Inviting someone is a separate step: use Add Guest, then select Show on stream after they join. Joining the studio queue alone does not put a guest on your live canvas, and their microphone is not heard on stream until you show them.
Find the participant settings
Open the Talk Studio settings panel by clicking Settings or pressing Shift+G. Participant settings affect identity, status cues, notifications, self-view, or appearance. They do not invite a guest or automatically place one on stream.
Set names, status cues, and layout
Use the settings according to who needs to see or hear the result:
- Displayed name and avatar: change how the host is identified in the studio.
- Name tags: show participant names on their video feeds. The name position can be set at the bottom.
- Rounded corners: change the shape of participant video-feed corners.
- Audio Status: show a participant’s audio state, such as whether their microphone is muted.
- Audio Warning: alert a participant when they speak while muted, helping catch an unintentionally disabled microphone.
- Text-to-speech on join: audibly announce when a guest joins.
- Speaker Indicators: indicate who is speaking.
- Connection-quality indicators: these are described as visible to guests, not to viewers or followers.
- Show screen share to self: control whether the host sees their own screen share. Turn it off if the shared screen creates a recursive “hall of mirrors” effect.
Invite a guest and put them on stream
- In the studio, click Add Guest.
- Copy the invitation link or send it by email, then share the guest instructions. The invitation link changes for each invitation unless Permanent Link is enabled.
- After the guest follows the link and joins, look for them in the Queue.
- Select Show on stream to move the guest from the queue onto the editor/live canvas. Until you do this, their microphone is not heard on stream.
Talk Studio’s getting-started page, last updated October 1, 2025, lists Standard as supporting up to 5 guests and Pro up to 11 guests. A separate Streamlabs participant announcement, updated September 17, 2025, describes Standard as up to 6 total participants and Pro as up to 16 on screen and 25 total. These figures use different definitions and do not align; if capacity matters, check the current limit displayed for your plan in Talk Studio rather than assuming the counts are interchangeable.
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Check the guest’s camera and microphone
Guest onboarding asks them to choose a display name, speaker output, microphone, and camera. Their browser needs permission to use the camera and microphone; a denied permission can leave a feed unavailable or trigger an error. Streamlabs recommends Chrome for guests on PC, Mac, and Android, and Safari on iOS. Exact browser behavior can vary with device and browser versions.
Prepare Mac screen sharing
A guest who plans to share a screen from a Mac should grant the browser screen-recording access before joining:
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- Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording.
- Allow access for the browser they will use for Talk Studio.
- If macOS asks for a relaunch, quit and reopen the browser before the session.
- Have the guest join and start screen sharing after permission is enabled.
Turning off Show screen share to self can prevent the host from seeing a repeated capture of their own shared screen.
Troubleshoot common guest problems
- The guest joined, but viewers cannot see them: they may still be in the Queue. Select Show on stream.
- The guest is on the canvas, but their microphone is not heard: confirm they have been moved to Show on stream, then check that they selected the intended microphone and that the browser has microphone permission.
- The camera or microphone is unavailable: check browser permissions for Talk Studio, verify the intended device was selected during onboarding, and try the browser Streamlabs recommends for that device.
- A Mac guest cannot share their screen: enable the browser under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording, then relaunch the browser if prompted.
- The host sees an endless repeated screen: disable Show screen share to self.
- The session has reached its participant limit: the published Standard and Pro counts differ by page and by whether they count guests, on-screen participants, or everyone. Check the plan’s current in-product capacity before inviting additional participants.
Or let it run in the cloud
Talk Studio guest controls are for managing participants in a live studio; StreamNeo is a separate service for keeping a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos. Upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. StreamNeo loops the uploaded video from the cloud, so no computer or home connection has to stay on. It supports the uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps at one flat price per slot, automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream, and gives each account one free day with no card required. Monthly service is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo or start the free day.
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