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Start and stop a recording in a Descript Room, share your screen mid-session, and keep an eye on each participant’s upload as their files save to the cloud.

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Start a Rooms recording

To begin your session, click the Record button. A countdown will appear on the screen, giving everyone time to prepare before the recording officially begins. This ensures a smooth beginning to your recording. To create an audio-only Rooms recording, click the icon on the right side of the record button and select Audio only.

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Recording in progress

Once the recording starts, a timer will display the elapsed recording time, indicating that the session is active and being recorded. You can track the length of the recording with the timer at the top. Timer showing elapsed recording time in Descript Rooms You will also see a notification stating that videos in the Room may appear in lower resolution than the recordings, which are captured at full resolution. If you are recording an audio-only recording, You will also see messages near the top and bottom of the window indicating that the video is not being recorded and that the current recording is audio-only. Notification banner in Descript Rooms showing an audio-only recording Status message in Descript Rooms confirming video is not being recorded (audio-only session) When the host starts recording, participants will see a notification like the one below, confirming the session is being recorded. By staying in the Room, they consent to the recording. Participants can choose not to see this message again by selecting “Don’t show this again.” Recording notification shown to participants in Descript Rooms
We suggest staying in the Room during the recording to avoid interruptions or data loss. If you need to leave mid-recording, use the Leave button at the bottom of the Room. Please continue to leave the tab open while your recordings are uploaded.

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Screen sharing

To share your screen, click Share at the bottom of the Room.\ Sharing your screen in Descript Rooms Choose between sharing a tab, window, or entire screen. When sharing a tab, you can also opt to share audio, which enhances the presentation with sound. Select a tab, window, or entire screen to share in Descript Rooms
Up to two people can share a screen simultaneously, and both will be recorded during the session.
If you are sharing a browser tab or window, you can stop sharing by clicking Stop Sharing at the top. Stop sharing screen option in Descript Rooms You can also return to the Room and click Stop where the share screen icon is. Stop screen share button in Descript Rooms toolbar
Screen share sizes may vary depending on the window size and screen resolution. If needed, you can resize the window being shared.

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Using the teleprompter in Rooms

Hosts and Co-hosts can use Descript’s built-in teleprompter while recording in a Room. The teleprompter helps you read your script while keeping your eyes on the camera. Recording interface in Descript showing the script playing back like a teleprompter while recording a new audio layer For more details about teleprompter settings and features, see Record with DescripRecord with Descript’s built-in telepromptert’s built-in teleprompter.

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Enable live captions

Click the Captions button in the lower left corner to enable live closed captioning. Captions display in real time for all main-stage participants. Captions displayed in the Rooms interface

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Stop and save the recording

When you’re ready to stop, click the Stop Recording button. This action finalizes the recording and saves it to a Descript project. Stop recording button in Descript Rooms
Recordings are limited to 4 hours per session. If you need to record longer, you can stop and start new recordings as needed. Each recording will be saved in the same project when you exit the Room.

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What happens when the host stops a recording

Once the host stops recording, an upload status will be displayed. The host can view the upload progress of all participants’ recordings, including their own, ensuring that everything is saved correctly. Guests will see their own upload status during this process. Upload status window in Descript Rooms after recording

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Upload process

While files are uploaded, the dialog box showing the status remains visible and cannot be dismissed; however, it can be moved around on the screen. Ensuring that all recordings are safely uploaded before closing the browser tab is important. The upload window can be closed once all uploads are complete (or if they have stalled). If you are the room owner, you can click Open project in Descript once uploads finish to go directly to your project. At this point, it will be clear that all recordings have been successfully uploaded, and the tab is safe to close. Once all uploads are complete, the host will be ready to edit the recordings in Descript. Upload progress window in Descript Rooms

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Leave the Room and continued uploads

Guests can leave the Room anytime by pressing the Leave button. This is different from simply closing the browser tab. Even after leaving, uploads will continue in the background, but it’s essential to keep the tab open until uploads finish to avoid interruptions. Closing the tab or browser too soon could stop the upload process. Participants will be taken to a post-call page showing their upload status. Once uploads are complete, a confetti animation confirms everything is saved, and it’s safe to close the tab. Room owners can also click Open project in Descript to access their project directly.\ Upload completion confirmation with confetti animation in Descript Rooms If the host chooses to leave a Room while a recording is in progress, they will have two options:
  • Stop the recording and leave the Room.
  • Stop the recording and close the Room, which ends the session for everyone.
A guest leaving an active recording will receive the following notification. If they choose to leave the room, they will be taken to a post-call page showing their upload status. Once uploads are complete, a confetti animation confirms everything is saved, and it’s safe to close the tab.\ Notification shown when a guest leaves a Descript Room during an active recording