Create a new recording
Recording is available on all plans. To create a new recording, click "Create" from anywhere in your account and select “Record”.
You'll have the opportunity to adjust your session settings before entering the recording room, where you'll begin your recording.
Session settings
From the pre-recording settings page, you can adjust your video and audio settings. You'll see a preview of yourself on camera (if you choose to record with your camera). Optionally, select, upload, or generate a virtual background, or apply background blur. You can also add a teleprompter script to keep you on track while recording.
Once you've adjusted your recording settings and script and are ready to go, click "Begin session" to enter the recording session.
The recording session
When you enter the recording session, you’ll see your camera, screen, or both displayed on the stage.
Note
Anything you put on stage while recording will appear in your video when you end your session.
You can move content on or off stage by hovering over the preview in the backstage area and clicking “Add to stage” or “Remove from stage.”
Begin recording
Click “Record” to start recording. Recording will begin after a three-second countdown.
Tip
Face a window and prop your laptop on a stack of books for great lighting and framing.
Pause your recording at any time by clicking the "Pause" icon on the toolbar. Each time you pause your recording, your progress is saved as a new clip.
When you're ready to resume and record your next clip, click the red "Recording" icon, and you'll have a three-second countdown.
Tip
You can remove, upload, edit, or generate a new script for the teleprompter at any time. See Add or edit teleprompter script for more details.
Change layout
Change the layout of your onstage content while recording using the layouts toggle bar. If you’re recording by yourself, you’ll be able to adjust these layouts in the Editor after recording.
Add or edit teleprompter script
You'll have the option to add a teleprompter script from the pre-recording settings page or the recording session.
If you decide to add a teleprompter script, you can type your script manually, paste it from somewhere else, or upload a .txt file. You can also adjust the scroll speed, text size, and transparency of the teleprompter window.
If you’ve got a general idea of what you want to say but aren’t sure how to say it, you can use our script generator to write it with AI. Click the lightning bolt icon, choose your tone, and give a brief description of a script you'd like to generate. When you're all set, click "Generate."
When you click “Generate,” we’ll use your selections to write a script for your video. You can edit this script, delete it, or click “Regenerate” to go back to the drawing board.
Pop out camera or teleprompter feed
If you’re recording your screen, you can use the “Pop Out” function to pop your camera or teleprompter feed out into an always-on-top window.
This happens automatically if you’ve shared a tab or window; in these cases, the popped-out window is not recorded.
Note
If you’re sharing your entire screen, keep in mind that the popped-out window will be recorded if it’s visible on the screen you’re recording.
You can toggle between the camera and teleprompter views within the window, as well as start and stop recording.
Invite others
If you’d like to invite others to record with you, you can get an invite link by clicking the “Invite” button at the top right of the screen. Copy the link from the modal and send it to your guests to invite them to join your recording session.
Note
Guests will be required to enter their email address before joining the session in case file recovery is necessary.
Host actions
To start recording a clip, click the "Record" button in the bottom left corner of the recording room. The host can pause and restart the recording at any time during the session to allow participants to take breaks and reset throughout.
The host of a group recording can complete the following actions in the recording room:
Start, pause, and end the recording.
Invite others to join the recording.
Add and remove participants from the stage.
Type, paste, or upload a personal script.
Screen share.
Switch between Tile (side-by-side), Overlay (picture-in-picture), and Spotlight (screen-only) layouts.
Send messages in the private chat.
See participant device details (camera, mic, and speaker types).
View the status of uploaded clips.
Recording as a guest
Guest participants can complete the following actions in the recording room:
Manage camera and microphone settings.
Screen share.
Type, paste, or upload a personal script.
Send messages in the private chat.
View the status of uploaded clips.
Edit display name.
Add an email address for upload recovery.
Leave the recording session.
Stop and save recording
The host must end the session by first clicking "Pause." Once all clips have been uploaded successfully, click "End." You’ll be prompted to save the recording to a folder, delete it permanently, or close out the prompt to resume the session.
Note
Ensure you do not navigate away from the recording page before all clips have uploaded completely. Otherwise, the recording may be lost.
When you’re finished, click the "End" button to upload your recording to Wistia. You'll be asked to confirm you'd like to end the recording, and whether or not you'd like to delete or save it.
When you save your recording, you'll be prompted to name it and select the folder you'd like to add it to. You can also create a new folder for it.
Click "Save," and you'll be taken to the recording's media page in your account.
And that’s it! You’ve just recorded a video in Wistia. Edit your recording to make layout changes, add background music and transitions, stitch in other media from your content library, and more.
Note
If you delete your recording, this cannot be undone.
Download recording
To download a recording, navigate to the recording's media page. Click the ellipsis menu, then select "Download" from the dropdown.
Note
In order to download a recording, you must be an Account Owner or Manager, or have "Can manage" permission in the folder where the recording is stored.
In the window that appears, you'll be able to select the video type, format, and resolution, then download the recording.
Tip
In the Video type options, you can choose from the final video or the individual feeds as a zip file.
You can also download the thumbnail, storyboard, and transcript from this modal.
For more details about our media download options, visit our Media Management article.
Troubleshooting
Clips failed to upload
We highly recommend that all participants stay in the group recording session until all clips have been uploaded. However, if a participant leaves the session before they finish uploading their files, they will receive an email with a link to finish uploading. Once they upload their files, the media for that group recording will automatically re-render, and the producer will be notified.
Tip
If group recording backups are available, you may be able to download them from the recording's media page. The backups will be included when downloading individual feeds as a zip file.
Camera, mic, and screen share issues
Having trouble with your camera, mic, or screen share? Check out our troubleshooting guide for detailed steps to resolve the issue.
Still stuck? Let our Support team know!











