Understanding Permissions in LiveClass Webinars and Classrooms
LiveClass uses role-based permissions to control who can use microphones, cameras, screen sharing, whiteboards, and other session features. Webinars and classrooms follow the same permission rules, so understanding one helps you manage the other.
Who this is for: Hosts and account admins.
Understand the Four Roles
| Role | Description | Default permissions |
|---|---|---|
| Host | The person who created the session | Microphone, camera, screen sharing, and whiteboard available |
| Co-host | A helper promoted by the host | Microphone, camera, screen sharing, and whiteboard available |
| Presenter | Someone promoted to present | Microphone, camera, screen sharing, and whiteboard available |
| Attendee | Everyone else in the session | Microphone, camera, screen sharing, and whiteboard off by default |
Hosts, co-hosts, and presenters are collectively called the stage. They can use their microphone, camera, screen sharing, and whiteboard without additional permission grants.
The host cannot be demoted by anyone, including another host.
Understand Attendee Defaults
Attendees start with the same permissions in webinars and classrooms.
| Feature | Default setting |
|---|---|
| Microphone | Off |
| Camera | Off |
| Screen sharing | Off |
| Whiteboard | Off |
| Chat | On |
| Q&A | On |
| Reactions | On |
Although classrooms are designed for interaction, attendees do not automatically join with their microphones or cameras enabled. Hosts must enable attendee access or grant permissions individually.
Give an Attendee Permission to Speak or Present
You can grant access in two ways.
Option 1: Promote the Attendee
Promote an attendee to Presenter or Co-host when they need to participate more actively, such as giving a presentation or helping run the session.
Open the 'People' tab.
Select the attendee's options menu.
Choose 'Promote to presenter' or 'Make co-host', as appropriate.
The promoted participant gains access to the microphone, camera, screen sharing, and whiteboard. These permissions remain available until their role changes.
Who can promote participants:
Hosts can change participant roles.
Presenters and co-hosts can promote attendees to presenter or co-host, but cannot change another staff member's role.
No one can demote the host.
Option 2: Grant an Individual Permission
Grant a specific attendee access to a microphone, camera, or screen sharing without changing their role. They remain an attendee in the participant list and reporting.
Use this option when someone needs to ask a question or share something briefly without becoming a presenter.
Understand Room-Wide and Individual Permissions
Hosts can manage permissions for the entire session or for individual participants.
Microphone, camera, screen sharing, and whiteboard: Individual grants can override a room-wide restriction. You can keep a feature disabled for everyone and still grant access to a specific attendee.
Chat, Q&A, and reactions: Room-wide settings take priority. If a feature is disabled for the entire session, you cannot enable it for just one participant. When it is enabled room-wide, you can mute or restrict it for specific individuals.
For audio and video features, disabling access room-wide does not prevent you from granting access individually. For chat, Q&A, and reactions, a room-wide restriction applies to everyone.
Manage Microphones During a Session
The microphone controls have different effects.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mute everyone | Mutes attendees who are currently unmuted. They can unmute themselves again if permitted. |
| Mute everyone and lock | Mutes attendees and disables their room-wide microphone permission, preventing them from unmuting themselves. |
| Allow unmute | Restores room-wide microphone permission so attendees can unmute themselves. |
Hosts and co-hosts are never bulk-muted. Presenters are included only if you explicitly select the option to include them.
Understand Permissions During a Public Livestream
When you start streaming a session to a public destination, such as YouTube or Facebook, LiveClass applies a broadcast lock.
During the broadcast lock:
Attendees cannot use their microphones, cameras, or screen sharing.
The restriction applies to attendees already in the session as well as new arrivals.
Previously granted individual permissions are revoked.
The whiteboard remains unaffected.
To appear on the public stream, a participant should be promoted to the stage. This ensures that granting someone permission to participate in a private session does not automatically allow them to appear in a public broadcast.
What if an attendee's microphone or camera is already live?
LiveClass will prevent the stream from starting if an attendee is actively publishing audio or video. It identifies the participants and offers the option to mute them and start the stream.
This prevents an attendee from being broadcast publicly without the host first addressing their active microphone or camera.
Check Screen Sharing Limits
The number of people who can share their screens simultaneously depends on the session type.
| Session type | Simultaneous screen shares |
|---|---|
| Webinar | 1 |
| Classroom | 2 |
| Meeting | 4 |
LiveClass supports a maximum of four simultaneous screen shares.
Understand Participant Limits in Webinars and Classrooms
Webinars count stage seats and audience seats separately.
Stage seats: Used by co-hosts and presenters. The primary host does not use a stage seat.
Audience seats: Counted separately according to the plan's audience capacity.
Classrooms use a single participant count instead of separate stage and audience limits.
These counting rules are the main difference between webinars and classrooms. They do not change the permissions assigned to each role.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I let an attendee speak without making them a presenter?
Yes. Grant the attendee microphone permission individually. They remain an attendee in the participant list and reports.
Can I re-enable chat for one person after turning it off for the session?
No. Enable chat for the entire session first, then restrict it for the individuals you want to keep silent.
Do classroom attendees join with their microphones and cameras on?
No. Attendees in both webinars and classrooms start with their microphones and cameras off.
Why did an attendee lose microphone access during a session?
A public livestream may have started. The broadcast lock removes attendees' microphone, camera, and screen-sharing permissions, including previously granted individual permissions.
Will Mute everyone interrupt my guest speaker?
Hosts and co-hosts are never bulk-muted. Presenters are muted only when you explicitly choose to include them.
Understanding these permission rules helps you manage participation, keep sessions organized, and prevent unintended audio or video from reaching a public livestream.
