# Restrict access to recordings

By default, recording links are public — anyone with the link can watch the recording without logging in. This makes it easy to share recordings with other teams, customers, or stakeholders without requiring them to have a Screendesk account.

If your organization needs tighter control over who can view recordings, you can restrict access so that only members of your Screendesk workspace can watch them. Restricted recordings require the viewer to log in and be a member of your workspace before they can see anything.

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**Plan Availability:** Pro and Enterprise only
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### How It Works

Recording access in Screendesk has two layers: account-level settings that apply to your entire workspace, and per-recording controls that let you override the default for individual recordings.

**Account-level settings** are managed by admins in **Account Settings → Security** and determine:

* Whether the restriction feature is enabled for your workspace
* What the default sharing mode is for new incoming recordings
* Whether live recordings (video calls) are also restricted

**Per-recording controls** are available on each received recording through the **Share** button dropdown, where authorized users can switch an individual recording between "Anyone with link" and "Workspace members."

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### Sharing Modes

Every received recording has one of two sharing modes:

| Mode                  | Icon  | Who can view                            | Login required? |
| --------------------- | ----- | --------------------------------------- | --------------- |
| **Anyone with link**  | Globe | Anyone who has the recording URL        | No              |
| **Workspace members** | Lock  | Only users who belong to your workspace | Yes             |

When a recording is set to **Anyone with link**, the link works like any other URL — anyone you send it to can view the recording immediately. This is the default for all new recordings.

When a recording is set to **Workspace members**, Screendesk enforces access at the point of viewing:

* **Not logged in:** The viewer is redirected to the Screendesk login page. After logging in, they are taken back to the recording.
* **Logged in but not a workspace member:** The viewer sees a 404 page.
* **Logged in and a workspace member:** The recording plays normally.

{% hint style="info" %}
Switching a recording to "Workspace members" does not change its URL. The same link continues to work — it simply requires the viewer to authenticate first.
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***

### Enabling Recording Restrictions

Before you can restrict individual recordings, an admin must first enable the feature at the account level.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Go to Security settings

Navigate to **Account Settings → Security** and stay on the **Recordings** tab.
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{% step %}

#### Enable "Restrict access to received recordings"

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Find the **Restrict access to received recordings** section and switch the toggle on. Click **Save**.

This unlocks the ability to set individual received recordings to "Workspace members" and makes the default sharing preference available.
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{% step %}

#### Set a default sharing preference (optional)

<figure><img src="https://3820804400-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfW6XSzJSKsNyZnOkSJPt%2Fuploads%2FuX8G5GP4CkpgpY58ZSAK%2FCleanShot%202026-02-09%20at%2012.42.33%402x.png?alt=media&#x26;token=36eb3e03-cf3a-4a75-8ab7-59b3ee94d43a" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Once the restriction toggle is enabled, the **Default recording sharing** section becomes active. Choose which sharing mode new received recordings should use:

* **Anyone with link** — New recordings are public by default (the original behavior).
* **Workspace members** — New recordings are restricted by default. Users can still change individual recordings later.

Click **Save** to apply.
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{% hint style="warning" %}
Changing the default sharing preference only affects recordings received **after** the change. Existing recordings keep their current sharing mode.
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***

### Restricting Live Recordings

Live recordings (from Screendesk video calls) have a separate toggle because they come from a different source than received recordings.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Go to Security settings

Navigate to **Account Settings → Security** and stay on the **Recordings** tab.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Enable "Restrict access to live recordings"

<figure><img src="https://3820804400-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfW6XSzJSKsNyZnOkSJPt%2Fuploads%2Fmltkz3rI3pKMQ4oBrzO0%2FCleanShot%202026-02-09%20at%2012.42.58%402x.png?alt=media&#x26;token=9c3d9041-01f7-49de-815f-bd1c08dc89a5" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Find the **Restrict access to live recordings** section and switch the toggle on. Click **Save**.

When enabled, all video call recordings are automatically restricted to workspace members. There is no per-recording override for live recordings — the setting applies to all of them.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

***

### Changing the Sharing Mode on a Recording

For received recordings, authorized users can change the sharing mode on individual recordings at any time.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Open the recording

Navigate to the recording you want to update.
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{% step %}

#### Click the Share button dropdown

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Next to the **Share** button, click the dropdown arrow (chevron). A menu appears under the heading **WHO CAN VIEW** with two options:

* **Anyone with link** (marked as Default)
* **Workspace members**

A checkmark indicates the current setting.
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{% step %}

#### Select the desired mode

Click the option you want. The change takes effect immediately — there is no separate save step.

The Share button icon updates to reflect the current mode: a globe for "Anyone with link" or a lock for "Workspace members."
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
If the "Workspace members" option is not available in the dropdown, it means the restriction feature has not been enabled by your admin. You will see the message: "Restricting recordings is disabled. Contact your admin to enable it."
{% endhint %}

***

### Who Can Change These Settings

| Action                                             | Roles allowed                  |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| Enable/disable restriction toggles (account level) | Admin                          |
| Set default sharing preference (account level)     | Admin                          |
| Change sharing mode on a recording (per-recording) | Admin, Editor, recording owner |
| View a restricted recording                        | Any workspace member           |

Watch-only users cannot change sharing settings on any recording.

***

### What Applies to What

Recording restrictions apply differently depending on the recording type:

| Recording type                    | Controlled by                                                           | Per-recording override?                                      |
| --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Received recordings**           | "Restrict access to received recordings" toggle + per-recording setting | Yes — each recording can be switched individually            |
| **Live recordings** (video calls) | "Restrict access to live recordings" toggle                             | No — the setting applies to all live recordings              |
| **Sent recordings**               | Not applicable                                                          | No — sent recordings are not subject to restriction settings |

***

### Frequently Asked Questions

<details>

<summary>Does restricting a recording change its URL?</summary>

No. The recording URL stays the same. Restriction only adds an authentication check.

</details>

<details>

<summary>What does a non-member see when they try to view a restricted recording?</summary>

If they are not logged in, they are redirected to the login page. If they are logged in but not a workspace member, they see a 404 page.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Can I restrict a recording and then share it with someone outside my workspace?</summary>

Not directly. “Workspace members” recordings can only be viewed by workspace members. To share externally, invite them to your workspace or switch to “Anyone with link”.

</details>

<details>

<summary>I enabled the restriction toggle but existing recordings are still public. Is that expected?</summary>

Yes. Enabling the toggle does not change existing recordings. To restrict an existing recording, open it and switch it to “Workspace members”.

</details>

<details>

<summary>What is the difference between the restriction toggle and the default sharing preference?</summary>

The restriction toggle enables the feature. It unlocks “Workspace members” as a sharing mode.

The default sharing preference controls what new received recordings use by default. It only works after the toggle is enabled.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Are restriction changes logged in audit logs?</summary>

Yes. Account-level toggles are tracked in audit logs (Enterprise plan). Per-recording sharing mode changes are also logged.

</details>

<details>

<summary>What happens on downgrade?</summary>

If your account moves from Pro or Enterprise to a plan that does not include recording restrictions:

* The account-level toggles are automatically disabled.
* Recordings that were set to "Workspace members" **remain restricted** — their individual `share_with` setting is not changed.
* However, since the feature is no longer active on your plan, the per-recording dropdown will not show the "Workspace members" option. To make a restricted recording public again, an admin would need to upgrade or contact support.
* The default sharing preference is preserved in your account settings and will be restored if you upgrade again.

</details>