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Joining and Controls

This page covers everything you need to know about joining a meeting channel and using the in-call controls. From selecting your camera and microphone before you join, to managing your audio, video, and collaboration tools during the meeting, every control is explained below.

How to join a meeting channel​

There are several ways to enter a meeting channel:

From the sidebar​

The most common way to join is to click on the meeting channel in the left sidebar. Meeting channels display a video camera icon and, when a session is active, show the number of participants currently in the call. Click the channel name to enter.

From the command palette​

Press Ctrl+K (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+K (Mac) to open the command palette. Type the name of the meeting channel or use the "join meeting" prefix. Select the channel from the results to join directly.

From an invitation​

When a team member invites you to an active meeting, you receive a notification with an option to join immediately. Click Accept to enter the call or Decline to dismiss the invitation.

Pre-join screen​

Before entering a meeting, you see a pre-join screen where you can configure your devices:

  • Camera preview -- see yourself on screen so you can check framing, lighting, and background before others see you.
  • Microphone selection -- choose which microphone to use if you have multiple audio input devices connected.
  • Speaker selection -- choose your audio output device.
  • Camera selection -- switch between cameras if you have more than one (for example, a built-in webcam and an external camera).
  • Background effects -- blur your background or replace it with an image before anyone sees your video. See Background effects below.
  • Mute toggles -- decide whether to join with your microphone and camera on or off.

Once you are satisfied with your setup, click Join to enter the meeting.

In-meeting controls​

Once you are in the call, a control bar appears at the bottom of the screen. Here is a detailed breakdown of every control:

Microphone (mute/unmute)​

Toggle your microphone on or off. When muted, a line appears through the microphone icon and other participants cannot hear you. Click the microphone icon again to unmute.

Deafen (mute speakers)​

The deafen control mutes all incoming audio. When deafened, you will not hear other participants and your microphone is also automatically muted. This is useful when you need to step away briefly without background noise leaking in. Click the deafen icon again to restore audio.

Camera (on/off)​

Toggle your camera feed. When the camera is off, other participants see your avatar instead of your video. You can turn your camera on and off at any time during the meeting without affecting the rest of the call.

Screen sharing​

Share your screen, a specific application window, or a browser tab with other participants. A quality menu lets you tune the share for text, general use, or smooth motion. See Screen Sharing for full details.

Raise hand (with an ordered queue)​

Click the raised hand icon to signal that you want to speak. A visual indicator appears on your participant tile so the host and other participants can see your request. Click again to lower your hand.

When more than one person raises a hand, Copera keeps everyone in a queue in the exact order they raised their hands. The queue appears as a row of avatars above the control bar, and each waiting participant's tile shows their position number (for example, #1, #2) so the host always knows who to call on next. As people are heard and lower their hands, everyone else moves up automatically.

This keeps larger meetings orderly and fair: instead of guessing who spoke up first, the host can simply work down the list.

View mode and pinning​

Switch between layout modes to control how the meeting is arranged on your screen. Your view mode is yours alone -- changing it does not affect what anyone else sees.

  • Grid view -- all participant video tiles are displayed in a uniform grid. Best when everyone is contributing or when you want to see all faces at once.
  • Speaker view -- the main stage automatically follows whoever is talking, with other participants shown as smaller thumbnails. Best when one person is doing most of the talking and you want the layout to keep up on its own.
  • Focus view (pin someone) -- you choose exactly who or what stays on the main stage. Click a participant's tile -- or a shared screen, whiteboard, or document tile -- to pin it. The pinned tile fills the stage and stays there even when other people speak. Click the same tile again to unpin and let the layout move freely.

Pinning is the easiest way to keep your eyes on a presenter, a shared screen, or a sign-language interpreter without the view jumping around every time someone makes a sound.

You can go fullscreen in any view mode for a distraction-free experience -- expand the meeting to fill your entire screen, then press Esc to exit.

In one-on-one calls, you can also resize the video tiles by dragging the divider between your video and the other participant's video.

Settings menu​

The three-dot settings menu provides access to additional controls:

  • Open whiteboard -- start a collaborative whiteboard session visible to all participants. Anyone in the call can draw, add shapes, or type text. Close the whiteboard from the same menu.
  • Open document -- create a new collaborative document or reopen one from a previous session. All participants can edit the document simultaneously during the call.
  • Whiteboard session list -- browse whiteboards created during the current session to reopen a previous one.
  • Document session list -- browse documents created during the current session to reopen a previous one.
  • Invite users -- send meeting invitations to workspace members who are not yet in the call.
  • Open chat -- open the in-meeting chat panel to send text messages, links, or notes to other participants.
  • Device settings -- change your microphone, speaker, or camera without leaving the call.
  • Lock channel -- prevent additional participants from joining the meeting. Only the person who locked the channel (or an admin) can unlock it.
  • Unlock channel -- remove the lock so others can join again.

Soundboard​

Play short sound clips into the meeting for everyone to hear. Open the soundboard from the control bar, pick a sound, and it plays for the whole room -- a quick way to react, lighten the mood, or add a bit of fun without unmuting. See Soundboard below for how to manage your sounds.

Background effects​

Open your camera effects (from device settings or the camera control) to blur your background or swap it for an image at any point during the call. See Background effects below.

Transcription controls​

On desktop, a dedicated transcription button appears in the collaboration section of the control bar. You can start an audio-only transcription or a video recording with transcription. When transcription is active, the conversation is captured with automatic speaker identification. The person who started the transcription can stop it at any time. See Transcription for full details.

Disconnect​

Click the disconnect button (red phone icon) to leave the meeting. This only disconnects you -- other participants remain in the call. If you are a channel admin, you also have access to the End for all option, which disconnects every participant and ends the session.

Participant list​

The in-meeting view shows all participants as video tiles arranged according to your selected view mode. Each tile displays:

  • The participant's name
  • A microphone status indicator (muted or active)
  • A raised hand indicator (if applicable)
  • A screen sharing indicator (if the participant is sharing)

You can click on a participant tile to pin that person to the main stage (focus view). Click the tile again to unpin.

Background effects (blur and virtual backgrounds)​

Keep your surroundings private and your video looking sharp by applying a background effect to your camera. Open camera effects -- available on the pre-join screen and from your device settings during a call -- and choose one of three options:

  • No filter -- show your real background, unchanged.
  • Blur background -- keep yourself in focus while your surroundings are softly blurred. You can fine-tune how strong the blur is with a simple slider.
  • Image background -- replace your background entirely with a picture. Pick from the built-in backgrounds, or upload your own image to use as a virtual background.

A live preview shows the effect on your own video before anyone else sees it, and you can switch or turn off the effect at any time during the call. Each person controls their own background -- your choice only changes how you appear to others.

tip

A subtle blur is the safest choice for most calls: it hides a messy room without the distraction of a busy image, and it works well in any lighting.

Soundboard​

The soundboard lets you play short sound clips into the meeting that everyone can hear -- handy for reactions, celebrations, or just a bit of fun. Open the soundboard from the meeting control bar and click any sound to play it for the whole room.

You can also build your own library of sounds:

  • Add a sound -- upload your own audio clip, give it a name, and pick an emoji icon so it's easy to find.
  • Set its volume -- choose how loud each sound plays.
  • Edit or remove -- rename a sound, change its icon or volume, or delete sounds you no longer want.

Copera also includes a set of default sounds so the soundboard is ready to use right away.

Guest access and the waiting room​

Meeting channels support guest access, allowing people outside your workspace to join a call via a shared link. Before a guest enters, they wait in a lobby (a waiting room) and someone already in the meeting is notified so they can let the guest in -- nobody from outside joins unannounced. While waiting, guests can already set up their camera, microphone, and background effect, so they are ready the moment they're admitted.

Once admitted, guests have access to core meeting controls (microphone, deafen, camera, screen sharing, raise hand, and view modes) but cannot access workspace-specific features like whiteboards, documents, or transcription controls. Guests can open the participant list and the in-meeting chat.

Meeting sounds and invite preferences​

Each person controls how meetings sound and how incoming meeting invites appear, from Settings → Notifications:

  • Meeting sounds -- turn the audible cues for events like people joining or leaving on or off.
  • Incoming invite style -- choose how an invitation to join a meeting appears on your screen: as a full-screen call (a large, hard-to-miss prompt with Join and Decline buttons) or as a banner (a smaller, less disruptive notification). Both let you join or decline with one click.
  • Invite sound -- pick which sound plays when someone invites you to a meeting, with a preview button so you can hear each option before choosing.

These are personal preferences -- they change only your own experience, not anyone else's.

Double-click to connect​

If you find yourself accidentally joining meeting channels with a single click, you can enable the double-click to connect option. When it's on, a single click on a meeting channel in the sidebar simply opens it (so you can see who's inside and review past sessions), and you double-click to actually join the call -- preventing unintended connections. When it's off, a single click connects you straight away. This setting is personal and applies wherever you use Copera.

Tips for a smooth meeting experience​

tip
  • Test your devices on the pre-join screen before entering to avoid audio or video issues.
  • Apply a background blur if your space is busy or you're joining from somewhere public.
  • Pin the presenter (focus view) when someone is sharing so the layout stays put on what matters.
  • Use speaker view for free-flowing discussions so the main stage keeps up with whoever is talking.
  • Use fullscreen mode for important presentations to eliminate distractions.
  • Raise your hand instead of unmuting to interrupt -- the ordered queue keeps larger meetings fair and tidy.
  • Lock the channel when you need privacy to prevent unexpected participants from joining.
  • Enable double-click to connect if you frequently join meetings by accident.