# Guide to the live dashboard

https://help.circle.so/p/live-and-events/live-management/utilizing-the-live-dashboard

Category: [Live and events](https://help.circle.so/p/live-and-events) › [Live management](https://help.circle.so/p/live-and-events/live-management)

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_Last updated: September, 2026_

The live dashboard is the central place where community admins can monitor and manage all Circle live activity, including usage limits, instant live sessions and events, and recordings.

## About the live dashboard

You can use the live dashboard to get a high-level view of how live sessions and events are being used across your community and to access details for individual live sessions when needed.

From the live dashboard, you can:

- View details about all live sessions and live event sessions in your community.

- Monitor live usage against your plan limits.

- View, download, and manage recordings.

- View and export a list of participants from specific sessions.

- Export live chat.

### How to access the live dashboard

Community admins have access to the live dashboard through the desktop app and web browsers.

To access the dashboard, click  **Community**  in the left sidebar, then select  **Live streams**.

## Live usage information

At the top of the dashboard, you'll see the usage cards that help you monitor your plan limits:

- **Hours this month:**  Number of live hours used through instant live sessions and live events from your monthly limit.

- **Host and participants:** Host (including co-hosts) and live stream participant limits.

> 💡  **Tip** : To purchase add-ons directly from the dashboard, click **Add more** in the live hours usage card. You can also manage add-ons from your [billing settings](https://help.circle.so/p/administration/account/add-or-remove-community-add-ons).

📚 For more information on live limits, see [**Understanding Circle live limits**](/p/live-and-events/live-management/view-and-increase-the-live-limits-of-your-community-plan) **.**

## Live sessions and events

Below the usage cards, you’ll see a table that lists all your live sessions. This includes instant live streams, rooms, and live event sessions.

Live sessions are organized into two tabs:

- **All events:** Shows all live sessions, regardless of status.

- **Past events:** Shows only sessions that have finished.

Each row in the list represents a single live session and provides a high-level snapshot, such as the session name, type, status, date, recording availability, and participant count.

📚 For more information on how to find specific sessions, filter and sort the list and view participants, see [**Find and review live session details**](/p/live-and-events/live-management/live-session-details).

## End live sessions

If a live session (or a live event) is in **Backstage** or currently **Live** , admins can end it manually from the live dashboard.

This is useful if a session was started by mistake, left running in backstage, or needs to be stopped immediately.

To do so:

1. Locate the live stream, live room, or live event session you want to end.

2. Hover over the session entry.

3. Click **More actions (three dots)**, and select  **End stream/room**.

4. Confirm the action. Once the session ends, the session status updates to  **Finished**.

Ending a live session immediately closes it for all participants, including the host. If the session is being recorded, the recording will stop when the session ends.

## **Download chat logs**

If a live session has **at least one chat message** , you can export the live chat conversation as a CSV file from the live dashboard.

📚 For information about live chat export, see [**Download a live chat log**](/p/live-and-events/live-management/download-a-live-chat-log).

## Download Q&A logs

If a live session has **at least one question in the Q&A section** , you can export the Q&A log as a CSV from the live dashboard.

📚 For information about Q&A log export, see [**Download live Q&A log.**](https://help.circle.so/p/live-and-events/live-management/download-live-q-a-log)

## **Manage recordings**

If the live session, including the event, is recorded, you can do the following directly from the live dashboard:

- Watch the recording.

- Download recording.

- Post recording directly to a post space.

- Delete recording.

📚 To learn more about recordings, see [**View and manage live recordings**](/p/live-and-events/live-management/view-and-manage-live-recordings) **.**