When you first connect to the Hive Desktop App and join a Studio, your computer becomes that Studio's Bridge. If you later need to move that Bridge to a different Studio — say you're repurposing a machine for another show, production, or location — you can migrate it. Migration unlinks the Bridge from its current Studio and links it to a new one.
Important: Migrating a Bridge disconnects all video and audio sources associated with that Bridge from the original Studio. This can't be undone. Make sure to stop any active recordings before you begin.
What You'll Need
Admin or Owner role on the Studio you're migrating to. Producers can view Bridge information but can't unlink or switch Bridges.
Hive Desktop App installed and running on the Bridge computer.
Network access — For local discovery, the Bridge computer and the Studio you're migrating to need to be on the same local network. Cloud linking is also possible if the Bridge is online.
Plan capacity — The destination Studio can't have reached its source limit. If it has, you'll need to upgrade your plan or free up sources before linking.
How to Migrate
There are two ways to do this, depending on your situation.
Option 1: From the Desktop App
On the Bridge computer, launch the Hive Desktop App.
Make sure you're logged into the account associated with the Studio you want to migrate to.
Select the target Studio.
Click Link Bridge when prompted. The Bridge links to the selected Studio.
If the Bridge is currently linked to a different Studio, you'll see a confirmation warning that it will be unlinked from the existing Studio. Confirm to proceed.
Once complete, click the Bridge icon in the upper-right corner to open the Bridge tray and confirm the machine appears under Bridges with its performance stats (CPU, RAM, Disk).
Option 2: From the destination Studio (one-step migration)
If you're already in the Studio you want to migrate to:
Open the destination Studio and click the Bridge icon in the toolbar.
Click Search for Devices (or use the Bridge dropdown and select Link Another Bridge).
If you select a Bridge that's already linked to another Studio, a warning dialog appears: "This Bridge is currently linked to another Studio. By continuing, it will be unlinked from the existing Studio and linked with this one. This change cannot be undone."
Click Link Bridge with this Studio to proceed, or Cancel to back out.
The system automatically unlinks the Bridge from the old Studio and links it to the new one.
This is handy when you don't want to navigate to the old Studio first — you can handle the whole thing from where you're going, not where you've been.
What Happens During Linking
While a linking request is in progress, you'll see a spinner next to the device and a message letting you know it's waiting for approval. You can Cancel the request if you change your mind.
If you own the Bridge (same account), the request is automatically approved — no waiting.
If someone else owns the Bridge, they'll receive a notification on their end with your email. They can approve or deny it. If they don't respond within 60 seconds, the request expires.
After Migration
The new Studio shows the Bridge in the Bridge panel with its online/offline status, connection mode, and system stats.
The old Studio no longer has a Bridge linked. It'll show the "Link Bridge" welcome screen.
All video and audio sources from the old Studio that were connected through that Bridge are disconnected. You'll need to re-add and configure your cameras in the new Studio.
Tips and Best Practices
Plan migrations during downtime to avoid disrupting active productions.
Stop any active recordings before unlinking — migration disconnects all sources immediately, which will interrupt recordings in progress.
Rename your Bridge in the Bridge tray after migration so it reflects the Studio or environment it's now supporting.
Use the Bridge tray to monitor CPU, RAM, and Disk usage after migration to confirm everything's running smoothly.
Confirm the target Studio's configuration before linking — make sure the Studio has capacity and is set up for the cameras you'll be connecting.
Troubleshooting
What's happening | Likely cause | What to do |
Bridge icon is grayed out | You don't have the required role | Ask an Admin or Owner to grant you at least a Producer role |
"Unlink" button is disabled | You're not an Admin or Owner | Contact your Studio Admin or Owner to perform the migration |
"No devices found" during search | Bridge app isn't running, or devices are on different networks | Make sure the Hive Desktop App is running on the Bridge computer and both are on the same local network. Click Search Again. |
"Source Limit Reached" error | Destination Studio has hit its camera limit | Upgrade your plan, remove unused sources from the destination Studio, or choose a different Studio |
Linking request times out | Bridge owner didn't approve within 60 seconds | Try again. If you own the Bridge, make sure the Hive app is open on that computer so the request auto-approves. |
"Unable to unlink bridge" error | Bridge launcher isn't running | Make sure the Hive Desktop App is running on the Bridge computer, then try again |
"Error while linking agent" | Network or authentication issue | Check your internet connection and retry. If it persists, sign out and sign back in. |
Page doesn't update after migration | UI needs to refresh | The page should reload automatically. If it doesn't, refresh your browser manually. |
FAQs
Will I lose my camera settings when I migrate? Yes. Migrating disconnects all sources from the old Studio. Camera settings configured there won't carry over. You'll need to re-add and configure your cameras in the new Studio.
Can a Bridge be linked to two Studios at once? No. A Bridge can only be linked to one Studio at a time. Migrating it automatically removes it from the previous Studio.
Do I need physical access to the Bridge computer? Not necessarily. If you own the Bridge (same account), the linking request is auto-approved. If someone else owns it, they'll need to approve the request from their Hive app — but they don't need to be physically at the machine, just have the app open.
What happens to recordings in progress when I unlink? They'll be interrupted. Unlinking disconnects all sources immediately. Always stop recordings before migrating.
Can a Producer migrate a Bridge? No. Producers can view Bridge information but can't unlink or switch Bridges. Only Admins and Owners can do this.
How do I know if my Bridge is online or offline? In the Bridge panel, you'll see a colored status indicator — green for online (with connection mode shown, like "Online (direct)") or "Offline" if the Bridge isn't connected.
What's the difference between Restart and Unlink? Restart reboots the Bridge software without changing which Studio it's linked to — sources go offline temporarily and come back. Unlink permanently removes the Bridge from the Studio and disconnects all sources.
Can I cancel a migration after confirming the unlink? No. Once you confirm, the Bridge is immediately disconnected from the old Studio. To reverse it, you'd need to link the Bridge back to the original Studio manually.
What if my machine doesn't appear as a Bridge after linking? Make sure you're signed into the correct account and Studio, and confirm the Desktop App has refreshed. The Bridge tray will show the status once active.
Use Cases
A production team reassigns a Bridge computer from a completed show's Studio to a new Studio for an upcoming production.
A venue repurposes a dedicated Bridge machine to a new Studio configuration for a different event.
A technician at a remote location selects a new Studio in the Desktop App and links the local machine as the Bridge in preparation for setup.
An organization consolidates multiple Studios and needs to move Bridges to a single shared workspace.