How to Navigate the Descript Editor (Beginner Guide)

Direct answer: After you open a project, Descript’s editor is where you work. Learn these first: the home button (back to Drive), the editable project title, the top-left hamburger menu (File, Edit, Playback, Insert, Settings, View), the transcript/script (edit video by editing text), the scene editor (video preview), the timeline underneath (scenes, layers, markers, playback speed), and the right panels (Project, AI Tools, Properties, Elements, Captions, Media, Underlord). Once you can find those, later lessons have a place to land.

This beginner map is grounded in the Descript Made Easy lesson “Descript Editor User Interface Familiarity,” with layout terms aligned to Descript’s official editor interface overview. Open the editor at web.descript.com.

How do I get back to Descript Drive from the editor?

1. Click the home button in the top-left corner — that returns you to Descript Drive (where your projects live).
2. Use Recents if you feel lost — After you leave a project, it appears under recent projects on Drive, so you can click back in quickly.
3. Rename the project in the title bar — Click the project title at the top, type a clearer name (for example “My first video”), and that name shows up in Drive View.

What is in the top-left hamburger menu?

Next to home is the hamburger menu. Hover each item for the submenu. The lesson points you at the structure now and covers details in later lessons:

1. File — New project, version history, and other project-level actions.
2. Edit — Undo, redo, cut, copy, paste, and related edits.
3. Playback — Controls for how the video previews inside Descript.
4. Insert — Add files, recordings made in Descript, and other media you will use later.
5. Settings — Opens the settings dialog (covered in dedicated settings lessons).
6. View — How the editor is laid out (script, scene editor, and placement options below).

How do I show or hide the transcript and scene editor?

1. Open View → Script — Choose hide script or show script. Hiding removes the transcript column; show brings it back.
2. Open View → Scene editor — Hide or show the video preview. Audio-only projects may not show a scene editor at all (no visual component).
3. Set Scene editor placement — Under View → Scene editor → Scene editor placement:
   • Side by side (default) — Transcript and scene editor sit next to each other.
   • Stacked — Scene editor on top, transcript below; timeline stays at the bottom.
   • Full-screen video — Emphasizes the preview for watching your cut.

Where do I edit, and what is the timeline for?

1. Edit in the transcript first — The script/transcript is a main working area: change the words and the media follows. That is the beginner path for rough cuts.
2. Use the timeline underneath — The timeline holds scenes, layers, markers, playback speed, and finer timing edits when text-based cuts are not enough.
3. Keep the mental model simple — Transcript for “what was said”; scene editor for “what is on screen”; timeline for “when layers and scenes line up.”

What are the panels on the right?

The right side has panels you will open as needed. Each gets its own deeper lesson later in Descript Made Easy — for orientation day, just learn their names:

1. Project — Files and compositions in this project.
2. AI Tools — Automated helpers you will use in later lessons.
3. Properties — Controls for the selected item or scene settings you are adjusting.
4. Elements — Shapes, text, and other add-ons.
5. Captions — Caption-related controls.
6. Media — Browse assets to add into the composition.
7. Underlord — Descript’s AI co-editor (optional while you are still learning the layout).

How to orient yourself in five minutes (quick path)

1. Open a practice project from Drive (or use Recents after leaving once).
2. Rename the project title so it is easy to find later.
3. Open the hamburger menu and glance at File, Edit, Playback, Insert, Settings, and View — do not memorize every submenu yet.
4. Under View, hide then show the script, hide then show the scene editor, and try side-by-side vs stacked placement.
5. Point to the transcript, the scene editor, and the timeline; click each right panel once so the names stick.

FAQ

Does the home button leave my project forever?
No. It takes you to Drive. Your project stays there — check Recents or search to open it again.

Why don’t I see a scene editor?
Audio-only projects have no visual preview, so the scene editor may not appear. On video projects, use View → Scene editor → Show scene editor.

What is the default layout?
Side by side: transcript and scene editor next to each other, timeline along the bottom.

Should beginners start in the timeline or the transcript?
Start in the transcript — edit by editing text. Use the timeline when you need scenes, layers, markers, playback speed, or finer timing.

Do I need every right panel on day one?
No. Learn the names (Project, AI Tools, Properties, Elements, Captions, Media, Underlord). Deeper use comes in later course lessons.

Keep learning

• Descript for Beginners
• How to Navigate Descript Drive (Beginner Guide)
• Find, Open, and Duplicate Projects in Descript Drive
• Descript Terminology + Top 25 Terms
• Free getting-started class
• Descript Made Easy

Want live help while you learn? Join the free 1-hour class: https://www.descriptmastery.com/getting-started-with-descript

Or go straight to Descript Made Easy: https://www.descriptmastery.com/