diff --git a/electron/electron-env.d.ts b/electron/electron-env.d.ts
index 3a31d9336..553843406 100644
--- a/electron/electron-env.d.ts
+++ b/electron/electron-env.d.ts
@@ -226,6 +226,7 @@ interface Window {
 		switchToEditor: () => Promise<void>;
 		openSourceSelector: () => Promise<void>;
 		showRecordingControls: () => Promise<{ success: boolean }>;
+		setHudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive: (active: boolean) => Promise<{ success: boolean }>;
 		selectSource: (source: ProcessedDesktopSource) => Promise<ProcessedDesktopSource>;
 		showSourceHighlight: (source: ProcessedDesktopSource) => Promise<{ success: boolean }>;
 		getSelectedSource: () => Promise<ProcessedDesktopSource | null>;
diff --git a/electron/main.ts b/electron/main.ts
index ce06c9441..4a3ce3e12 100644
--- a/electron/main.ts
+++ b/electron/main.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ import {
 	isHudOverlayMousePassthroughSupported,
 	reassertHudOverlayMousePassthrough as reassertHudOverlayMouseState,
 	setHudOverlayRecordingActive,
+	setHudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive,
 	showUpdateToastWindow,
 } from "./windows";
 
@@ -311,6 +312,16 @@ function showHudOverlayFromTray() {
 }
 
 function showOrCreateRecordingControls() {
+	// The Studio window has no reason to stay in front once the user is
+	// about to record - it just sits in the way of whatever they're trying
+	// to capture, forcing them to manually switch away from VybeClip before
+	// they can even start. Hiding (not closing) it lets the existing
+	// restore-on-return logic in createWindow()/focusOrCreateMainWindow()
+	// bring it back later exactly as before.
+	if (mainWindow && !mainWindow.isDestroyed()) {
+		mainWindow.hide();
+	}
+
 	const existingHud = getHudOverlayWindow();
 	if (existingHud) {
 		showHudOverlayFromTray();
@@ -1040,6 +1051,17 @@ app.whenReady().then(async () => {
 			hud.close();
 		}
 
+		// The HUD also closes on a successful recording, right as switch-to-editor
+		// hands off to the editor window - in that case Studio should stay hidden
+		// so the editor is the only thing on screen. But if the user canceled
+		// before ever reaching the editor, Studio (hidden in
+		// showOrCreateRecordingControls) needs to come back, or they're left
+		// with no visible VybeClip window at all until they happen to click the
+		// Dock icon.
+		if (!getExistingEditorWindow()) {
+			restoreWindowSafely(mainWindow);
+		}
+
 		// If this was the last window (or we are in a state where we should quit), do it.
 		// We use a small delay to allow window.close() to propagate.
 		setTimeout(() => {
@@ -1101,6 +1123,11 @@ app.whenReady().then(async () => {
 		return { success: true };
 	});
 
+	ipcMain.handle("set-hud-overlay-webcam-preview-active", (_event, active: boolean) => {
+		setHudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive(Boolean(active));
+		return { success: true };
+	});
+
 	if (IS_SMOKE_EXPORT || process.env.RECORDLY_DEV_OPEN_RECORDING_INPUT) {
 		await logSmokeExportGpuDiagnostics();
 		if (IS_SMOKE_EXPORT) {
diff --git a/electron/preload.ts b/electron/preload.ts
index bd042b27e..f1425b88e 100644
--- a/electron/preload.ts
+++ b/electron/preload.ts
@@ -488,6 +488,9 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld("electronAPI", {
 	showRecordingControls: () => {
 		return ipcRenderer.invoke("show-recording-controls");
 	},
+	setHudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive: (active: boolean) => {
+		return ipcRenderer.invoke("set-hud-overlay-webcam-preview-active", active);
+	},
 	selectSource: (source: ProcessedDesktopSource) => {
 		return ipcRenderer.invoke("select-source", source);
 	},
diff --git a/electron/windows.ts b/electron/windows.ts
index 3deae81c8..16b15f193 100644
--- a/electron/windows.ts
+++ b/electron/windows.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,17 @@ let hudOverlayIgnoringMouse = true;
 let hudOverlaySourceSelectionActive = false;
 let hudOverlayMouseReassertTimer: NodeJS.Timeout | null = null;
 let hudOverlayRecordingActive = false;
+// The HUD window normally shrinks to a compact, non-click-through band during
+// active recording (see isHudOverlayCanvasActive) so the stop/pause controls
+// stay reliably clickable without depending on hover-based passthrough
+// toggling. That compact band is only tall enough for the HUD bar itself,
+// which leaves nowhere for the draggable webcam preview bubble to go - it
+// gets visually clipped at the window's real edge and can't move vertically
+// at all. While a webcam preview is showing, use the full work area instead;
+// the existing hover-driven mouse-passthrough toggling (already wired to the
+// bubble's own pointer events) keeps clicks passing through everywhere except
+// the HUD bar/bubble themselves, independent of window size.
+let hudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive = false;
 let countdownWindow: BrowserWindow | null = null;
 let updateToastWindow: BrowserWindow | null = null;
 
@@ -198,11 +209,22 @@ function isHudOverlayCanvasActive(): boolean {
 
 function getHudOverlayBounds() {
 	const { workArea } = getHudOverlayDisplay();
-	return getHudOverlayWindowBounds(
-		workArea,
-		isHudOverlayCanvasActive(),
-		hudOverlayFallbackExpanded,
-	);
+	// Deliberately not just isHudOverlayCanvasActive(): that flag also gates
+	// the monitor-boundary-crossing drag relocation logic below, which should
+	// stay tied to the platform/passthrough check alone. Sizing the window
+	// itself additionally needs to widen for an active webcam preview so the
+	// draggable bubble has somewhere to go, even mid-recording.
+	const needsFullCanvas = isHudOverlayCanvasActive() || hudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive;
+	return getHudOverlayWindowBounds(workArea, needsFullCanvas, hudOverlayFallbackExpanded);
+}
+
+export function setHudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive(active: boolean): void {
+	const next = Boolean(active);
+	if (next === hudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive) {
+		return;
+	}
+	hudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive = next;
+	applyHudOverlayBounds();
 }
 
 function applyHudOverlayBounds() {
diff --git a/src/components/launch/hooks/useWebcamPreviewOverlay.ts b/src/components/launch/hooks/useWebcamPreviewOverlay.ts
index deba0d279..8afbd9a1f 100644
--- a/src/components/launch/hooks/useWebcamPreviewOverlay.ts
+++ b/src/components/launch/hooks/useWebcamPreviewOverlay.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,19 @@ export function useWebcamPreviewOverlay({
 	const shouldStreamWebcamPreview =
 		webcamEnabled && (showRecordingWebcamPreview || (showWebcamControls && webcamPopoverOpen));
 
+	useEffect(() => {
+		// The HUD overlay window shrinks to a compact, non-click-through band
+		// during active recording so the stop/pause controls stay reliably
+		// clickable (see windows.ts). That band is only tall enough for the HUD
+		// bar itself, leaving the draggable webcam bubble stuck at the bottom
+		// edge with no vertical room. Tell the main process when a preview is
+		// actually showing so it can widen the window to fit it.
+		void window.electronAPI?.setHudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive?.(showRecordingWebcamPreview);
+		return () => {
+			void window.electronAPI?.setHudOverlayWebcamPreviewActive?.(false);
+		};
+	}, [showRecordingWebcamPreview]);
+
 	useEffect(() => {
 		if (!webcamEnabled) {
 			webcamPreviewOffsetRef.current = DEFAULT_WEBCAM_PREVIEW_OFFSET;