ReelShiftHow to stream
on YouTube.
YouTube gives you four ways to go live, and each one has its own rules. Here is what you need first, where your stream key lives, and the settings YouTube itself recommends.
Guides · Published 2026-09-19 · Updated 2026-09-19 · 6 min read
Short answer: verify your channel with a phone number, then turn on live streaming. YouTube says enabling it the first time may take up to 24 hours. After that, open YouTube Studio, click Create, then Go live. Use a webcam for the quickest start, an encoder like OBS for games and overlays, or the YouTube app, which needs at least 50 subscribers. You must be 16 or older.
Before you can go live: the requirements
Per YouTube's help center, you need all of these:
- A verified channel. In YouTube Studio click Settings, then Channel, then Feature eligibility, and verify your phone number under Intermediate features. Live streaming is one of the intermediate features.
- No live streaming restrictions on your channel in the past 90 days.
- Age 16 or older.
- Patience the first time. YouTube says enabling live streaming for the first time may take up to 24 hours. After that, you can go live instantly.
Do the verification today, even if you plan to stream next week. Then the 24 hour wait never blocks you.
Webcam, phone or encoder: pick your route
- Webcam: stream straight from your browser with a computer and a webcam. Fastest to set up, good for talking to chat. No game capture or overlays.
- Mobile: the YouTube app. YouTube requires at least 50 subscribers, an Android 8.0+ or iOS 8+ device, and no recent restrictions. Between 50 and 999 subscribers, YouTube may limit how many people can watch, and the saved stream is set to private by default.
- Encoder: software like OBS. This is the route for gaming, overlays, a better mic and a real camera.
- Game console: YouTube also supports going live from PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo devices.
More on phone streaming across every platform in how to stream from your phone.
Where to find your YouTube stream key
- Open YouTube Studio.
- Click Create at the top right, then Go live. This opens the Live Control Room.
- Click the Stream tab.
- Copy the stream URL and stream key and paste them into your encoder's stream settings.
- Start streaming from the encoder. YouTube creates the watch page and you are live.
In OBS you can skip the copy and paste: in Settings, Stream, choose YouTube as the service and connect your account. Never show your stream key on screen. Anyone who has it can stream to your channel. Full OBS walkthrough in how to set up OBS for streaming.
YouTube's recommended settings
From YouTube's live encoder settings page, for H.264 over RTMP or RTMPS:
- 1080p at 60fps: 12 Mbps. 1080p at 30fps: 10 Mbps.
- 720p at 60fps: 6 Mbps. 720p at 30fps: 4 Mbps.
- 1440p: 24 Mbps at 60fps, 15 Mbps at 30fps.
- Keyframe: every 2 seconds (4 at most).
- Audio: AAC or MP3, 128 Kbps for stereo.
Your upload speed has to carry that bitrate with room to spare. If your stream stutters, drop to 720p before you drop the frame rate on a fast game.
After the stream: turn it into Shorts
YouTube lets you save a Short highlight from the recap when a mobile stream ends. For every other stream, the good moments are buried in a long VOD. ReelShift watches your YouTube stream while you are live, cuts the best moments as they happen and gives you vertical clips with captions, ready for Shorts, TikTok and Reels. Say "clip that" on stream to save the last 60 seconds. See the YouTube Live clipper.
Pick your plan.
Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial: 1 channel and 5 streaming hours to try it on a real stream. Nothing is charged today, and we email you the day before it ends.
Quick answers.
Why can't I go live on YouTube yet?
Usually your channel is not verified, the first time enabling is still inside YouTube's 24 hour window, or your channel had a live streaming restriction in the past 90 days.
How many subscribers do you need to stream on YouTube?
None from a computer. To go live from the YouTube app on a phone, YouTube requires at least 50 subscribers.
Where is my YouTube stream key?
YouTube Studio, Create, Go live, then the Stream tab. Copy the stream URL and stream key into your encoder.
What bitrate should I use for YouTube?
YouTube recommends 12 Mbps for 1080p at 60fps and 6 Mbps for 720p at 60fps with H.264, with a keyframe every 2 seconds.
Can I stream on YouTube and Twitch at the same time?
YouTube's help center describes streaming to several platforms at once. Twitch allows it too under its Simulcast Guidelines. See how to multistream.
Last updated 2026-09-19