Live streaming lets you interact with your audience in real time with a video feed, chat, and more.
Intro To Live Streaming on YouTube
Enable live streaming
To live stream, you need to have no live streaming restrictions in the past 90 days and you need to verify your channel .
Choose a way to stream
There are multiple methods of streaming: mobile, webcam, encoder, and console. Choose the one that's best for what you're streaming.
Mobile 
Good for vlogging and quick updates from your phone or tablet. To create a mobile live stream, you need to meet the requirements .
Webcam
Quickly live stream from your computer using a webcam. You’ll need a computer with a webcam.
Learn how to stream with a webcam .
Encoder
Encoders let you stream gameplay, overlays, and use hardware like preamps, mics, and cameras. This type of stream is commonly used for gaming, sporting events, concerts, and conferences.
Learn how to stream using an encoder .
Game Consoles
Modern game consoles from PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo allow you to directly stream from the device. Please review each console maker’s instruction manual for directions to stream.
Vertical live streams
When your live stream is vertical (more tall than wide), viewers on mobile will now enter a full screen viewing experience when watching it. This experience includes a scrollable live stream feed where viewers have access to fan funding features like Super Chat , Super Stickers , channel memberships , and gifts, depending on eligibility . Viewers (not limited to existing channel subscribers) can also find these live streams when browsing YouTube Shorts.
Stream in both horizontal and vertical formats
You can go live in both horizontal (16:9 aspect ratio) and vertical (9:16 aspect ratio) formats at the same time. This setting gives your audience more ways to view your content, whether they’re watching on a computer or in the Shorts feed on the YouTube mobile app.
To go live in both horizontal and vertical formats at the same time on your channel:
- On a computer, go to YouTube Studio .
- From the top right, click Create
Go live
.
- From the Live Control Room, click Stream
- Under the Stream settings tab, go to Dual stream
- Note:Under the “Select key” dropdown, the first-party “Auto” option is selected by default. The option to use a third-party encoder is not yet available to all creators and will gradually roll out to eligible creators in the coming weeks.
- To use a third-party encoder, click the “Select key” dropdown and select Encoder. YouTube recommends using the RTMP(S) streaming protocol for third-party dual streaming.
- Input your second stream key to use for your vertical stream. Check that the vertical and horizontal content match, and that the correct formats are sent to the corresponding stream key.
- Go live from YouTube Studio.
- Note:You can’t remove the vertical format once the stream has started.
When you choose this setting with the “Auto” option, a vertical stream will be automatically created from a center crop of your horizontal live stream.
Subscribers will receive one “go live” notification with a shared stream URL. Viewers watching your stream in the Shorts feed on mobile will see the vertical version. All other viewers will see the horizontal stream. The same live chat is shown to viewers of both your horizontal and vertical streams.
You can view your live stream metrics combined for both streams in the Live Control Room in YouTube Studio during and after the live stream. Metrics for just your vertical stream become available 24 hours after the stream. Learn how to view your stream metrics .
Members-only live streams
Members-only live streamsare a great way to offer special content to your most loyal viewers. You can easily switch to a private stream while you're already live, giving your members an even more rewarding experience. It's a simple way to create a more intimate community, and it can also encourage non-members to join your channel. To learn more about how it works, see Live stream to members-only .
| Feature | Horizontal live streams | Vertical live feed |
|---|---|---|
|
Discoverable in the Shorts feed
|
No | Yes |
|
Scrollable for more live streams
|
No | Yes |
|
Clickable links
in chat and channel description
|
Yes | No |
|
Live ad midrolls and pre-rolls
|
Yes | No |
|
4K bitrate streaming (broadcast)
|
Yes | No (on YouTube app) |
|
Premieres
|
Yes | No |
|
Live redirect
|
Yes | No |
|
Memberships
|
Yes | Yes |
|
Gifted memberships
|
Yes | Yes |
What you can stream
All content in live streams must adhere to our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service . If you suggest that you’ll live stream content that violates our Community Guidelines, we may age-restrict or remove your live stream. YouTube also reserves the right to restrict a creator's ability to live stream at its discretion.
If you receive a warning on your live stream for violating our Community Guidelines, you can take a policy training to allow the warning to expire after 90 days. However, if the same policy is violated within that 90 day window, the warning will not expire and your channel will be given a strike. If you violate a different policy after completing the training, you will get another warning. We may prevent repeat offenders from taking policy trainings in the future.
If your live stream is restricted, you may get a strike on your account. A strike will prevent you from live streaming for 14 days. If your account has been restricted from live streaming, you’re prohibited from using another channel to live stream on YouTube. This policy applies for as long as the restriction remains active on your account. Violation of this restriction is considered circumvention under our Terms of Service and may result in termination of your account.
Pin messages
You can pin your own message or a viewer’s message in Live Chat. Pinned messages show below Super Chat. To pin a message:
- Go to the chat window during a live stream or Premiere.
- Find a message from Live Chat, even your own, and click or click More
.
- Click or click Pin
.
on a pinned messageCreate a live poll
- From the bottom of the chat window, click Create a poll
.
- Create your poll.
-
To end a poll and see the results in the chat from the banner at the top of the chat, click End poll.
-
Select Ask your community.
Start a Live Q&A
Live Q&A lets you find and select questions within your Live Chat to answer for your viewers. To start a Live Q&A:
- Schedule or start a live stream or a Premiere.
- From the bottom of the chat window, click Add
- Add a prompt and click Start Q&A.
Answer questions from the chat
Once you start a Live Q&A, the “Questions List” will appear in the chat window. To answer a question:
- Select a question from the Questions List.
- Click Menu
- Click Closeto remove a question banner from the chat window.
End a Live Q&A
-
To end your Live Q&A, click End Q&Aat the top of the chat. All unanswered questions in the list will be deleted and Live Q&A sessions will be available in Chat Replay.
-
To delete a question that you’ve submitted that has not been pinned to chats, go to My Activity .
-
To delete questions that are pinned to the chat window, click Menu
-
Turn reactions on or off
You can turn reactions on or off during a live stream within your Live Control Room. You can change this setting at any point during your stream.
- On a computer, go to YouTube Studio .
- From the top right, click Create
- From the Live Control Room, click Stream
- Click Edit
- Select Reactions.
- Toggle the settings on or off.
