Going live on YouTube is one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience in real time. Whether you want to host Q&A sessions, gaming streams, tutorials, or business webinars, YouTube Live gives you access to billions of potential viewers. This step-by-step guide shows you exactly how to go live on YouTube in 2025 — and how to reach even more people by multistreaming at the same time.
Requirements to Go Live on YouTube
Before you can go live on YouTube, your channel must meet a few basic requirements. Your channel must be verified with a confirmed phone number, and live streaming must be enabled in your YouTube Studio settings. New channels may need to wait up to 24 hours after enabling live streaming before the feature becomes active. Additionally, channels that want to stream from a mobile device must have at least 50 subscribers.
How to Go Live on YouTube from a Desktop Browser
- Sign in to YouTube and click the camera icon at the top right of the page, then select “Go Live”
- You’ll be taken to YouTube Studio Live — the central hub for managing your live stream
- Choose your stream type — “Webcam” for simple browser-based streaming, or “Stream” if you’re using external software like OBS or Streemzy
- Set your stream details — enter a title, description, category, and thumbnail
- Configure your privacy settings — Public, Unlisted, or Private
- Copy your Stream Key if using external software, or click “Go Live” to start directly from the browser
How to Go Live on YouTube Using Streaming Software
For higher quality streams with more control over your production, connecting YouTube to streaming software is the best approach. In YouTube Studio, navigate to “Go Live” and select the “Stream” option. You’ll see your Stream URL and Stream Key — copy these into your streaming software’s output settings. Once configured, simply start streaming in your software and your broadcast will appear on YouTube within a few seconds.
If you want to go live on YouTube and other platforms simultaneously, Streemzy makes this effortless. Connect your YouTube account once and Streemzy automatically handles the stream key, distribution, and monitoring — so you can go live on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and more with a single click.
How to Go Live on YouTube from a Mobile Device
Mobile live streaming on YouTube requires at least 50 subscribers on your channel. Once eligible, open the YouTube app, tap the “+” button at the bottom of the screen, and select “Go Live.” You can add a title, set visibility, enable or disable chat, and choose your front or rear camera before going live. Mobile streams are quick to start and great for spontaneous content — just make sure you’re on a stable WiFi or strong 4G/5G connection.
YouTube Live Best Practices in 2025
To maximise your live stream performance on YouTube, schedule your streams in advance using the YouTube Studio scheduling feature. This creates a landing page where viewers can set reminders, which dramatically increases your live viewership compared to unannounced streams. Share your scheduled stream link across all your social channels at least 24–48 hours before going live.
During your stream, actively engage with your live chat — greet new viewers, answer questions, and acknowledge supporters by name. YouTube’s algorithm rewards streams with higher chat engagement, pushing them to more recommended feeds. After your stream ends, the recording is automatically saved to your channel as a standard video, giving you ongoing organic traffic from search.
How to Stream to YouTube and Other Platforms at the Same Time
The biggest limitation of streaming directly on YouTube is that you’re only reaching your YouTube audience. With Streemzy’s free multistreaming platform, you can go live on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Live, LinkedIn, and more — all at the exact same time. Your stream reaches every platform simultaneously, multiplying your audience without any extra effort. Streemzy’s unified chat dashboard brings all viewer comments into one feed so you never miss a message regardless of which platform it comes from.
Troubleshooting Common YouTube Live Issues
If your stream isn’t appearing after you start broadcasting, check that your stream key matches exactly what YouTube provided — even a single character difference will break the connection. If you’re experiencing lag or dropped frames, reduce your output bitrate in your streaming software. YouTube recommends 3,000–6,000 kbps for 1080p60 streams. Always use a wired ethernet connection instead of WiFi for the most stable broadcast quality.
Ready to go live on YouTube and every other platform at once? Create your free Streemzy account and start multistreaming today.