Learning how to go live on YouTube is one of the best decisions any content creator can make in 2025. YouTube Live reaches billions of users worldwide and gives you direct, real-time access to your audience. Whether you’re a gamer, educator, musician, or business owner, this guide covers everything you need to go live on YouTube — from setup to your first broadcast.
What You Need Before You Go Live on YouTube
Before you can go live on YouTube, you’ll need to meet a few requirements. Your YouTube channel must be verified with a phone number, and live streaming must be enabled in YouTube Studio. Note that enabling live streaming for the first time takes up to 24 hours to activate, so do this well in advance of your planned broadcast.
- A verified YouTube account (phone verification required)
- No live streaming restrictions on your channel in the past 90 days
- A device with a camera and microphone, or streaming software like OBS
- Stable internet: at least 5 Mbps upload for 720p, 10+ Mbps for 1080p
How to Go Live on YouTube from a Mobile Device
The easiest way to go live on YouTube is directly from the YouTube mobile app. Open the YouTube app, tap the “+” button at the bottom of the screen, then select “Go Live.” Give your stream a title, choose a thumbnail, set the privacy (Public, Unlisted, or Private), and tap “Go Live.” Your broadcast starts immediately — no software required.
To go live on YouTube from mobile, your channel needs at least 50 subscribers. If you’re below that threshold, you can still go live from a desktop or via streaming software.
How to Go Live on YouTube from Desktop (YouTube Studio)
To go live on YouTube from a desktop browser, go to YouTube Studio (studio.youtube.com) and click “Go Live” in the top right corner. This opens the YouTube Live Control Room, where you can configure your stream settings:
- Title & Description — Write a keyword-rich title to help viewers find your stream
- Category — Choose the most relevant category for your content
- Thumbnail — Upload a custom thumbnail (recommended: 1280×720px)
- Scheduled or Instant — Start immediately or schedule for a future date/time
- Stream Key — Copy this to use with external streaming software like OBS
How to Go Live on YouTube with OBS Studio
For professional-quality streams, most creators use OBS Studio to go live on YouTube. In OBS, go to Settings → Stream, select YouTube as the service, then paste your Stream Key from YouTube Studio. Configure your video and audio sources — your webcam, microphone, and any screen captures — then click “Start Streaming” to go live on YouTube.
OBS gives you full control over your stream layout, overlays, scenes, and transitions. It’s free and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The learning curve is steeper than mobile streaming, but the quality difference is significant.
How to Go Live on YouTube and Other Platforms at the Same Time
One of the smartest strategies for growing your audience is to go live on YouTube while simultaneously streaming to Twitch, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other platforms. This is called multistreaming, and it dramatically multiplies your reach without any extra effort.
Streemzy makes multistreaming simple and completely free. Connect your YouTube account along with your other platforms, set your stream title, and hit Go Live. Streemzy broadcasts your stream to all platforms simultaneously — so while you’re going live on YouTube, you’re also reaching your Twitch, Facebook, and TikTok audiences at exactly the same time.
YouTube Live Stream Settings — Best Practices
To get the most out of going live on YouTube, optimise these settings before every broadcast. Set your stream to Public so it appears in YouTube search and suggested videos. Enable “Automatically publish replay” so your VOD stays on your channel after the live stream ends. Use a custom thumbnail — streams with custom thumbnails consistently get higher click-through rates than auto-generated ones.
Keep your stream title under 60 characters and include your main topic keyword naturally. Add a description with timestamps, links, and relevant keywords — YouTube’s algorithm uses this information to determine who to recommend your live stream to.
Troubleshooting Common Issues When You Go Live on YouTube
Stream not starting: Double-check that live streaming is enabled in YouTube Studio under Settings → Channel → Feature eligibility. If you enabled it recently, wait the full 24 hours.
Poor video quality: Lower your output resolution in OBS (try 720p at 3000 kbps) or switch from Wi-Fi to a wired ethernet connection. Insufficient upload bandwidth is the most common cause of quality issues when you go live on YouTube.
Stream delay: Normal YouTube Live latency is 15–30 seconds. Enable “Low latency” or “Ultra low latency” in YouTube Studio Live Control Room to reduce this to under 5 seconds for more interactive streams.
Ready to reach your full audience? Try Streemzy free and go live on YouTube alongside all your other platforms simultaneously.