How to find your YouTube stream key
Quick answer: in YouTube Studio, click Create → Go live to open the Live Control Room, select the Stream tab and copy the key from the Stream key section. Paste it into OBS Studio or another encoder. You don't need a stream key to go live from the YouTube mobile app or with your webcam.
YouTube describes the stream key as your stream's password and address: it tells your encoder where to send the video and lets YouTube accept it. Learn more about what a stream key is.
Where to find your YouTube stream key
- Go to studio.youtube.com and make sure you're signed in to the channel you want to stream to.
- Click Create in the top right corner and select Go live. The Live Control Room opens.
- Select the Stream tab. If this is your first live stream, set up your stream first.
- In the stream settings, find the Stream key section and copy your key. If your encoder doesn't have a YouTube preset, copy the Stream URL as well.
- Paste the key (and URL, if needed) into your encoding software.
Going live for the first time? YouTube says enabling live streaming can take up to 24 hours. To live stream, your channel must be verified, have no live streaming restrictions in the past 90 days, and you must be at least 16 years old.
Create or choose another stream key (including vertical streams)
When you come back to the Live Control Room, YouTube loads your previous stream settings, including your stream key, so you don't have to update your encoder each time. If you want a dedicated key, for example one per show or per encoder, create a custom one: under Select stream key, click Create new stream key, choose your settings and click Create. The new key appears in your list of stream keys.
YouTube can also broadcast in horizontal (16:9) and vertical (9:16) formats at the same time. By default, the vertical version is a crop of your horizontal stream. To send a separate vertical feed from an encoder, choose Encoder in the vertical layout settings and enter a second stream key for the vertical stream. Make sure each format goes to its matching key.
Keep YouTube's limits in mind: a channel can have up to 10 active streams, and a single stream key can be used for up to 3 active streams at a time.
How to reset your YouTube stream key
Reset your key if someone else may have seen it:
- In YouTube Studio, click Create → Go live to open the Live Control Room.
- Select the Stream tab.
- In the Stream key section, click Reset next to your hidden stream key.
- Copy the new key and update it in your encoder.
Only channel owners and managers can reset a stream key.
How to add your YouTube stream key to OBS
- In OBS Studio, open Settings → Stream.
- Choose YouTube - RTMPS as the service.
- Either click Connect Account to log in with YouTube, or choose Use Stream Key and paste your key.
- Click OK, then Start Streaming.
For the full setup, including recommended settings, read how to stream on YouTube with OBS.
Going live on YouTube from your phone
The YouTube app doesn't use a stream key: tap Create, then Live. According to YouTube Help, mobile live streaming requires at least 50 subscribers and a verified channel, and you may need to wait 24 hours before your first mobile live stream. Our guide to live streaming on YouTube covers every method.
Want to reach viewers beyond YouTube? Try multistreaming with Restream: stream to YouTube and other platforms at the same time, either from your browser with Restream Studio or by connecting OBS to Restream instead of pasting a YouTube key.