How to Go Live on YouTube from a PC: Webcam or OBS

The short answer

You can go live on YouTube from a PC in two ways. The quickest is the webcam route: in YouTube Studio you click Create, then Go Live, then Webcam, and stream straight from your browser. The more flexible route is an encoder such as OBS Studio, where YouTube gives you a stream URL and a stream key that you paste into the software. Both start in YouTube Studio and both need live streaming to be enabled on your channel first.

Everything on this page comes from YouTube Help and is dated as of October 5, 2026. Where YouTube does not publish a detail, this guide leaves it out.

What YouTube requires before your first stream

YouTube's Get started with live streaming article says that to live stream you need no live streaming restrictions in the past 90 days and you need to verify your channel. It also says you must be at least 16 years old to live stream, and that streams which do not follow the minimum age rule will be taken down.

Enabling live streaming for the first time may take up to 24 hours, according to YouTube's encoder article. Once enabled, a stream can go live instantly, so enable it a day before you plan your first broadcast. If your channel has been restricted, YouTube's restrictions article says you are prohibited from using another channel to live stream while the restriction is active.

Route 1: go live with your webcam

YouTube lists these steps for a webcam live stream:

1. Sign in to YouTube. In the upper right, click Create, then Go Live.
2. From the left, select Webcam.
3. Enter a title and description and choose a privacy setting. You can also schedule the stream for later.
4. Click Next. Your camera takes a thumbnail.
5. Check that the correct webcam and microphone are selected.
6. Click Go Live. When you are done, click End Stream.

YouTube says webcam streaming is compatible with Chrome 60+ and Firefox 53+, and that streams under 12 hours are archived automatically. While live, you can click Share Screen to show your whole screen, a window or a tab, but only if a webcam and microphone are connected.

Before you go live, test your camera and microphone with the free webcam test and microphone test; both run in your browser and upload nothing.

Route 2: go live with an encoder

For gameplay, overlays or several cameras, YouTube recommends an encoder. Its steps are:

1. Install an encoder. OBS Studio, described by YouTube as open source software for video recording and live streaming at no charge, is on YouTube's list of verified encoders. YouTube notes that none of the listed products are made by YouTube.
2. Open YouTube Studio, click Create, then Go Live, and open the Stream tab in the Live Control Room.
3. Create a stream, then copy the stream URL (the RTMP server) and the stream key.
4. Paste both into your encoder and start streaming from the encoder. YouTube creates the watch page and shows a preview.
5. When the preview looks right, click Go live in the Live Control Room.

The YouTube with OBS Studio guide walks through the OBS side, and YouTube stream key explains where to find, reset and reuse the key.

Webcam or encoder: which should you pick?

Encoder settings YouTube publishes

If you choose the encoder route, YouTube lists a bitrate range for each resolution and frame rate. These are the H.264 figures:

YouTube also recommends constant bitrate (CBR), a keyframe interval of 2 seconds (and no more than 4 seconds), and RTMP or RTMPS, with RTMPS recommended. For audio it lists 128 kbps stereo. Use the streaming bitrate recommender to see these next to the figures for Twitch, Facebook, Kick and LinkedIn, and read what is bitrate and what is a keyframe interval if the terms are new.

Prepare like YouTube suggests

YouTube's Streaming tips article gives advice that applies to both routes. The total bitrate you stream cannot exceed your upload bandwidth, and YouTube recommends leaving about 20% of room. It points out that download speed is often higher than upload speed, so run a speed test and check the outbound figure. For encoder streams it suggests setting up the stream at least 2 hours ahead and starting the encoder at least 15 minutes before the event, then checking the preview in the Live Control Room before you start. For important events it describes testing a backup encoder.

Use the bandwidth calculator to turn a bitrate into the upload speed you need.

Going live on more than YouTube

A webcam stream goes only to YouTube. An encoder stream can go to a relay as well: you send one RTMP or SRT stream to Multistream Platform and it delivers copies to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Kick, TikTok and custom RTMP destinations, so your PC uploads one stream instead of several. See features, how to multistream with OBS Studio and the go-live-from-PC overview for how the other platforms compare.

Sources

• YouTube Help: Get started with live streaming
• YouTube Help: Create a live stream via webcam
• YouTube Help: Create a YouTube live stream with an encoder
• YouTube Help: Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions
• YouTube Help: Streaming tips
• YouTube Help: Avoid restrictions on YouTube live streaming

Platform figures were checked on October 5, 2026. Platforms change their recommendations, so confirm against the current documentation before you go live.