How to Go Live on YouTube in 2026: PC and Mobile, Step by Step
·10 min read
There are two routes onto YouTube Live and they do not have the same rules. From a computer you need zero subscribers — a brand-new channel can stream today. From the phone app you need 50. Both routes share one requirement that catches almost everyone: live streaming has to be activated once on your channel, and that takes up to 24 hours.
Requirements: PC vs Mobile
| Requirement | PC | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Verified channelVerify with a phone number in YouTube settings | ✓ | ✓ |
| No live-stream restrictions in the last 90 daysA single strike locks you out | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live streaming enabled + 24-hour waitOne-time, on first activation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Minimum 50 subscribersThe single biggest difference between the two | — | ✓ |
| Android 8.0+ / iOS 8+Mobile app only | — | ✓ |
Do the 24-hour wait before you need it
Enabling live streaming is a one-time action, but activation can take up to a full day. If you discover this an hour before an event, you are not streaming that event. Go to YouTube Studio and turn it on the day you decide you might stream — not the day you actually want to.
How to Go Live on YouTube from a PC
Two options, and the choice matters more than people expect.
Option A — Webcam, straight from the browser
No software to install. Good for talking to a camera, Q&As and quick updates. No scenes, no overlays, no game capture.
- 1Go to YouTube Studio and click Create → Go live.
- 2Pick Webcam in the left-hand panel.
- 3Set the title, description and visibility (public, unlisted or private), and choose whether it is made for kids.
- 4Select your camera and microphone, take the thumbnail snapshot, and hit Go live.
- 5Click End stream when you are done. YouTube archives it automatically.
Option B — Encoder (OBS), for anything that looks like a show
This is the route for gameplay, overlays, alerts, multiple cameras, capture cards and audio hardware. YouTube receives the feed over RTMP/RTMPS.
- 1In YouTube Studio, click Create → Go live, then choose Streaming software.
- 2Fill in the stream details, then find the Stream key and Stream URL panel.
- 3Copy the stream key. Treat it like a password — anyone who has it can broadcast to your channel.
- 4In OBS, open Settings → Stream, set Service to YouTube - RTMPS, and paste the key.
- 5In Settings → Output, set the bitrate for your resolution (table below) and use CBR.
- 6Click Start Streaming in OBS. YouTube Studio shows the incoming feed and a health indicator.
- 7Press Go live in YouTube Studio once the preview looks right, and End stream to finish.
New to OBS entirely? Start with our OBS setup guide first, then come back for the stream key step.
How to Go Live on YouTube from Mobile
You need 50 subscribers, a verified channel, no live-streaming restrictions in the last 90 days, and Android 8.0+ or iOS 8+. Once that is true the flow is short:
- 1Open the YouTube app and tap Create (the + button), then Live.
- 2Tap Edit to set the title, visibility, schedule, and whether you are screencasting rather than using the camera.
- 3Fill in the stream info and thumbnail.
- 4Tap Go live.
- 5Tap Finish to end it — YouTube saves the archive and shows a stats recap.
Use Live Practice Mode first
The app has a private rehearsal mode. Run one before your first real broadcast — it is the cheapest way to find out that your framing is wrong or your mic is picking up the room.
Visibility defaults depend on age
Streams from accounts aged 13–17 default to unlisted; 18+ default to public. If a stream is not showing up for anyone, check this before assuming something broke.
What else the app gives you
Automatic chat translation for messages not in your display language, Playables (mini-games) in select countries, and highlight clips saved as private Shorts that you can publish afterwards.
Under 50 subscribers and still want to stream from a phone? Use a mobile encoder app that pushes an RTMP feed to your YouTube stream key instead of the built-in Go Live button. The 50-subscriber gate applies to the app's own streaming feature, not to the ingest endpoint.
Encoder Settings That Work
| Resolution | Video bitrate |
|---|---|
| 4K (2160p) 60fps | 10–40 Mbps |
| 1440p 60fps | 6–30 Mbps |
| 1080p 60fps | 4–10 Mbps |
| 1080p 30fps | 3–8 Mbps |
| 720p 60fps | 3–8 Mbps |
| 720p 30fps and below | 1.5–4 Mbps |
Video
H.264 (HEVC and AV1 also accepted), constant bitrate, keyframe interval 2 seconds — 4 is the maximum YouTube accepts and will cost you responsiveness.
Audio
AAC, 128 kbps stereo at 44.1 kHz. Surround uses 384 kbps at 48 kHz. There is no reason to push audio higher for a normal stream.
Latency. YouTube offers normal, low and ultra-low. Ultra-low keeps chat conversational but drops some resilience against network wobble, and it is not available at 4K — those streams run at normal latency regardless. If your chat is small, take the quality; if you are doing live Q&A, take the latency.
Full numbers for every platform, including headroom rules for your upload speed, are in our bitrate and encoder settings cheat sheet.
If the Go Live Button Is Greyed Out
- 1Has it been 24 hours since you enabled live streaming? This is the answer roughly nine times out of ten.
- 2Is the channel verified with a phone number? Unverified channels cannot stream at all.
- 3Any live-streaming restriction in the last 90 days? One strike locks the feature for the full window and there is no way to shorten it.
- 4On mobile: are you actually at 50 subscribers? The app hides the option entirely rather than explaining why.
- 5Are you signed into the right channel? Brand accounts and personal channels are easy to mix up.
Where To Go Next
- YouTube vs Twitch — which platform actually suits what you make
- OBS setup from scratch
- Multistreaming — going live on YouTube and Twitch at the same time
- What YouTube pays creators compared with Twitch and Kick
YouTube's own reference pages: getting started with live streaming and live encoder settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many subscribers do you need to go live on YouTube?
None on a computer — you can stream by webcam or through an encoder like OBS with a brand-new channel. You need 50 subscribers to go live from the YouTube mobile app. That is the only place the subscriber requirement applies.
How do I go live on YouTube without 1,000 subscribers?
The 1,000-subscriber figure is out of date — it was lowered to 50, and only for mobile. Stream from a computer and there is no subscriber requirement at all. If you specifically want to stream from your phone below 50 subscribers, the workaround is to run an encoder app that sends an RTMP feed to YouTube rather than using the built-in Go Live button.
Why can't I go live on YouTube yet?
Almost always the 24-hour wait. Live streaming has to be enabled once on your channel, and activation can take up to 24 hours — the button stays greyed out until it completes. The other causes are an unverified channel and a live-streaming restriction within the last 90 days.
How do I go live on YouTube from my phone?
Open the YouTube app, tap Create, then Live. Tap Edit to set the title, visibility and whether you are screencasting, then tap Go live. Tap Finish to end it, and YouTube archives the stream with a stats recap. You need 50 subscribers and a verified channel first.
What is the difference between webcam and encoder streaming?
Webcam runs entirely in the browser — you pick a camera and mic and go, with no overlays or scenes. Encoder streaming sends video from software like OBS via RTMP, which is what you need for gameplay capture, scenes, overlays, alerts and multiple sources. Webcam is for talking to a camera; encoder is for producing a show.
What bitrate should I use for YouTube Live?
YouTube publishes ranges rather than one number: roughly 4–10 Mbps for 1080p60, 3–8 Mbps for 1080p30 and 720p60. Use constant bitrate, H.264, and a 2-second keyframe interval. Whatever you pick, your upload speed needs headroom above it — aim for at least double.
Can I stream vertically on YouTube?
Yes. The mobile app handles portrait natively, and YouTube surfaces vertical live content differently from horizontal. From an encoder you set a portrait canvas — 1080×1920 — in your streaming software before you go live.
Does going live on YouTube pay you?
Only through the YouTube Partner Program. Live streaming itself is free to do at any size, but Super Chat, channel memberships and ad revenue require YPP membership, which has its own subscriber and watch-hour thresholds separate from the 50-subscriber mobile rule.