The short version
YouTube asks for a verified channel, no live streaming restrictions in the past 90 days and an owner aged 16 or over. The first time you turn live streaming on it can take up to a day to start working. Then connect OBS (Settings, Stream, YouTube, Connect Account), rehearse with a private stream, and press Start Streaming.
1. Verify your channel and turn on live streaming
Verify the channel with a phone number in YouTube’s account settings, then open YouTube Studio and choose Create, Go live. If this is your first time, YouTube switches live streaming on for the channel, which can take up to 24 hours; after that you can go live at once. A live streaming restriction in the past 90 days blocks it.
2. Connect OBS
In OBS open Settings, Stream, choose the YouTube service and press Connect Account. Signed in, OBS can create and manage the broadcast for you, including its title and visibility.
Or use the stream key: in YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room open the Stream tab and copy the key into OBS. Anyone with the key can stream to your channel, so keep it off screen and out of chat, and reset it if it leaks.
3. Set the bitrate
YouTube prints a minimum and a recommended bitrate for each output and codec, and asks for a keyframe every two seconds. The YouTube Live settings page lists both figures with the date we checked them; the bitrate calculator picks the one your upload carries, down to YouTube’s minimum when the upload is short.
4. Rehearse with a private stream
Set the stream’s visibility to Private (or Unlisted to share the link with one person) and go live with your full setup for a few minutes. Watch the stream health messages in the Live Control Room and play the replay back afterwards. Then switch the next stream to Public.
Check picture and sound before that with the webcam and mic test and the pre-stream checklist.
5. Go live, and end the stream
Press Start Streaming in OBS; YouTube shows the stream in the Live Control Room once it arrives and, depending on the broadcast’s settings, starts it automatically or waits for you to press Go live. To end, press End stream in the Live Control Room or Stop Streaming in OBS.
Questions
Why can I not go live yet? Usually the channel is not verified, or live streaming was switched on less than a day ago.
Can I go live on YouTube from a PS5? Yes, with the console’s Broadcast after linking your YouTube account; a capture card and OBS add your own scenes and camera.
What upload do I need? Enough for the bitrate plus room to spare: YouTube recommends keeping 20% of your upload free. The upload calculator does the sum.
Viewers say they can’t hear me. Watch OBS’s Audio Mixer meters, then check the track your stream sends: no sound on your YouTube live stream goes through it in order, with YouTube’s own messages.
Can I stream a video I recorded earlier? Yes: as a Premiere, or played in OBS. Stream a pre-recorded video covers both.