A stream key is the password that tells YouTube which channel a live stream belongs to. Any streaming tool, from OBS Studio to LoopStream Live, needs it before it can send video to your channel. It only takes a minute to find, but YouTube tucks it away in the Live Control Room, and it's easy to miss if you mostly use the YouTube app on your phone.
What is a YouTube stream key?
Your stream key is a private code, usually five groups of four letters and numbers separated by dashes. Together with YouTube's server address, rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2, it lets an encoder push a live video signal to your channel over RTMP. Anyone who has your key can stream to your channel, so treat it like a password: never post it, and blur it in screenshots and tutorials.
How to find your stream key on a computer
- 1
Open YouTube Studio
Go to studio.youtube.com and sign in with the Google account that owns the channel. If you manage several channels, check the avatar in the top right shows the right one.
- 2
Click Create, then Go live
The Create button is the camera icon with a plus sign in the top right corner. Choosing Go live opens the Live Control Room.
- 3
Open the Stream tab
In the Live Control Room, choose Stream on the left, not Webcam. This is the mode used by encoders and streaming software.
- 4
Copy the stream key
Under Stream settings, find the Stream key field and click Copy. The Stream URL sits just below it if your tool asks for one. LoopStream Live fills in the YouTube server for you, so you only need the key.
How to find your YouTube stream key on a phone
The YouTube and YouTube Studio phone apps let you go live with your camera, but they don't show your stream key. To get it on a phone, use the browser instead:
- Open Chrome or Safari and go to studio.youtube.com.
- Switch to the desktop version of the page. In Chrome, tap the three-dot menu and tick Desktop site. In Safari, tap the page settings button in the address bar and choose Request Desktop Website.
- Tap Create, then Go live, then the Stream tab, and copy the Stream key just like on a computer.
- Paste it straight into LoopStream Live in the same browser, or in the app once it's out. There's no need to email it to yourself.
Default key or a new key?
YouTube gives every channel a default stream key, and for most people it's all you need. You can also create extra keys from the Select stream key menu in Stream settings, give each one a name, and pick a fixed or variable bitrate. Extra keys are useful when you run more than one live stream at the same time, because a key can only carry one stream at once. Two loops on one channel need two keys.
While you're in Stream settings, also look at the additional settings for auto-start. With auto-start on, YouTube puts your broadcast live as soon as the video signal arrives, which is what you want for a stream that runs unattended.
How to reset a YouTube stream key
If your key has been shared by mistake, or you see streams on your channel you didn't start, reset it. In the same Stream settings panel, next to your stream key, choose to reset it, and YouTube issues a new one straight away. The old key stops working immediately, so update it everywhere you use it, including LoopStream Live, or those streams won't connect.
Why isn't my stream key working?
- A space or line break was copied with the key. Use the Copy button rather than selecting the text by hand.
- The key was reset, so the one you saved is now out of date.
- Live streaming isn't enabled yet, or is still inside the first 24 hours after you turned it on.
- The channel has a live streaming restriction, for example after a Community Guidelines strike. YouTube Studio shows this on the Go live page.
- The key belongs to a different channel or Brand Account than the one you're watching.
- The same key is already in use by another stream that's still running.
LoopStream Live checks the format of your key before you go live, and if YouTube rejects the connection the stream shows an error in your dashboard instead of failing silently. Fix the key, press Go Live again, and it reconnects.