A lot of people have questions about how to go live on YouTube from a computer.
That’s understandable. After all, over the past few years, remote work and events have accelerated the digitalization of the world.
Because of that, event organizers, producers, and speakers are starting to migrate from offline to online.
The problem is that many of them have never produced this kind of content before and feel unsure about taking the leap.
But don’t worry. In this article, we’ll walk through it together, step by step, and learn in a simple, practical way how to go live on YouTube using a computer.
What Is YouTube Live?
The first step to learning how to go live on YouTube from a computer is getting to know YouTube Live and understanding why it’s one of the best options out there.
YouTube Live is a broadcast tool from Google that lets you stream live over the internet.
Since it’s live, the video is broadcast at the same time it’s being filmed. That’s what we call a simultaneous broadcast.
Because of that, it’s an excellent tool for producing and broadcasting online events, conferences, and webinars.
Through the tool’s live control center, you can even interact with your audience and answer questions in real time.
What Are the Advantages?
Research from Google found that YouTube users spend far more time watching live content than other videos on the platform.
Because of that, running digital events or online conferences has shown us that streaming a live on YouTube from a computer is more accessible and, on top of that, lets you generate engagement and reach a bigger audience.
Through a live broadcast, you can show your full command of a given topic, build your authority, and generate engagement with less effort.
Research from Cisco predicted that by the end of that year, 80% of internet traffic would come from video content.
How Do You Go Live on YouTube From a Computer?
Going live on YouTube from a computer is quite simple, and you’ll need two things:
- Software to run the broadcast
- A YouTube channel
First, I’ll show you how to set up the software, and then we’ll set up the broadcast within YouTube. Let’s get started!
OBS Studio
The software we’ll use is OBS Studio.
I chose this one because, even though it’s free, it’s a very powerful program.
So, after downloading OBS and installing it on your computer, follow these steps:
1. Go to Settings.
2. Within Settings, select the “Stream” menu and set the Service to “YouTube / YouTube Gaming” and the Server to “Primary YouTube ingest server.”
Notice there’s a third field in the menu called “Stream Key.” We’ll only set up this key at the end of the tutorial.
3. After that, click Apply and OK.
The next step is adding your video and audio sources for the live.
To put it simply: video and audio sources are the devices that will be broadcast in your video.
In other words, in this step, we’ll set up your video and your microphone so attendees can see and hear you perfectly.
The program offers several options, but the main ones are:
- Display Capture – Shows everything appearing on your screen
- Window Capture – Broadcasts only one selected window
- Video Capture Device – This is where you’ll select your webcam
4. To add what will appear in your broadcast, go to “Sources” and click the plus (+) symbol.
5. Then, select the “Video Capture Device” source.
6. In the device list, the name of your webcam or connected camera will appear.
After selecting the right camera and clicking “OK,” you’ll see your image already showing up on the program’s preview screen, but don’t worry, you’re not live yet.
So, feel free to run tests, nobody can see you yet.
Notice that the program has already added your capture device to the list of sources.
If your broadcast is for an event or a conference, it’s a good idea to show attendees your slide presentation to help them follow along with the content.
YouTube Live
Now that you’ve installed OBS Studio and set up the program correctly, it’s time for the setup that happens within your YouTube channel.
1. Log into your YouTube account. In the top-right corner, select the upload button and choose “Go live.”
2. Enter the basic details for your broadcast.
3. Heads up: notice that on the second step, YouTube gives you 3 options.
Which one should you use? Let me walk you through what each one does.
Public – Everyone can view your video, and it will show up in search results.
Use this option if you want your broadcast to be public, so anyone can access it.
Heads up: this option should never be used when you’re just running tests, for example.
When you select this option, YouTube will notify your channel’s subscribers about the broadcast and suggest your video to other people on the platform.
Unlisted – Only people with the link can view it.
This is the option I recommend you use.
By choosing “Unlisted,” you make sure only the people you’ve sent the link to will have access.
Private – Only you can watch it.
This option is best when you want to test your live before making it available to others.
4. Select the date.
YouTube Live also lets you schedule your event for a later date and time.
Setting Up the Stream Key
After filling in these details, we’ve reached the final step of how to go live on YouTube from a computer.
In this step, we’ll set up the stream key, which is responsible for linking OBS Studio to YouTube Live.
Because of that, be very careful with this key. It’s best not to share this stream key with just anyone, or only share it with speakers and people you trust.
Why?
Whoever has this stream key will be able to broadcast anything they want on your channel.
So, be very careful with it, okay?
Back to the tutorial:
1. In the info panel, you’ll see a series of advanced settings, but you only need to focus on one: Stream Key.
Notice that the stream key is such sensitive information that YouTube keeps it hidden, like a password.
2. Next, click “Copy.”
Now, we’ll go back to OBS to enter the stream key. Remember we mentioned this at the beginning of the article?
Well, now’s the moment.
3. Go back into OBS’s settings menu and select Stream.
4. In the Stream Key field, paste the code you copied from YouTube and click Apply.
5. Now it’s time to broadcast to your viewers, and to do that, just click “Start Streaming.”
Once you click “Start Streaming” in OBS Studio, your YouTube channel will start receiving your signal.
After that, just select “go live” on YouTube, and that’s it, you’re live.
See, it’s not as complicated as it seems! With the right tips on what equipment to use for your talks, you’ll be all set.
With this material, we’re confident you’ll be ready to organize your event’s online broadcast successfully and with confidence.
And having an events platform to help you manage registrations, finances, submissions, and certificate issuance is essential.
Even3 can help you with that! Count on us =)
