• In order to go live on YouTube, you have to first activate the feature — this takes 24 hours to complete and requires you to have a verified account.
  • You can go live on YouTube on your computer or the mobile app, but only those with at least 1,000 subscribers can use the mobile version of live streaming.
  • Here’s what you need to know to go live on YouTube.
  • Visit Business Insider’s Tech Reference library for more stories.

Live streaming on YouTube can help creators make more personal connections with their audience, but there is a bit of prep work required before you can take advantage of the feature. 

For example, you should be aware that it takes 24 hours to activate your account for live streaming. 

First, be sure to verify your YouTube account, then go to your Creator Studio Tools page and select the “Live Streaming” tab, located in the column on the left side of the screen.

1 HOW TO GO LIVE YOUTUBE
Select Live Streaming on the left side of the screen.
Devon Delfino/Business Insider

Once that’s out of the way, here’s how to go live on YouTube, whether you’re using a webcam on your computer or the mobile app.

How to go live on YouTube on your computer

For those using a webcam to livestream, this is a fairly simple process, provided that you’re using Chrome 60+ or Firefox 53+:

1. Go to youtube.com and sign into your account, if necessary.

2. Click the camera icon in the top toolbar (it has a plus sign inside of it) and select "Go live."

2 HOW TO GO LIVE YOUTUBE
Select Go Live.
Devon Delfino/Business Insider

3. Select "Webcam" at the top of the screen.

4. Enter your title and description, and establish the privacy settings (you could also schedule the livestream for a later date from this screen).

5. Click "Save" — your webcam will take a thumbnail for the livestream at this point, so make sure you're prepared for that.

6. Click "Go Live."

When you're done, simply click "End Stream" at the bottom of the screen. As long as you didn't go over 12 hours, your livestream video will be archived.

How to go live on YouTube on the mobile app

Creators should be aware that the ability to go live on mobile is only available to those who have at least 1,000 subscribers.

1. Open the YouTube app on your phone and log into your account, if necessary.

2. Tap the capture button, which is a camera icon, then select "Go Live."

3 HOW TO GO LIVE YOUTUBE
Tap Go Live.
Devon Delfino/Business Insider

3. If necessary, allow YouTube to record audio on your phone — you may also have to allow access to things like your camera, microphone, and location.

4. At the top, select either the camera icon to use your camera to record the livestream, or select the phone icon to capture whatever is on your screen.

5. Create the title and establish the privacy settings.

6. If desired, you can select "More Options" to further customize your livestream, by adding things like scheduling, live chats, and age restrictions for viewers.

7. Tap "Next" to take your thumbnail photo (or you can choose to upload a thumbnail).

8. Select "Share" and then "Go Live" to start your livestream.

To end a livestream from a mobile phone, tap "Finish" and then "Ok."

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