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In YouTube Studio, click Create > Go Live > Stream. Your key is in the Stream key section of the Live Control Room. Copy it into your encoder’s Stream Key field. If you reset the key, replace the saved key in the encoder too, or it may no longer connect.
Find the stream key in YouTube Studio
- Sign in to YouTube Studio and check that the channel you mean to stream from is selected.
- Click Create in the upper-right corner, then choose Go Live to open the Live Control Room.
- Select Stream from the left-hand menu.
- Locate Stream key and use its copy control to copy the key into the matching Stream Key field in your encoder.
- Also check the encoder’s Stream URL field. The stream key and Stream URL are separate values, and the encoder needs the URL as well as the key.
YouTube describes stream keys as credentials “like your YouTube stream’s password and address.” Keep the key private: anyone with access to it may be able to send a feed to your stream. Do not show it in public screenshots or chats. See YouTube’s Manage live stream settings.
If the stream key section is missing
- Confirm the selected channel. If you manage multiple channels, check that Studio is open to the channel whose stream you are configuring.
- Check the Live Control Room’s Stream section. The key is found there, rather than in the encoder or the Stream URL field.
- Check your channel role if you need to reset the key. YouTube says channel owners and managers can reset it; editors and viewers cannot. If the reset control is unavailable, confirm your role with the channel owner.
- Consider whether you are using a webcam or a different connection method. YouTube’s key-reset guidance applies to streams using an encoder or mobile, not webcam streams. If software signs in to YouTube without asking you to enter a stream key, YouTube directs you to that software provider’s support team.
Studio labels and controls can change. If the menu does not match these steps, consult YouTube’s official stream-settings help.
Reset a key and update your encoder
Reset the key if it may have been exposed or you need a fresh credential. In Live Control Room, open Stream, use the reset control next to the hidden key, then copy the replacement key into your encoder’s saved Stream Key field. Resetting in Studio does not update the encoder automatically; leaving the old value there can prevent the encoder from connecting. YouTube’s live-streaming troubleshooting guidance also recommends getting a new key and updating the encoder when a start error persists.
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Check reused settings and dual-format streams
Previous or scheduled streams
If you have streamed before, YouTube may load earlier stream settings, including a previously used key. When creating a scheduled stream, Reuse settings can carry over settings from another stream. Check which stream and key are selected before starting, and confirm the key saved in the encoder matches. See YouTube’s live-streaming setup guidance.
Horizontal and vertical streams
Some third-party encoders that send horizontal and vertical formats use a second key for the vertical stream. If your Stream tab offers a key dropdown, verify that each format is being sent to its matching key. See YouTube’s guidance for dual-format live streams.
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Stream-key troubleshooting
| What you see | What to check or do |
|---|---|
| The key is not visible where expected | Open the intended channel in Studio, go to Create > Go Live > Stream, and check the Stream key section. |
| You cannot reset the key | Ask a channel owner to confirm your role. YouTube identifies owners and managers as able to reset the key, but not editors or viewers. |
| The encoder reports a start error after a reset | Copy the replacement key from Studio into the encoder’s saved Stream Key field. Check that the Stream URL is present too. |
| The software never asks for a stream key | If it connects by signing in to YouTube, contact the software provider; YouTube’s manual-key troubleshooting steps do not apply to that login flow. |
| One format works but the other does not | For a dual horizontal/vertical encoder setup, check the Stream tab’s key dropdown and match each format to its corresponding key. |
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