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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallTo broadcast a prerecorded video as a YouTube Live stream, use OBS Studio to play the local file and send it to YouTube with an NVIDIA NVENC encoder. In YouTube Studio, create or schedule the broadcast; in OBS, add the video as a Media Source, choose an encoder and YouTube-compatible output settings, then monitor the Live Control Room and explicitly start the event if required. OBS sending data does not necessarily mean the audience can already see the live broadcast.
What you need before you start
- An enabled YouTube live-streaming account and access to YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room. Create or schedule the event before configuring OBS.
- A prerecorded video file accessible to the computer running OBS. OBS Media Source supports video formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF and WebM.
- An NVIDIA GPU with an NVENC encoder supported by your installed OBS version and driver. OBS documents support on Windows and Linux beginning with GeForce 750 Ti and 900-series Maxwell hardware; Turing-generation NVENC is recommended by OBS for best results. You do not necessarily need a new GPU if your existing card works with the encoder and codec you choose.
- A stable wired or wireless internet connection with enough measured upload capacity for the selected stream bitrate, plus a microphone or audio track if the video needs sound.
NVENC is the GPU’s dedicated video-encoding hardware; it is different from the optional hardware-decoding control on an OBS Media Source. Enabling source hardware decoding does not by itself select NVENC for the outgoing stream. OBS describes NVENC compatibility and its recommendation at OBS Project’s NVENC guide.
Set up the YouTube broadcast
- Open YouTube Studio and create or schedule a live broadcast. Keep its Live Control Room open so you can check the preview, stream health and event status.
- Copy the event’s stream key through YouTube’s account-controlled stream-key workflow and add it to OBS’s stream configuration. Treat it like a password: anyone who gets the key may be able to take over the stream. Do not include it in screenshots, posts or files you share.
- Check whether the event’s auto-start setting means YouTube will go live when OBS begins sending data or whether the event still needs a separate Go Live action. Scheduled-event controls and labels can change; confirm the current state in the Live Control Room. OBS’s community guide describes the distinction between scheduled-event controls and the encoder feed, but it was last updated in 2021: OBS’s YouTube streaming guide.
For a normal OBS setup, select YouTube as the streaming service so OBS can configure the service endpoint. YouTube recommends RTMPS. If you configure a custom encoder or troubleshoot an RTMPS connection, Google’s developer documentation specifies an RTMPS URL with a valid YouTube endpoint and application path, using port 443: Google’s RTMPS ingestion documentation.
Add and time the prerecorded video in OBS
- In OBS, select the scene you want to use. In the Sources dock, select +, then Media Source.
- Give the source a clear name, enable Local File, and browse to the video. OBS supports common video formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF and WebM, as well as common audio formats. Consult the current OBS Media Sources guide for the available controls.
- Enable Loop if the video should restart after it finishes. Loop is off by default. Restart playback when source becomes active is on by default; this can help start the file from its beginning when you activate the source.
- Set the scene’s canvas and output dimensions to match the video and the stream you intend to send, and verify that the video fits the canvas without unwanted cropping or empty borders. Check that the audio mixer shows activity when the file plays.
- Decide how to handle the time before a scheduled broadcast goes live. If the event is not ready, show an intro or holding scene, or wait to activate the video source. Do not assume a file that finished playing before the YouTube event became live will restart on its own; use the source’s restart behavior or manually restart playback.
Choose NVENC and YouTube-compatible output settings
In OBS, open Settings and review the Output and Video sections. Exact labels and encoder choices depend on the installed OBS version, operating system, GPU and driver. Choose an NVIDIA NVENC encoder only if it appears as an available option, and select a codec supported by both that encoder and YouTube’s ingest service.
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Match encoder, codec and GPU generation
OBS documents NVENC for GeForce 750 Ti / 900-series or newer on Windows and Linux, and recommends Turing-generation NVENC for best results. NVIDIA’s January 30, 2025 guide lists H.264 and HEVC support for RTX 20- and 30-series GPUs, and H.264, HEVC and AV1 for RTX 40- and 50-series GPUs. That guide recommends AV1 for YouTube with RTX 40-series hardware and HEVC otherwise; YouTube’s encoder guidance lists H.264, HEVC and AV1. These recommendations are not a reason to buy a new GPU for every prerecorded stream: check the codec options your current GPU, driver and OBS installation actually expose, then choose a compatible ingest codec. See NVIDIA’s NVENC OBS guide and YouTube’s encoder settings.
Set the delivery parameters
- Rate control: Use CBR, as YouTube recommends for live ingest.
- Keyframes: Set a two-second keyframe interval. YouTube recommends two seconds and says not to exceed four seconds.
- Bitrate: Choose a value from YouTube’s current bitrate table for your codec, resolution and frame rate. Those choices are linked: do not reuse a bitrate recommendation for a different codec or output format without checking the table.
- Audio: Use AAC or MP3. For stereo AAC, YouTube recommends 128 Kbps.
- Resolution and frame rate: Set output dimensions and frame rate appropriate to the source and the quality you want to deliver. Check YouTube’s bitrate guidance for that exact combination rather than assuming that a higher resolution is always a better fit for your connection.
- Upload capacity: Measure the connection’s upload speed and make sure it can sustain the selected bitrate while other network use is considered. NVIDIA advises planning around 75% of measured upload speed; this is vendor guidance, not a YouTube requirement. Its guide is NVIDIA’s broadcasting guide.
YouTube automatically transcodes live input for viewers. The ingest bitrate is therefore a setting for the feed you send, not a guarantee that every viewer will receive that exact bitrate.
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Go live and verify the public event
- Before the broadcast, play a representative portion of the file and check both motion and audio. Confirm that the OBS preview shows the intended scene and that audio is audible and not unintentionally muted.
- Start streaming from OBS at the time the event should receive the program. Watch YouTube’s Live Control Room for its preview and stream-health messages.
- If YouTube indicates that the stream is receiving data but the event is not live, check the event’s start controls and use Go Live if the current Live Control Room requires it.
- Once the event is live, confirm from the public viewing page or another viewer session that the intended video and sound are playing. Keep monitoring the Control Room for health warnings or a dropped feed.
Troubleshooting common problems
YouTube does not show a live broadcast
OBS may be connected and sending data while the scheduled event still awaits a separate start action. Check the Live Control Room’s event status, preview and auto-start controls; use Go Live if prompted. Starting the encoder and starting the public event are not always the same action.
The video is black, cropped or does not start at the right time
Confirm that the Media Source points to the correct local file and that the file plays in OBS’s preview. Check the scene’s canvas and output dimensions, then inspect whether the source has been cropped or positioned off-canvas. If playback ended before the event went live, activate the source with Restart playback when source becomes active enabled, or restart it manually.
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The video plays once instead of repeating
Open the Media Source properties and enable Loop. Because looping is off by default, a source that reaches the end otherwise will not automatically begin another pass.
The stream disconnects or YouTube reports poor health
Check OBS’s connection status and YouTube’s stream-health message. Compare the selected bitrate with YouTube’s table for the chosen codec, resolution and frame rate, and verify that measured upload capacity can sustain it. If you configured a custom destination, verify the RTMPS protocol, endpoint and port against Google’s RTMPS documentation.
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NVENC or the desired codec is missing
Check whether your GPU and operating system meet OBS’s documented NVENC compatibility, update the GPU driver, and confirm you are using an OBS build that exposes the encoder. Codec availability varies by GPU generation: consult OBS’s NVENC compatibility guide and NVIDIA’s GPU codec guide. If your current card offers a codec YouTube accepts, an upgrade may not be necessary.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Copyright and YouTube Live rules
Having a video file on your computer does not establish that you have the right to broadcast its picture, music, game footage or other included material. Before streaming, confirm that you own or have permission for the content and any audio it contains, and review YouTube’s current live-stream and copyright policies. A prerecorded file also remains subject to YouTube’s policies; presenting it as a live broadcast does not make copyrighted or otherwise disallowed material permissible. Keep a copy of your source file and a record of relevant permissions, and check any claims or restrictions shown in YouTube Studio.
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