You can send a video stored on a USB drive to YouTube Live by mounting the drive on your Raspberry Pi and having FFmpeg read the file in real time, then send the feed to YouTube over RTMPS. This is a live ingest, not a normal YouTube video upload. To repeat the video continuously, use FFmpeg’s -stream_loop -1 option.
What you need
- A Raspberry Pi with a working internet connection and FFmpeg installed.
- A USB drive containing a video file that the installed FFmpeg build can read.
- A YouTube channel permitted to livestream, plus the current RTMPS ingestion address and stream key for the intended live stream.
You do not need a camera, capture card, or microphone to send an existing video file. YouTube treats the incoming feed and the viewer-facing event as separate concepts: the stream is the feed sent to YouTube, and the broadcast is the event viewers watch. Your stream needs to be connected to the intended broadcast in YouTube Studio.
Prepare the YouTube Live stream
- Confirm livestream access. Make sure the channel is permitted to livestream before configuring FFmpeg. Permission or eligibility problems cannot be fixed by changing the command.
- Create or select the broadcast. In YouTube Studio, open the live-streaming controls and prepare the event you intend viewers to watch. Check that the selected incoming stream is associated with that broadcast.
- Copy the current RTMPS details. Copy the ingestion address and stream key shown for that stream. Use the values YouTube currently provides; do not rely on an endpoint or key copied from an unrelated stream or an old setup.
RTMPS is RTMP carried through an SSL connection and uses a valid endpoint and port 443. Keep the stream key private: it acts as a credential. Do not put it in a screenshot, public log, article, or shell history that others can access.
Mount the USB drive and find the video
- Connect the drive to the Pi and let its operating system mount it. You can use the file manager or command line to find where it was mounted; there is no single path that applies to every Raspberry Pi OS setup.
- Check the exact file name and path, including capitalization and spaces. Confirm the file is readable by the account that will run FFmpeg.
- Use the full path as the input. Put it in quotes if it contains spaces, for example
"/path/to/usb/My video.mp4".
FFmpeg can read a regular file as an input, but it does not mount or search removable drives for you. If the file is not mounted or readable, fix that before starting the stream.
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Check what your FFmpeg build supports
Run these checks on the Raspberry Pi that will do the streaming:
ffmpeg -versionshows the installed build and version information.ffmpeg -encoderslets you check whether the video and audio encoders you plan to use are available, includinglibx264and AAC encoding.ffmpeg -protocolshelps check protocol support in that build. Confirm that your chosen build can send the intended RTMPS output.
Build options vary. If the command reports an unknown encoder, unsupported protocol, or similar error, use an FFmpeg build that supports the selected options or adjust the command to match the encoders and protocols available on your Pi.
Start FFmpeg and send the file to YouTube
This is a template, not a tested or guaranteed configuration for every Pi. Replace the input path and output destination with your own values, and confirm the installed build supports the selected codecs and RTMPS output.
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ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i "/path/to/usb/video.mp4"
-c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -pix_fmt yuv420p
-c:a aac -b:a 128k
-f flv "<RTMPS_INGESTION_URL>/<STREAM_KEY>"In this template, -re reads the file at its native rate instead of sending it as fast as possible. -stream_loop -1 repeats the input indefinitely. The example’s encoder choices and preset are not a promise that a particular Raspberry Pi can encode the source in real time.
Keep FFmpeg options in the right order
Input options belong before the matching -i; output options belong before the output URL, which is the final argument. Replace the angle-bracketed placeholders with the current ingestion address and stream key provided for your YouTube stream. In actual use, do not include the angle brackets unless YouTube’s supplied value contains them.
Because the stream key is sensitive, avoid pasting the completed command where it may be recorded in a shared shell history or visible in public logs. If you need to run it on a shared system, take care to restrict access to the command and any logs containing it.
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Choose whether to loop or play once
For a single play-through, remove -stream_loop -1. When the file ends, FFmpeg exits, so the live ingest may stop. For continuous playback, leave the loop option in place and make sure the Raspberry Pi remains powered, the USB drive stays connected, and the network remains available.
Match output settings to the file, Pi, and connection
The example does not set a specific video bitrate, output resolution, frame rate, GOP/keyframe interval, or YouTube profile. Choose those values to suit YouTube’s current encoder guidance and the capabilities of your hardware and network. There is no one bitrate or Raspberry Pi configuration established here as correct for every source.
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Check the feed before making the broadcast public
Open the live control room or preview in YouTube Studio and confirm that the incoming video and audio appear before making the broadcast public. A successful FFmpeg process alone does not confirm that viewers can watch the intended event.
YouTube documents RTMP, RTMPS, HLS, and DASH ingestion. For this ordinary FFmpeg workflow, RTMP or RTMPS is the simpler fit; RTMPS adds encrypted transport. HLS and DASH have different encoder requirements and generally higher latency, so they are not necessary for a straightforward file-to-live setup unless a specific delivery or codec requirement calls for them.
Troubleshoot common problems
- YouTube shows no incoming feed: Check that the channel is permitted to livestream, that you copied the current ingestion address and key for the right stream, and that the stream is linked to the intended broadcast.
- Connection or RTMPS errors: Check the endpoint spelling and RTMPS configuration. Confirm that the network allows connections to port 443 and that the installed FFmpeg build supports the output protocol.
- FFmpeg cannot open the input: Verify that the USB drive is mounted, the path and file name are exact, and the running user can read the file.
- An encoder or protocol is reported as unavailable: Check
ffmpeg -encodersandffmpeg -protocolson that Pi. Install a build with the required support or select options available in the current build. - The video stutters, falls behind, or the Pi cannot keep up: The command is not a hardware-performance guarantee. Check whether that Pi can handle the source codec, resolution, and frame rate while encoding, and whether the network has enough upload capacity. Consider a suitable lower-complexity source or encoding configuration.
- The stream ends when the video ends: Add
-stream_loop -1before the input option if you want FFmpeg to repeat the file.
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