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Your YouTube radio livestream usually stops because the computer running its encoder has gone to sleep. Sleep suspends normal app activity, so the encoder can no longer process and send the stream. You can turn the screen off without putting the computer to sleep; set those two behaviors separately. If the broadcast must continue while that computer is asleep or off, the encoder needs to run somewhere else.
Why sleep interrupts a livestream
A computer-based stream depends on the encoder application staying active: it reads or loops the audio and video, encodes them, and sends them to YouTube. When the computer enters system sleep, applications no longer run normally and the stream may stop. An OBS forum administrator has likewise advised that the PC must be fully on to stream, though that is community guidance rather than a formal OBS specification (OBS Project Forums).
A dark display is different from sleep. Microsoft describes a computer with its screen off as still fully running, so you can let the display switch off while leaving the encoder and network active (Microsoft: System power states).
Keep the computer awake while the display turns off
Windows 11
- Open Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts.
- Set Turn my screen off after to the time that suits you.
- Set Make my device sleep after to a period longer than the planned broadcast, for the plugged-in or battery condition you will use. If the stream is meant to run overnight, choose a sleep timeout that will not expire during it, if that option is available.
- Confirm that the streaming app remains connected and the computer is receiving power as needed before leaving the stream unattended.
Windows keeps screen-off and sleep timeouts separate. The exact options can vary by device and power condition. Microsoft explains how Windows evaluates sleep conditions and application requests; it also warns that continuous sleep prevention can drain a battery, particularly on Modern Standby devices (Microsoft: System Sleep Criteria). For a long broadcast, prefer the built-in power settings over a permanent command-line wake request.
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Mac
- Open System Settings > Lock Screen and choose when the display turns off.
- When the Mac is connected to a power adapter, open System Settings > Battery and check Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off, if your Mac offers that option.
- Check the encoder and network connection before relying on the stream to run unattended.
Apple documents that sleep-prevention option specifically for power-adapter use; do not assume it has the same effect on battery. Settings and wording may differ by Mac model and macOS version (Apple Support: If your Mac sleeps or wakes unexpectedly).
What to check if the stream still stops
- Distinguish screen-off from sleep. A black or dark display alone does not establish that the computer slept. Check whether the system is awake and whether the encoder is still running.
- Check encoder status. Look for a disconnected or failed stream in the streaming application, then check YouTube’s live dashboard. Do not assume sleep was the cause if the computer stayed awake.
- Check the network. A dropped internet connection can interrupt a broadcast independently of power settings.
- Review the relevant power condition. On a laptop, Windows can have different timeouts for battery and plugged-in use. On a Mac, the documented sleep-prevention option applies when using a power adapter.
- Test the setup. Run a short private or otherwise appropriate test with the intended display-off and power settings, and confirm the encoder remains connected before scheduling a long broadcast.
Sleep settings address one common cause, not every interruption. The cited platform guidance does not establish whether a particular stopped stream was caused by sleep, network loss, or encoder failure; use the live dashboard, encoder status, and available logs to narrow it down.
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If the stream must continue while this computer is off
Changing the local sleep timeout only keeps this computer available to its encoder. If you need it to sleep or shut down while the broadcast continues, encoding must run on another awake computer or a hosted service. That is a different setup, with its own configuration and ongoing requirements; it is not a setting that lets a local encoder run while its computer sleeps.
Or let it run in the cloud
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