How to Enable Live Streaming on YouTube

Two gates stand between a new channel and its first stream: a wait of up to 24 hours after you ask, and, on a phone only, a subscriber minimum.

Updated October 2026

What do you need before you can go live on YouTube?

YouTube's help center lists three requirements that apply to every method:

• A verified channel. Phone verification is the step, done in YouTube Studio under Settings, Channel, Feature eligibility. Live streaming on a computer is one of the intermediate features it unlocks.
• No live streaming restrictions in the past 90 days. A strike or a removed stream can take the feature away for a period.
• An age of at least 16 on the account holder's Google account.

Is live streaming the same as advanced features?

No. Going live needs only the intermediate level, which phone verification unlocks. Some live-related tools, such as embedding a live stream on another website, are on YouTube's advanced list and need channel history or an ID check. How to start a YouTube channel goes through those levels.

How do you activate live streaming on YouTube, step by step?

On a computer:

1. Sign in and open YouTube Studio.

2. If the channel isn't verified, go to Settings, then Channel, then Feature eligibility, and verify your phone number.

3. Click Create in the top corner, then Go live.

4. If this is the first time, YouTube shows a request screen. Confirm it. Access may take up to 24 hours to switch on.

5. Come back to Create, then Go live, once access is on. You'll land in the live control room, where you choose between streaming now with a webcam or setting up a stream with encoder software.

There's nothing to do during the wait except not schedule anything public for that day.

How long does it take to enable live streaming on YouTube?

Up to 24 hours for the first activation, according to YouTube's help center. It's often faster, but plan around the full day.

The wait only happens once. After live streaming is enabled, you can start streams instantly, as long as the channel stays free of live streaming restrictions.

If it's been more than a day and the feature still isn't on, check the three requirements above. The common causes are a phone verification that didn't complete, an age on the Google account under 16, or a restriction on the channel. YouTube Studio's Feature eligibility page shows what's on and what isn't.

How many subscribers do you need to go live on YouTube on mobile?

At least 50, as of October 2026, to stream from the YouTube app on a phone or tablet. That's the only subscriber minimum YouTube sets for live streaming.

Mobile streams on channels with fewer than 1,000 subscribers have two more limits, per YouTube's help page:

• YouTube may limit how many viewers can watch the stream.
• The archived stream is set to private by default after it ends.
• These limits are removed gradually once the channel has had more than 1,000 subscribers for several weeks.

Can you go live on YouTube from a phone without 50 subscribers?

Not from the YouTube app. Stream from a computer instead, with a webcam or with encoder software; YouTube sets no subscriber requirement for either method. How many subscribers to go live on YouTube is a mobile question only.

How do you go live on YouTube once it's enabled?

YouTube offers three methods, and they suit different streams:

• Webcam: from YouTube Studio on a computer, choose to stream now with your webcam. Nothing to install. Good for talking-head streams and quick Q&As.
• Mobile: in the YouTube app, tap the create button and choose Go live. Needs 50 subscribers. Good for vlogging and updates on the move.
• Encoder: software such as OBS, connected to YouTube with the stream key from the live control room. Needed for gameplay, screen sharing, overlays and multiple cameras.

Should you schedule the stream?

Usually, yes. A scheduled stream gets a watch page in advance, which you can share, and viewers can set a reminder. Subscribers who have notifications on may be told when it starts. A stream that appears with no warning relies entirely on whoever happens to be around.

Why is live streaming not enabled on my channel?

Work through these in order:

• You haven't requested it yet. Open Create, then Go live, to trigger the first activation.
• You're inside the 24-hour window. Wait the full day before troubleshooting further.
• The channel isn't phone verified, or the verification didn't finish.
• There's a live streaming restriction from the past 90 days, for example after a Community Guidelines strike or a stream that was taken down.
• The account holder is under 16, according to the Google account's birth date.
• You're trying from the app with fewer than 50 subscribers. Use a computer instead.

Do live views count toward channel views?

Yes. A live stream is a video on your channel, during the broadcast and afterwards if you keep the archive public. Views from people who watched live and from people who watch the replay are counted on that video, and they sit in your channel's totals in YouTube Studio like any upload. What counts as a view on YouTube explains how YouTube counts views across Shorts, long-form videos and live streams.

During the stream, the number in the player is different: concurrent viewers, the people watching at that moment. YouTube Studio's stream analytics show peak concurrent viewers separately from total views.

The archive setting matters here. A mobile stream from a channel under 1,000 subscribers is archived as private by default, so it stops collecting views until you make it public.

What makes a first stream go well?

Preparation more than equipment. Request access days early. Schedule the stream and share the watch page. Run a short private or unlisted test to check sound, which is the thing viewers forgive least.

Then start with the subject, not with waiting. Viewers who arrive in the first minute decide whether to stay from what's happening on screen and how many people are already there. The concurrent count is public, and the subscriber count is too, since YouTube no longer lets you hide it. A stream showing two viewers reads as empty, which is why some creators use YouTube live stream views at the start of a broadcast. That changes the number new arrivals see; it doesn't hold anyone, and it isn't a way past the 50-subscriber mobile rule, which you meet by streaming from a computer. For the replay afterwards, YouTube views and the rest of the catalog are on the YouTube page.

Questions people ask about YouTube live streaming