How to Find Your YouTube Stream Key (and Keep It Safe)

If you are setting up your first YouTube live stream, "stream key" is the field every tool asks you to fill in, usually without saying where to get it. Here is exactly where it is, step by step, plus the few things that trip people up.

What a stream key is

A stream key is a long code, usually five blocks of letters and numbers like abcd-1234-efgh-5678-ijkl. Whatever tool sends your video (Loopcast, OBS, an encoder) uses it to tell YouTube "this video belongs to this channel." Without it, YouTube has no idea whose broadcast it is receiving.

Think of it as a password for one action: broadcasting to your channel. It is not your Google password, but anyone who has it can go live on your channel.

How to find your YouTube stream key, step by step

1. Open YouTube Studio on a computer and sign in to the channel you want to stream to.
2. Click Create (the camera icon with a plus, top right), then Go live. This opens the Live Control Room.
3. In the left menu, choose Stream (not Webcam or Manage).
4. Under Stream settings, find Stream key. Click Copy. Right below it you will also see the Stream URL, which for most tools is rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2.
5. Paste the key into your streaming tool and save it there.

That is it. The key stays the same every time you go live until you reset it, so you only do this once per tool.

Why you can't see a stream key on your phone

The YouTube app on iPhone and Android only goes live from your phone's camera, so it never shows a stream key. If you are on a phone, open studio.youtube.com in your browser and switch to the desktop site (in the browser menu), or just grab the key from a computer.

If the Stream tab says live streaming is not enabled

The first time a channel turns on live streaming, YouTube asks you to verify the channel with a phone number and then makes you wait. That wait can be up to 24 hours. Nothing you do will speed it up; once it ends, the Stream tab and your key appear.

Other reasons the key may be missing:

• The channel is not verified. Verify it at youtube.com/verify.
• The channel has a live streaming restriction, for example a recent Community Guidelines strike. YouTube shows the reason on the Go live page.
• You are signed in to the wrong channel or Brand Account. Check the avatar at the top right of YouTube Studio.

Streaming somewhere other than YouTube too? The free RTMP server URL lookup shows the server URL and where the stream key lives on each major platform.

Making more than one stream key

Every channel gets a default key, but you can make more. In the Stream tab, open the Select stream key dropdown and choose Create new stream key, then give it a name (for example "Loopcast" or "OBS"). Separate keys are handy when two tools stream to the same channel, and they let you reset one without breaking the other.

Keep it private

Treat the key like a password. The usual ways it leaks are screenshots, screen shares, livestreamed setup videos, and pasting it into a chat or support ticket. Good tools show you the key once when you paste it in and never display it again; they only let you replace it.

With Loopcast you often don't need to copy a key at all: connect your YouTube account and Loopcast creates each broadcast for you. You can still paste a key by hand in Manual key mode, for example for a channel you don't manage yourself.

What to do if your stream key leaks

Anyone with your key can broadcast their own video to your channel, and it will look like it came from you. Reset it right away:

1. Go to YouTube Studio, then Create, Go live, Stream.
2. Next to the stream key, choose Reset.
3. YouTube kills the old key immediately. Any stream using it will drop, so do this between broadcasts if you can.
4. Copy the new key and paste it into your streaming tool.

Frequently asked questions

Is my stream key the same as my YouTube password?

No. Your password signs you in to your whole Google account. A stream key only lets someone broadcast to your channel. Resetting one does not change the other.

Do I need a new stream key every time I go live?

No. The key stays the same across broadcasts until you reset it, so you paste it in once and reuse it.

Where is the stream key in the YouTube app?

It isn't there. The phone app only streams from your camera. Use YouTube Studio in a browser on a computer, or in desktop mode on your phone.

What is the YouTube stream URL?

For most tools it is rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2. It is shown right under the stream key in the Stream tab. Some tools fill it in for you and only ask for the key.

Can I stream to two YouTube channels at once?

Yes, with a separate key from each channel's own YouTube Studio. See how to stream to multiple YouTube channels.