YouTube: Stream live without additional software - here's how

Live streams are among the most popular forms of entertainment these days. A large portion of all streams take place on the leading video platform YouTube. We show how you can start a live stream there.

A live stream can be started quickly on YouTube, provided your account is approved.

The prerequisite for creating a live stream on YouTube is having your own YouTube channel. To do this, you first just need to create a YouTube account if you don't already have one. The account is free.

How to stream live on YouTube

To make live streaming truly accessible to all users, YouTube has kept the process as simple as possible:

1. The starting point is the live dashboard at this address.
2. Click "Create" in the top right corner there and select "Start Livestream" to activate YouTube Livestream.
3. Follow the steps to confirm your account.
4. On successful verification, your account is now enabled for live streaming. However, this can take up to 24 hours the first time.
5. In the app on your smartphone, please tap the "plus icon" at the bottom and then "Start Livestream".

It is also important that you already get the URL for your streams in the first step. Save this address, as you will need it in the future to publish your live streams.If you can not activate your YouTube live stream, you may need to verify your account beforehand. To do so, click on your profile picture in the top right corner and navigate to "Settings > Channel Status and Features". There, click on "Confirm" and submit the form displayed below.

When additional software makes sense

If you create an ordinary live stream on YouTube, no additional software is required. However, programs like Gamecaster make sense if you want advanced features and possibly want to live stream on multiple platforms simultaneously.