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For a 24/7 YouTube stream, there is no single best OBS bitrate: choose YouTube’s recommended ingest bitrate for your resolution, frame rate and codec, then confirm your upload connection can sustain it with headroom. For the common H.264 setup, start at 14 Mbps for 1080p30 or 17 Mbps for 1080p60. Those are YouTube recommendations, not guarantees of uninterrupted streaming.
Best OBS bitrate for a 24/7 YouTube stream
The right bitrate is the one your connection and encoding setup can sustain continuously at the resolution and frame rate you actually need. YouTube’s encoder table gives recommended ingest bitrates by codec, resolution and frame rate. The figures below are YouTube Help guidance accessed October 3, 2026, and apply to the feed sent to YouTube, not a fixed bitrate every viewer will receive. YouTube transcodes live streams into multiple output formats for viewers. YouTube live encoder settings
| Ingest resolution and frame rate | AV1 or H.265 recommended | H.264 recommended |
|---|---|---|
| 2160p (4K), 60 fps | 35 Mbps | 50 Mbps |
| 2160p (4K), 30 fps | 30 Mbps | 42 Mbps |
| 1440p, 60 fps | 24 Mbps | 34 Mbps |
| 1440p, 30 fps | 15 Mbps | 21 Mbps |
| 1080p, 60 fps | 12 Mbps | 17 Mbps |
| 1080p, 30 fps | 10 Mbps | 14 Mbps |
| 720p, 60 fps | 6 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| 720p, 30 fps | 6 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| 480p, 30 fps | 3 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
| 360p, 30 fps | 3 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
YouTube also lists minimum rates. Treat those as minimums, not targets: use the recommended rate as the starting point when your connection can reliably support it. YouTube’s live ingest guidance lists RTMP/RTMPS and H.264, H.265/HEVC and AV1; its recommended rates vary by codec, resolution and frame rate. YouTube’s encoder settings
Choose a resolution, frame rate and codec you can sustain
Match the setting to the content
Choose the highest resolution and bitrate your setup can reliably stream, as YouTube advises, but do not select a higher mode just because it is available. For a documentary, a stable 1080p stream may be more useful than a higher-resolution feed that repeatedly struggles. Use 60 fps when the material benefits from smoother motion and the encoder and upload connection can sustain the corresponding rate; otherwise, 30 fps is a reasonable mode to evaluate.
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Use the bitrate for the actual encoder codec
Do not select a row based on a codec you are not sending. For example, YouTube’s recommendation for H.264 at 1080p60 is 17 Mbps, while its AV1/H.265 recommendation for that same mode is 12 Mbps. These are codec-specific ingest recommendations, not interchangeable quality guarantees.
Check upload headroom before relying on the stream
Compare the stream’s total output bitrate with sustained upload capacity, not download speed. YouTube Help’s streaming tips says: “The total bitrate you’re streaming cannot exceed the amount of upload bandwidth available. Leave a bit of room (20% recommended).” Treat that 20% as YouTube’s recommended bandwidth room, not as protection against every outage.
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For a single video stream, a practical check is whether the sustained upload rate exceeds the total stream bitrate by at least the recommended 20% margin. If the connection varies, choose a lower ingest mode rather than planning around a best-case speed test. Any additional streamed output contributes to total bitrate, so do not assess the video feed in isolation.
Set OBS and YouTube for a stable test
- Choose the ingest mode. Decide the resolution and frame rate first, then select the matching codec-specific recommended bitrate from the table.
- Use CBR. YouTube recommends constant bitrate encoding for live streams. Set a 2-second keyframe interval; YouTube says not to exceed 4 seconds. These are YouTube’s live encoder recommendations. YouTube live encoder settings
- Use RTMPS where available. YouTube recommends RTMPS for encrypted transport. Use the stream key and ingest configuration provided in YouTube’s live setup; keep the key private.
- Test representative material. Before relying on the setup, test with audio and movement similar to the planned stream. A mostly static image and a fast-moving scene can put different demands on encoding and reveal different problems.
- Inspect stream health and messages. Check YouTube’s stream-health status during the test and address warnings before depending on the configuration for continuous operation. YouTube’s testing and stream-health guidance
YouTube’s encoder and network recommendations do not establish a universal OBS configuration that guarantees 24/7 uptime. A bitrate setting alone cannot ensure that the internet connection, computer, encoder or power supply stays available continuously.
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Choose latency based on whether viewers need to interact
YouTube’s live settings guidance says lower latency can increase playback buffering. If a documentary stream does not depend on real-time audience interaction, lower latency is less important than a mode that remains stable for viewers. YouTube live settings
Troubleshoot bitrate and stream-health problems
- YouTube reports insufficient or unstable bitrate: Check sustained upload capacity and leave YouTube’s recommended 20% room. If you cannot maintain the headroom, reduce the resolution, frame rate or bitrate to a supported mode.
- The stream buffers despite meeting the table recommendation: The recommended ingest rate is not a stability guarantee. Check for upload variation and test again using representative motion and audio; consider a lower mode if the connection cannot sustain the selected output.
- The chosen codec’s rate seems unexpectedly low or high: Confirm which codec OBS is actually sending and compare against that codec’s column. At the same resolution and frame rate, YouTube recommends different rates for H.264 and AV1/H.265.
- The feed is stable but viewers do not need low delay: Review YouTube’s latency setting. Lower latency may mean more playback buffering, and an archive-style documentary stream usually does not require interaction-driven latency.
- The stream drops during a long run: A bitrate recommendation cannot identify whether the cause is the connection, encoder, computer or power. Check YouTube’s stream-health messages and the relevant equipment and network conditions; no single bitrate setting is established as a universal 24/7 uptime fix.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What bitrate should I use for a 24/7 YouTube stream?
Use the YouTube-recommended rate for your ingest resolution, frame rate and codec, then confirm your sustained upload capacity can carry it with headroom. For H.264, YouTube recommends 14 Mbps at 1080p30 and 17 Mbps at 1080p60.
What bitrate for 1080p 60fps YouTube live?
YouTube recommends 17 Mbps for H.264 and 12 Mbps for AV1 or H.265 at 1080p60. These are ingest recommendations, not a promise of uninterrupted streaming.
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