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To stream vertical video on YouTube, go live in portrait mode from the YouTube mobile app, or set up a vertical-and-horizontal dual stream in YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room. For dual streaming, YouTube’s vertical view is a center crop by default, but you can change its layout before starting. Choose and test your setup first: YouTube says you can’t add the vertical format after a stream has begun.
Choose the right way to go live in portrait
The simplest option is the YouTube mobile app, which suits quick updates and on-the-go streams. If you want viewers to see a vertical version on mobile and a landscape version elsewhere, use YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room. A third-party encoder can also send both orientations using RTMP(S) and a second stream key.
| Method | Setup and composition | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Phone-only mobile stream | Start in the YouTube app; choose portrait or landscape and lock screen rotation. | Quick updates and streams filmed on the go. |
| Live Control Room dual stream | Set up in YouTube Studio; YouTube creates horizontal and vertical formats together. Choose a vertical layout. | Creators who want landscape viewing as well as vertical viewing on mobile. |
| Third-party encoder dual stream | Configure an encoder, RTMP(S), and a second stream key for the vertical version. | Encoder-based production or custom feeds. |
YouTube’s mobile-streaming guidance lists eligibility requirements: at least 50 subscribers, a verified channel, no live-streaming restrictions in the previous 90 days, and live streaming enabled. First-time enablement may take up to 24 hours. YouTube’s general live-streaming guidance also says creators must be at least 16 and have a verified channel without live-streaming restrictions in the previous 90 days. Check the current requirements for your account before scheduling.
Stream vertical video from the YouTube mobile app
- Confirm your channel is eligible for mobile live streaming and that live streaming is enabled.
- Open the YouTube app and tap Create → Live.
- Choose how you’ll hold the phone. Keep it in portrait for a vertical stream, then lock screen rotation so an accidental turn doesn’t change the framing.
- Before the real event, run an unlisted test and check the picture, sound, and connection.
- Charge the phone, enable Do Not Disturb, and arrange lighting with your phone camera’s capabilities in mind. YouTube suggests an external battery pack as optional help; its Help page estimates phone battery use at 1% per minute of streaming, a rough estimate rather than a guarantee for every device.
Set up vertical and horizontal streams together in Live Control Room
YouTube’s Live Control Room can provide a 16:9 horizontal version and a 9:16 vertical version from one stream setup. The vertical version uses a center crop by default. Both formats share one go-live notification, one URL, and the same live chat. Viewers browsing the Shorts feed on the YouTube mobile app see the vertical version; other viewers see the horizontal version.
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- On a computer, open YouTube Studio and select Create → Go live. Create or select a scheduled stream.
- In Manage, select the stream and open Edit layout in the vertical preview.
- Choose Center crop, Fit to phone width, or Stacked. Adjust zoom and position as needed, then inspect the preview to ensure the important subjects and text remain visible.
- Check both the vertical and horizontal previews and confirm the framing you intend for each audience.
- Start the stream only after the layout is set. YouTube says the vertical format cannot be added once the stream has started. If you edited the layout in the canvas, YouTube says you can continue adjusting it while live.
Send a vertical feed from a third-party encoder
This option requires more preparation: the encoder must send the correct orientation to each YouTube destination. A stream key is a credential that tells the encoder where to send the feed and lets YouTube accept it, so keep it private.
- In Live Control Room, open the Stream tab and change the vertical preview from Auto to Encoder.
- Choose RTMP(S) and select the second stream key for the vertical version.
- Configure the encoder so the landscape feed goes to the horizontal destination and the portrait feed goes to the vertical key. Confirm that the feeds correspond and that each has the intended framing.
- Start the encoder early enough to check the Live Control Room preview before going live. YouTube recommends setting up the encoder at least two hours before the event and starting it at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start.
- Review the preview, check that any local recording is intact, and confirm the event is accessible on a mobile device.
For network capacity, YouTube recommends keeping upload bandwidth 20% above the combined stream bitrate requirement. That headroom is for the combined streams, not just one feed.
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Test the stream before viewers arrive
- Composition: Check the actual vertical preview, not just the landscape output. A center crop may cut off faces, signs, captions, or objects near the edges.
- Orientation: Lock phone rotation for a mobile stream. With an encoder, check that each destination receives the matching portrait or landscape feed.
- Connection: Check upload capacity and leave the recommended 20% headroom above the combined bitrate for dual streams.
- Audio and picture: Run an unlisted test and watch it on mobile. Confirm that speech is audible and framing and lighting are usable.
- Timing: For an encoder event, prepare at least two hours ahead and start the encoder at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start, as YouTube recommends.
What vertical Live changes for viewers
Vertical Live can appear as people browse Shorts in the YouTube mobile app and gives those viewers a full-screen portrait experience. It does not make every YouTube viewing surface vertical: in a dual stream, viewers outside that mobile Shorts-feed context see the horizontal version.
YouTube’s feature comparison lists limits for viewers in the vertical feed: clickable links in chat or the channel description, live pre-roll and mid-roll ads, Premieres, and Live Redirect are not available there. These are surface-specific differences; check YouTube’s current comparison before relying on any particular feature for an event.
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Or let it run in the cloud
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