Your YouTube radio livestream may stop because the computer running its encoder has gone to sleep. Sleep suspends normal application activity, including the work needed to encode and send the broadcast. You can turn the display off without putting the whole computer to sleep; if the stream must continue while that computer is asleep or shut down, encoding has to run on another awake computer or a hosted service.
Why sleep interrupts a livestream
A computer-based stream depends on an encoder—such as OBS—continuously processing video and sending it to YouTube. When the computer enters system sleep, applications no longer run normally, so the encoder may stop sending the broadcast. An OBS forum administrator gave the same practical guidance: the PC needs to remain fully on to stream. That forum answer is community guidance, not a formal OBS specification. Microsoft’s description of system power states distinguishes a sleeping device from an awake one.
A dark display is different from system sleep. A computer can remain fully running with its screen off, so you can let the display go dark while preventing sleep for the duration of the broadcast. Microsoft documents that the system remains in its running state whether the screen is on or off.
Keep a Windows 11 computer awake with its screen off
- Open Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts. These are the current Windows 11 settings documented by Microsoft Support.
- Set Turn my screen off after to the interval you want. This controls the display, not whether the computer sleeps.
- Set Make my device sleep after long enough to cover the full broadcast, or choose a suitable setting that prevents sleep while streaming. Check the plugged-in and battery conditions separately if both are shown.
- For a long broadcast, connect the laptop to an appropriate power source where practical. Streaming can drain a laptop battery; the available sources do not establish a general runtime estimate.
Windows also supports application requests that keep a system or display awake. Microsoft warns that a continuous sleep-prevention request should not be held indefinitely because it can drain battery, particularly on Modern Standby devices. For a scheduled broadcast, the built-in power settings are the clearer first choice. Microsoft’s sleep criteria documentation explains the request mechanism and warning.
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Keep a Mac awake while the display turns off
- Open System Settings > Lock Screen and choose when the display turns off, adjusting the battery or power-adapter timing as appropriate.
- When the Mac is connected to a power adapter, open System Settings > Battery and check Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off, if that option is available.
- Confirm the Mac remains awake and the streaming application is connected during the broadcast.
Apple documents these controls in its guide to Macs that sleep or wake unexpectedly. The prevent-sleep option is specifically for use with a power adapter; do not assume it applies the same way on battery. Menu wording and availability can differ by macOS release and Mac model.
If the stream still stops
Changing sleep settings addresses one possible cause, not every interruption. Check what actually happened before changing more settings:
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- The display went dark, but the computer may still be awake. Check whether the encoder is still running and whether its status shows a connection to YouTube.
- The computer entered sleep. Recheck the sleep timeout for the applicable battery or plugged-in condition. A screen-off timeout alone does not keep the computer awake.
- The computer stayed awake but the stream disconnected. Check the encoder status, YouTube’s live dashboard, and connection stability. A network interruption or encoder failure can also interrupt a stream; do not assume sleep was the cause without checking.
If you need the broadcast to continue after shutting down or sleeping the computer that normally runs the encoder, the encoding must run somewhere else: for example, on a separate always-on computer or through a hosted service. Those are different arrangements, not a required fix when the only problem is a local sleep timeout.
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