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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →For H.264 YouTube Live in FFmpeg, use a constant video bitrate matched to the resolution and frame rate you send, and set the GOP to two seconds of frames: -g 60 at 30 fps or -g 120 at 60 fps. YouTube recommends a two-second keyframe frequency and says not to exceed four seconds. Its H.264 recommended video bitrate for 1080p30 is 14 Mbps; for 1080p60, it is 17 Mbps. These are ingest recommendations, not guaranteed quality results.
Choose the bitrate for the video you actually send
Use YouTube’s H.264 recommended bitrate for the outgoing resolution and frame rate—not simply the properties of the original file if FFmpeg resizes or changes its frame rate. The recommendations below are current YouTube guidance accessed on October 3, 2026. They are recommended ingest values, not promises about the resulting picture quality. YouTube’s live encoder settings and bitrate table also gives minimum values; for example, it lists 5 Mbps minimum and 14 Mbps recommended for 1080p30, and 6 Mbps minimum and 17 Mbps recommended for 1080p60.
| Outgoing resolution and frame rate | Recommended H.264 video bitrate |
|---|---|
| 720p at 30 fps | 8 Mbps |
| 720p at 60 fps | 8 Mbps |
| 1080p at 30 fps | 14 Mbps |
| 1080p at 60 fps | 17 Mbps |
| 1440p at 30 fps | 21 Mbps |
| 1440p at 60 fps | 34 Mbps |
| 2160p at 30 fps | 42 Mbps |
| 2160p at 60 fps | 50 Mbps |
These figures are for H.264. YouTube’s table gives different recommendations for H.265/HEVC and AV1; do not apply the H.264 figures to those codecs. Choose a resolution and frame rate your source and connection can sustain. Higher settings require more upload capacity, and a bitrate that exceeds stable available upload bandwidth can cause stream problems.
Set a two-second GOP in FFmpeg
FFmpeg’s libx264 option -g sets the maximum GOP size in frames. To express YouTube’s recommended two-second keyframe frequency as a frame count, multiply the frame rate by two:
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- At 30 fps:
-g 60. - At 60 fps:
-g 120.
YouTube says the keyframe frequency should be two seconds and must not exceed four seconds. The GOP calculation assumes the output frame rate matches the value you use. FFmpeg documents -g as a maximum GOP size; it does not by itself guarantee identical fixed keyframe spacing under every encoder configuration. If exact placement is essential, check the scene-cut and keyframe behavior of the installed FFmpeg/libx264 build.
Example: send 1080p30 H.264 with RTMPS
Replace input with your source and INGEST_URL/STREAM_KEY with the RTMPS destination and stream key shown in YouTube Live Control Room. Treat the key like a password: do not publish it, share it, or leave it exposed in logs or screenshots.
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ffmpeg -re -i input -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast
-r 30 -b:v 14M -minrate 14M -maxrate 14M
-g 60 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -f flv 'rtmps://INGEST_URL/STREAM_KEY'This example targets YouTube’s recommended H.264 video bitrate for 1080p30. The equal target, minimum, and maximum bitrate settings request CBR using FFmpeg’s documented bitrate controls. FFmpeg requires -bufsize when -maxrate is used; the appropriate buffer size depends on the encoder workflow, so it is not specified here as a universal YouTube requirement. Consult the documentation for the FFmpeg version and encoder you use: FFmpeg Codecs Documentation.
The -r 30 option sets the output frame rate. Do not use it to force a different rate unless you intend that conversion and have chosen the bitrate and GOP for the resulting output. For a 1080p60 output, use a 17 Mbps target and -r 60 with -g 120; other resolutions and frame rates require the corresponding bitrate from the table.
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Check the other stream settings
- Transport: YouTube recommends RTMPS. The example uses it; use the ingest URL supplied for your broadcast.
- Audio: YouTube lists AAC and MP3 as supported audio codecs. Its stereo audio recommendation is 128 kbps. For 5.1 audio, it lists 384 kbps and says 5.1 over RTMP/RTMPS is supported only with AAC.
- Picture format: YouTube’s recommended advanced settings include progressive scan, two B-frames, one reference frame, CABAC, square pixels, and Rec. 709 for SDR. Keep settings compatible with your source and encoder.
- Bandwidth: Check upload capacity with a speed test and leave room for network variation rather than planning around a connection’s best-case peak.
Test the stream before relying on it
- In YouTube Live Control Room, create or open the stream and copy its ingest URL and stream key into your local FFmpeg command. Keep the key private.
- Run a test using representative video motion and audio. A static image or silent clip may not reveal issues that appear during normal content.
- Watch YouTube’s stream health indicators while the test is running. If the connection is unstable, lower the outgoing resolution, frame rate, or bitrate to a setting your upload connection can sustain.
- Confirm that the output has the intended resolution, frame rate, audio, and keyframe behavior before relying on the stream.
Troubleshoot common problems
- YouTube reports an unstable or insufficient stream: The outgoing bitrate may be too high for the stable upload capacity, or the connection may be fluctuating. Test upload speed and reduce the output bitrate or resolution if necessary.
- Keyframes arrive too far apart: Check that
-gmatches twice the output frame rate—60 for 30 fps or 120 for 60 fps—and verify the encoder’s keyframe behavior. The documented-gvalue is a maximum GOP size, not a universal guarantee of fixed spacing. - The stream uses the wrong bitrate or frame rate: Match
-b:v,-r, and-gto the output being sent, not an assumed source setting. Avoid frame-rate conversion unless it is intended. - FFmpeg rejects the rate-control options: When using
-maxrate, supply-bufsizeas required by FFmpeg. Check the installed build’s encoder documentation for suitable rate-control settings. - YouTube does not receive the stream: Verify that the ingest URL and stream key are copied correctly, that the key belongs to the active broadcast, and that the destination uses RTMPS as intended.
Or let it run in the cloud
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