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For YouTube Live, choose the bitrate that matches your stream’s resolution, frame rate, and video codec—not the settings for a prerecorded upload. YouTube’s recommended video bitrates range from 10 Mbps for 1080p30 AV1 or H.265 to 50 Mbps for 4K60 H.264. Use CBR, a two-second keyframe interval, RTMPS where supported, and enough upload capacity to leave about 20% headroom.
YouTube Live bitrate recommendations
The values below are YouTube’s recommended video bitrates for the signal sent to its live ingest, in Mbps. Match both the codec and frame rate; the recommendations are not interchangeable. YouTube’s official table does not show a publication or update year.
| Ingest resolution and frame rate | AV1 or H.265 recommended | H.264 recommended | AV1/H.265 minimum | H.264 minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p30 | 10 Mbps | 14 Mbps | 4 Mbps | 5 Mbps |
| 1080p60 | 12 Mbps | 17 Mbps | 4 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
| 1440p30 | 15 Mbps | 21 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 7 Mbps |
| 1440p60 | 24 Mbps | 34 Mbps | 6 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| 2160p (4K) 30 fps | 30 Mbps | 42 Mbps | 8 Mbps | 11 Mbps |
| 2160p (4K) 60 fps | 35 Mbps | 50 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 14 Mbps |
These are YouTube’s published live recommendations and minimums, not independent quality guarantees. Treat the recommended bitrate as a starting point. Pick a resolution, frame rate, and codec your encoder and connection can sustain; the minimums are lower limits, not the preferred targets. YouTube’s live encoder settings contain the current table.
Which bitrate should you choose?
1080p30
Choose 10 Mbps for AV1 or H.265, or 14 Mbps for H.264. This is the relevant row for a 30 fps 1080p signal; do not substitute a 60 fps recommendation just because the output resolution is also 1080p.
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1080p60
Choose 12 Mbps for AV1 or H.265, or 17 Mbps for H.264. If your encoder only sends H.264, 17 Mbps is YouTube’s recommendation for 1080p60—not 12 Mbps.
4K (2160p) at 30 or 60 fps
For 4K30, YouTube recommends 30 Mbps with AV1 or H.265 and 42 Mbps with H.264. For 4K60, the respective recommendations are 35 Mbps and 50 Mbps. A 4K stream needs substantially more upload capacity than 1080p, especially when sending H.264 at 60 fps.
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1440p as an intermediate option
If you want a resolution between 1080p and 4K, YouTube recommends 15 Mbps (AV1/H.265) or 21 Mbps (H.264) at 1440p30, and 24 or 34 Mbps at 1440p60. Its listed minimums are 5 and 7 Mbps at 30 fps, and 6 and 8 Mbps at 60 fps, respectively.
Set up the encoder for YouTube Live
Use YouTube’s supported live protocol and encoder parameters as the baseline. The exact names and locations of controls vary by encoder software, but the values below describe what to set.
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- Protocol: RTMPS is recommended; YouTube also lists RTMP.
- Video codec: H.264, H.265 (HEVC), or AV1. Use the bitrate row for the codec actually being sent.
- Rate control: CBR (constant bitrate).
- Keyframe interval: 2 seconds; do not exceed 4 seconds.
- Frame rate: Up to 60 fps. Keep it consistent with the row you selected.
- Audio: AAC or MP3. YouTube lists 44.1 kHz for stereo and 48 kHz for 5.1, with audio bitrates of 128 kbps stereo or 384 kbps 5.1. For 5.1 surround over RTMP/RTMPS, YouTube says only AAC is supported.
YouTube also lists advanced video settings including square pixels, progressive scan, two B-frames, one reference frame, CABAC, Rec. 709 for SDR, 8-bit SDR, and 10-bit HDR. For HDR over RTMP(S), its live guidance recommends H.265 and says AV1 is not supported for HDR. AV1 at 3840×2160 or above requires at least two tile columns. These details matter when configuring an encoder that exposes them; they do not replace the bitrate and bandwidth checks. See YouTube’s encoder settings for the full list.
Check upload bandwidth and leave headroom
Your available upload bandwidth must cover the total stream bitrate, including audio and any other traffic using the connection. YouTube recommends leaving 20% headroom and warns that a shared network can reduce the capacity available to your stream. Check outbound speed on the network and near the setup you will actually use; a download-speed result is not a substitute.
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For example, a 1080p60 H.264 stream uses YouTube’s recommended 17 Mbps video bitrate. Applying YouTube’s 20% headroom guidance means planning for at least 21.25 Mbps of upload capacity for that video stream, with additional room for audio and other network use. This is a planning calculation, not a claim about any particular internet connection. YouTube’s advice is to keep total streaming bitrate within available upload bandwidth and leave room for fluctuations: bandwidth guidance.
- Run an upload-speed check close to the computer or encoder and on the connection that will carry the broadcast.
- Compare the result with the total planned stream bitrate, leaving the recommended 20% margin and accounting for shared use.
- If capacity or stability is insufficient, reduce the chosen resolution, frame rate, or bitrate to a combination the connection can carry reliably.
- Before going live, test with representative movement and audio. YouTube says, “Make sure to test before you start your live stream. Tests should include audio and movement in the video similar to what you’ll be doing in the stream.”
- Monitor stream health during the broadcast so you can respond to connection or ingest problems.
See YouTube’s stream setup and troubleshooting guidance for its test and stream-health advice. No speed test can guarantee that a connection will remain stable throughout a live event.
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Live bitrate is not prerecorded-upload bitrate
Do not copy YouTube’s upload-encoding figures into a live encoder. For prerecorded uploads, YouTube separately recommends 8 Mbps for standard-frame-rate 1080p video and 35–45 Mbps for standard-frame-rate 2160p SDR video. Those figures concern encoding a file for upload, not the live signal sent to YouTube. At 1080p30, for example, the live recommendation is 10 Mbps for AV1/H.265 or 14 Mbps for H.264, while the prerecorded-upload recommendation is 8 Mbps. See YouTube’s upload encoding settings.
The live bitrate is an input to YouTube, not a promise that every viewer receives that exact bitrate or resolution. YouTube transcodes incoming live video into output formats for different devices and network conditions. Viewer playback therefore depends on YouTube’s available outputs and the viewer’s connection. YouTube explains live transcoding.
4K Live and latency
YouTube says its low-latency option is unavailable for 4K (2160p) live streams. A 4K broadcast is optimized for quality and set to normal latency; lowering the encoder bitrate does not enable low latency at 4K. See YouTube’s latency guidance.
Troubleshooting common bitrate problems
Buffering, dropped frames, or unstable stream health
- Likely cause: The total stream bitrate is too close to or above available upload bandwidth, or other users and applications are consuming capacity.
- Fix: Check upload capacity on the active connection, restore the 20% headroom, reduce the stream demand if necessary, and monitor stream health.
Settings do not match the recommendation
- Likely cause: The bitrate was chosen by resolution alone, without checking frame rate and codec.
- Fix: Confirm what the encoder is actually sending, then use the matching row—for example, 1080p60 H.264 is 17 Mbps, while 1080p60 AV1/H.265 is 12 Mbps.
Keyframe or rate-control warning
- Likely cause: The encoder is using a variable bitrate mode or a keyframe interval outside YouTube’s guidance.
- Fix: Set CBR and a two-second keyframe interval, keeping it at four seconds or less.
Expected viewer quality does not appear
- Likely cause: The encoder bitrate is being mistaken for a guaranteed viewer playback bitrate.
- Fix: Remember that YouTube transcodes live input; check the available playback options and the viewer’s network conditions rather than assuming every device receives the ingest setting.
Trying to get low latency at 4K
- Likely cause: 4K latency is being treated as a bitrate setting.
- Fix: YouTube does not offer its low-latency option for 2160p live streams; 4K is set to normal latency.
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Quick Recap
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