YouTube via RTMP stream key

Stream a pre-recorded video to YouTube 24/7 using a stream key from YouTube’s live control room — manual setup, no account connection.

This page covers streaming to YouTube with a stream key you copy from YouTube yourself. If you’d rather connect your channel and let Streamloop manage the broadcast, use the managed connection instead.

Use a stream key when you want to create and control the broadcast in YouTube Studio — for example, on a channel you can’t connect with Google sign-in.

Get your stream key from YouTube

1. Open YouTube Live

   In YouTube Studio, click Create → Go live to open the live control room.

2. Copy the stream key

   On the Stream tab, copy the Stream key (it looks like live_xxxx_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx). The ingest URL is rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2.

Add it to Streamloop

1. Open the destination picker

   In your loop’s General tab, click Connect a destination.

2. Choose YouTube (RTMP stream key)

   Pick YouTube · RTMP stream key. Give it a Display name, leave the RTMP URL as the pre-filled rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2, paste your Stream key, and click Save destination.

Shortcut: paste the stream key straight into the destination search box. Streamloop detects the YouTube format and connects it for you — you’ll see “Connecting YouTube key…” while it links.

What you manage where

With a stream key, you own the broadcast settings. Set the title, description, privacy, and thumbnail in YouTube Studio — Streamloop only sends the video to the key you provided. For title, privacy, thumbnail, and schedule control inside Streamloop, switch to the managed connection.

Ready to go live? Add your key on streamloop.app, or follow the quickstart.