Livestream to Twitch using OBS Studio in 4 Easy Steps. How to stream to twitch on obs

In “Mode” select “Capture any fullscreen application” and OBS will automatically detect and capture the fullscreen games you play. If you are playing a window game, select “Capture a specific window” in the mode field and select the application. Make sure the game is running so that it appears in the list here.

How to stream on YouTube & Twitch with OBS

In just a few minutes, start livestreaming using OBS Studio and Twitch / YouTube from Paperspace.

4 years ago • 6 min read

Open Broadcaster software (known as OBS) is one of the most popular live video recording and streaming tools. It’s free and open source, easy to set up, and has built-in support for the most popular live streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube. In this guide, we’ll go over how to start livestreaming with OBS Studio from start to finish.

Open Broadcaster Software ™ (known as OBS) is one of the most popular live video recording and streaming tools. OBS is free and open source, easy to set up, and has built-in support for the most popular live streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. In this guide, we’ll go over how to start streaming with OBS Studio from start to finish.

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Tutorial Outline

1. Basic: Audio and Simple Application Streaming
• High performance: streaming games
1. Download and install the Visual Studio 2013 runtimes
• Download and install OBS
1. Resolution
• Transmission speed
• Coding
• Scene configuration
1. Find your stream key
• Set up OBS to connect to Twitch
1. Find your stream key
• Set up OBS to connect to YouTube

After logging into the Paperspace, create a new computer.

Please select the closest region

Select the Windows template

Choose Monthly or Hourly depending on how often you stream

Low audio and graphics intensive applications (Basic): If you are streaming less intensive applications like a code editor, online poker game or audio mix etc, standard GPU machines (Air, Standard, Advanced and Pro) work Great. In that case you will use software coding in OBS. You cannot run any high-end games at this level, and you cannot reach bit rates as high as with GPU encoding. If this sounds like your desired configuration, the Advanced plan is the most popular.

Game Streaming (High Performance): If you are running graphics rich games such as The Witcher, Overwatch etc and want to provide your viewers with high bitrate streaming then a dedicated GPU machine (GPU +, P5000 and P6000) is required. GPU + is perfect for mid-range gaming, and the P5000 and P6000 are designed for maximum performance.

Choose your storage space – you can increase your storage anytime in the future



Other modes are less common. For more information, see the OBS Studio documentation. For this demo, we’re going to use the screen capture mode. Click OK to add the source:

1. Getting a Stream Key from Twitch

First, let’s locate the stream key to connect Twitch to OBS Studio. To do this, first go to Twitch.

Visit Twitch

Click on your account in the upper right corner and select Creator Dashboard.



Copy the Stream Key in Twitch

Go to Settings> Stream and you will find the main stream key. It’s hidden, but you can click Show to see it if you really want to. Just make sure you stay private. For now, click Copy to move the key to the clipboard.



2. Configuring OBS Studio for Streaming to Twitch

Now we can go to the OBS Studio configuration. If you don’t have it installed on your computer, you can download OBS Studio here. This software is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Go here for a detailed installation guide.

After installation, there are 2 ways to configure OBS Studio –

2.1 OBS Studio Setup with Auto-Configuration Wizard

If you are launching it for the first time, a wizard will appear to guide you through the setup process. We recommend that you go through this process first, but expect to fine-tune your setup later.

From the 3 options, select Optimize for Streaming, the recording is secondary. It’s best to use 1080p for the base resolution and set the fps to 60. In the next window, select Twitch as your service, enter the streaming key and hit Next. It will take a few moments for you to get the results.



Note: You can also access this process by going to Tools> Auto Configuration Wizard.

However, if your configuration is limited, it may not be possible. If that’s the case, take a look at Twitch’s Broadcasting Guidelines for how to make your broadcast run smoothly.

2.2 Manual Setup of OBS Studio

While useful, this wizard is often not as reliable as it could be. Therefore, you may want to visit Settings and change a few things as you see fit.



First, let’s head over to the Videos section to play around with the resolution, frame rate, and filter settings. Base resolution is what you’ll see in OBS Studio, while output resolution is what you’ll broadcast to your viewers on Twitch. Make sure you click Apply before exiting.



Now let’s move on to the exit and focus on the video bitrate. If you intend to stream in 1080p, your bitrate should be between 4500 and 6000 Kbps (4.5 to 6 Mbps). However, please note that if your internet speed is insufficient, higher resolution may render the stream unobservable. Here you can test your upload speed and then compare it with the guidelines we mentioned above.



Go to Audio and let’s focus on global audio devices. For in-game sounds, make sure the correct stationary audio source is selected. If you want to comment while streaming, please enable the mic via Mic / Assist Audio and hit the Apply button.



Finally, we’ll move on to Stream. Please make sure you have selected Twitch for your service before pasting the stream key in the box below.

Click the “Stream” category, select “Streaming Services” as the stream type, and select “Twitch” as the service. Copy and paste the stream key for your account from the Twitch website into the “Stream Key” field. Select the server closest to your location in the “Server” field. Click “OK” to save the settings when you are done.

How to set up output resolution and bitrate in OBS



source: Windows Center

Now that you’re set up for streaming, the first step is to set the resolution, frame rate, and bit rate. The higher these are, the more bandwidth and power you will need from your computer.

If you have a high-speed internet connection and a powerful computer, you can probably stream 1080p60 at high bit rates. But you also need to balance that by providing a stream that won’t buffer like crazy for your viewers who may be on slower connections. Note that if you’re not a Twitch partner, you won’t be able to transcode, so the experience may be poor for viewers with slow connections.

Here’s how to adjust the settings in OBS.

1. Click settings in the main window.
2. Select a video card from the menu.
3. Change the fields for the base and output resolution as well as the frame rate to the levels you want.

Then click the Output tab in the menu.



source: Windows Center

Twitch has a handy source of bitrate information that you should be using depending on your results, so it’s worth reading and balancing these numbers with your ISP’s upload speed.

How to set up audio devices in OBS



source: Windows Center

Now that you’ve set up your video output, it’s time to move on to audio. Without great sound, your stream will be a disaster, so it’s important to keep everything going. If you have a lot of audio devices you want to plug in, I recommend using something like Voicemeeter Banana to manage things as it’s powerful and once you go through the initial learning curve it’s really easy to use.

Whatever you use, here’s how to set up audio in OBS.

1. Click settings in the main window.
2. Select the audio card from the menu.

There are now several fields where you can tell the software what the desktop computer’s audio devices (speakers, headphones, etc.) and the microphone or other auxiliary devices are. You also have the option to turn on push-to-talk or push-to-mute for any audio hardware device connected to your computer.



source: Windows Center

I prefer to use Voicemeeter over this configuration as it is easier to manage on the fly and you only need to configure one audio device in OBS. In that case, you set the microphone to Voicemeeter output and turn everything else off.

The levels can be managed from the mixer in the main OBS window. If you are using a console it is important to note that the audio for this will be your own source (even if you are using Voicemeeter) and you will have to manage it in OBS. Pro tip: reduce it; it will be too loud at default settings.

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Now we can go to the OBS Studio configuration. If you don’t have it installed on your computer, you can download OBS Studio here. This software is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Go here for a detailed installation guide.

Snap Camera & XSplit Broadcaster

The following section describes how to add a Snap Camera as a webcam in XSplit Broadcaster. To get started, first open the Snap Camera. Then open XSplit Broadcaster.



In XSplit Broadcaster, we need to add Snap Camera as the source. To do this, click the Add Source button in the lower left corner of XSplit Broadcaster. Then select Devices (webcam, capture cards.) -> Video -> Snap Camera .



You should now add the Snap Camera video feed to your broadcast canvas. To learn more about XSplit Broadcaster, visit the XSplit Broadcaster support page.

If you are not concerned about customization options with overlays and prefer the simpler method of streaming on Twitch, you may consider starting live streaming directly from your PlayStation, Xbox, or even your smartphone.

Step Four: Start Streaming!

Now that OBS is connected to Twitch, all you need to do is click the “Start Streaming” button in the lower-right corner of the OBS window.



While streaming, you can preview your stream, provide a title, and set your status to “Now Playing” on the Twitch.tv dashboard page. Click on your username in the upper right corner of the Twitch page and select “Dashboard” to access it.

To share your stream with other people, just point them to your channel page. It’s twitch.tv/user, where “username” is your Twitch username.



See the official OBS documentation for more information about the various OBS settings and functions.

• ›What is a capture card and do you need one?
• ›4 quick ways to see PC game FPS (Frames Per Second)
• ›What is Twitch Studio and should I use it for streaming?
• ›How to team stream with others on Twitch
• ›What is VTuber?
• ›The best ways to stream games to Twitch, YouTube, and elsewhere
• ›How to record gameplay on an Android phone, iPhone or iPad
• ›How to configure dual monitors in Windows 11



Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman is the editor-in-chief of How-To Geek. He has been writing about technology for over a decade, and for two years he was a columnist for PCWorld. Chris has written for The New York Times, has been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations such as NBC 6 in Miami, and his work has been covered by news sites such as the BBC. As of 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly a billion times – and it is right here at How-To Geek.
Read the full biography »

This simple but clever card from AVerMedia makes complex setups or additional capture hardware necessary in order to use the camcorder while streaming.

What software you’ll need

After sorting the hardware, you need to choose the broadcast software you want to use and adjust the layout.

You don’t necessarily need anything fancy the first time you stream – however, both StreamElements and StreamLabs offer free overlays that can be added to your Twitch screen so you can display things like chat and branding on your stream. You can add them as browser sources in your broadcasting software.

You can also use both of these sites to customize your alerts – the audio and visual effects you’ll get when someone new is watching you or making a donation.

To let others know you’re broadcasting, consider using any social media platforms to promote your stream. This way, you can count on the support and support of family and friends.

To discover organic, put an interesting title, the appropriate category for what you’re broadcasting, and use Twitch tags. People often use them to find new streamers, so you can use them to attract more viewers. You can read more about the development, commitment, and technical recommendations at Twitch’s dev camp.

Besides, the most important thing you will need is the program that you will be using for live broadcasting and managing the stream. There are several options to choose from – here are some of the most popular and how to use them:

Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)

The most famous Twitch streaming software is the free downloadable Open Broadcaster (OBS) software available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

While the software once looked like an app straight out of Windows 98, it has since undergone a makeover and provides a fairly in-depth streaming experience, although it’s still not quite as user-friendly as XSplit or Streamlabs OBS.

Configure the Twitch stream

1. Right-click on OBS and select Run as administrator if you are using the software on Windows as you must have administrator privileges when using Game Capture on your computer.
2. Click File> Settings and select the Stream tab on the left side.
3. Select Twitch from the drop-down list of streaming services.
4. Open Twitch, select Creator Dashboard> Preferences (gear icon)> Channel> Copy. You don’t need to see the stream key to copy it, but if you want to, you must agree to the on-screen warning messages so that you don’t share your stream key with anyone else.
5. Copy the stream key and paste it into the Stream key field on the Stream key in OBS, then click Apply.



Configure the transmission layout

Now that you’ve set up your Twitch stream, it’s time to start thinking about the aesthetics of the stream. Do you want to include artwork? Do you want to enable Picture-in-Picture mode showing the webcam and reactions to the game?

There are a lot of options available, although the exact functions will depend on your personal taste and what you’ll be streaming.

1. In OBS, right-click the Sources field and click Add> Game Capture (or Window Capture if you’re streaming what is in the browser).
2. Select “Create New” and click OK.
3. Select “Capture Specific Window” in the Mode menu and choose your game from the Window menu. Depending on the game, you may need to run it in the background before it is detected by OBS.
4. Review and enable / disable any other options you want to include and click OK to save the settings.
5. If you want to include other sources, you can do so. Right-click the Sources field and add anything else, from video capture device (live streaming from webcam) to monitor capture (all on screen) to overlay as browser source. (Find out how to add text to a live stream using OBS here)
6. After you’ve added all your sources, you’ll want to experiment with the layout. Select the source you want to resize or resize from the Sources menu, then drag and drop the source into the stream preview window. You can resize by dragging the round icons in each corner or simply by moving them from one area of ​​the screen to another – it’s all up to you.
7. Double check that you have the correct audio and video settings by going to Settings – here you can make sure that the correct microphone is being picked up. The volume levels can then be adjusted in the mixer as shown in the screenshot below:

Streaming from a console or smartphone

If you are not concerned about customization options with overlays and prefer the simpler method of streaming on Twitch, you may consider starting live streaming directly from your PlayStation, Xbox, or even your smartphone.

PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X / S all have the Twitch app so you can stream directly from your console to your TV. All you need to do is log into the console app, connect your webcam and headset, name your broadcast, and then start streaming.

The Twitch app is also available for iOS and Android, which means you can stream directly from your phone. All you need to do is open the app, click on your profile picture in the top left corner, fill in your stream details (such as title and game) and hit “Stream Live’.

If you have a Nintendo Switch, you’ll want to learn how to stream on Twitch via the Switch as the process is a bit different. You will need a capture card to record your gameplay, but you can also use this method on other consoles and integrate your console gameplay with one of the broadcast software above.

Take a look at our rundown of the best capture cards on the market to find out which one is right for you.

Note: We can earn a commission when you buy via links on our site at no extra cost to you. This does not affect our editorial independence. Learn more.

OBS is open source video recording and live streaming software with builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It was a project started by Hugh Bailey. Over time, this project grew with the help of collaborators on the Internet.

How to Use OBS to Live Stream on YouTube Gaming

You can also stream YouTube gaming content. YouTube Gaming is a service dedicated to game content creators and their followers. Like Twitch and Facebook Gaming, this is YouTube’s space for the gaming community.

Note: To access YouTube Creator Studio, you need to verify your phone number and wait 24 hours before you can start live streaming.

Also Read: Is It Worth Buying A Gaming Laptop In 2021?

Once your account has full access to YouTube Creator Studio, follow these steps to set up live streaming with OBS:

1. Go to YouTube or YouTube Gaming.
2. Click on the camera icon located in the upper right corner of the YouTube home page.
3. Select “Broadcast Live.”
1. After setting up viewer restrictions, click “Get started” under the “Now” tab to set up instant live streaming.





1. Once in the “Stream” pane of YouTube Studio, copy the stream key in the “Stream Settings” section.”



1. Go back to OBS and click “Settings” in the “Controls” tab.
2. Paste the stream key copied from YouTube Gaming, click “Apply” then “OK.”





1. Return to YouTube Gaming and the small screen should have a red “LIVE” text in the upper left corner.

Also read: How to Stream Your Games to Your Desktop and Non-Steam Games Using a Steam Link

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What should I do if Game Capture is not available for my game?

It is known that some titles (such as Valorant) have problems with game capture. The quickest solution is to switch to Display Capture. If you don’t want to use this source, you’ll need to restart the game and live streaming.

2. What should I do if my stream key stopped working?

When you use stream keys for Facebook broadcast, they may expire. Luckily, you can easily get a new one by using Facebook Gaming for streaming. It is also possible to obtain a permanent transmission key that will not expire.

3. What should I do if my video capture broadcast isn’t showing?

Perhaps you placed it below your game capture full screen game. In the “Sources” list in OBS, put your camera feed at the top of your screen or game capture source.

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Natalie is a writer specializing in technical tutorials and games. In MakeTechEasier, you’ll see him writing about guides, tips, and solutions for Windows and iOS.