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YouTube’s Live Control Room can deliver a broadcast in both horizontal (16:9) and vertical (9:16) formats at once. For a stream started in Live Control Room, dual streaming is on by default: YouTube creates the vertical version from your horizontal picture, using a center crop unless you adjust the layout. You can also send separate horizontal and vertical outputs from an encoder using RTMP(S) and two stream keys. Set up and check both formats before going live.

YouTube’s dual-format streaming instructions describe the current setup and viewer experience.

Before you start

Make sure live streaming is enabled for your channel and that the channel has had no live-streaming restrictions in the previous 90 days. If you are enabling live streaming for the first time, activation may take at least 24 hours, so do not leave setup until the day of your broadcast. See YouTube’s live-streaming access requirements.

  • Use a computer to configure the broadcast in YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room.
  • Decide whether a center crop, a phone-width fit, or a stacked layout will work best for the vertical version.
  • If you plan to use an encoder to send separate outputs, have both stream keys ready before you start.

Use YouTube’s built-in dual-format option

  1. On a computer, open YouTube Studio and select Create → Go live. Schedule a broadcast or open an existing scheduled stream in Live Control Room.
  2. Open the scheduled stream’s Manage view and inspect the vertical preview. YouTube’s default vertical output is derived from the horizontal picture, so check that the subject and important on-screen text remain visible.
  3. Choose a vertical layout: Center crop, Fit to phone width, or Stacked. Adjust zoom and position as needed. You can continue editing the layout while live, but preview it beforehand to avoid an unsuitable composition at launch.
  4. Start the stream from Live Control Room. For streams started there, dual streaming is on by default. To turn it off, open Stream settings and switch off Dual stream.

The built-in option is the simplest choice when a crop or layout made from one source picture is acceptable. If the vertical composition needs a different camera view or independently composed output, use an encoder workflow instead.

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Send separate vertical and horizontal outputs from an encoder

  1. In Live Control Room, open the stream’s Stream tab and locate the vertical preview.
  2. In the vertical preview’s Auto menu, choose Encoder, then select RTMP(S).
  3. Select the second stream key for the vertical output. Configure the encoder so its vertical output goes to that key and its horizontal output goes to the horizontal stream key.
  4. Check both previews and confirm that each output has the intended orientation and framing. Then begin the stream from YouTube Studio.

Configure the vertical output before the broadcast begins: YouTube says you cannot add the vertical format after a stream has started. If the encoder only sends one output, use YouTube’s built-in layout option instead.

What viewers see—and what changes by format

YouTube gives subscribers one go-live notification and a shared URL. Viewers watching in the Shorts feed in the YouTube mobile app see the vertical version; viewers elsewhere see the horizontal version. Both versions use the same live chat under YouTube’s current instructions.

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Vertical live streams can be discovered in the YouTube app’s scrollable vertical live feed and through Shorts browsing. That feed is not currently available on tablets, and scheduled live streams and Premieres do not appear in it.

The formats do not have identical viewing and creator features. YouTube’s format comparison identifies vertical-feed discovery and scrolling as vertical strengths. Its comparison also lists clickable links in chat and channel description, live pre-roll and mid-roll ads, 4K broadcast bitrate, Premieres, and Live Redirect for horizontal streams. Memberships are listed for both formats; fan-funding tools depend on eligibility. Check the comparison for current details before choosing a format around a particular feature.

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Read the analytics for each format

Live Control Room initially shows combined metrics for the two formats. Vertical-only metrics become available 24 hours after the stream ends. To view them, in YouTube Studio go to Content → Live, open the ended stream, select Analytics, then open Advanced mode. Use Playback location to select Vertical live feed. YouTube documents this process in its live-stream analytics guidance.

Troubleshoot common setup problems

  • The vertical preview is missing or dual streaming is unavailable: Confirm you are managing the broadcast in Live Control Room on a computer and that live streaming is enabled for the channel. Check that the channel has no live-streaming restrictions in the previous 90 days; first-time activation may take at least 24 hours.
  • The vertical version cuts off the subject or text: The default is a center crop of the horizontal image. In the stream’s Manage view, try Fit to phone width or Stacked, then adjust zoom and position while checking the preview.
  • The encoder’s vertical output does not appear: Verify that the vertical output is assigned to the second, vertical stream key and the horizontal output to the horizontal key. Confirm that the vertical preview is set to Encoder and RTMP(S), and configure it before going live.
  • Vertical-only numbers are not visible immediately after the broadcast: YouTube makes those metrics available 24 hours after the stream ends. Until then, Live Control Room shows combined metrics.
  • A scheduled stream is not appearing in the vertical live feed: Scheduled live streams and Premieres are excluded from that feed. The vertical live feed is in the YouTube mobile app, not currently on tablets.
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Or let it run in the cloud

For a pre-recorded broadcast that should keep looping on YouTube, StreamNeo is a different option from Live Control Room dual streaming: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. StreamNeo keeps the uploaded video playing from the cloud; it does not broadcast a camera or create a separate vertical version from your live camera feed.

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