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If your YouTube stream key seems to disappear after you restart OBS, first check that OBS reopened the Profile where you configured it. Then open Settings > Stream and confirm the service and key. If the key was reset in YouTube, copy the current key from YouTube Studio into OBS. These are separate issues: an OBS Profile stores local stream settings, while YouTube manages the key.
1. Check which OBS Profile is active
OBS stores Stream and Output settings in Profiles. If a different Profile is selected after restart, its Stream settings may not match the ones you remember configuring.
- In OBS, check the selected Profile in the Profile menu.
- Select the Profile you used for your YouTube stream.
- Open Settings > Stream and check whether the expected service and key are present.
OBS describes a Profile as saving “most a solid chunk of OBS Studio settings, primarily related to outputs.” OBS Project’s Profiles guide covers Profile behavior. Profiles do not store scenes; OBS uses Scene Collections for those.
2. Verify the service and key in OBS
In OBS, open Settings > Stream. Check that the service is YouTube (or the intended custom server) and inspect the stream key field. OBS’s overview guide identifies Stream settings as the place to select a service or server and enter a key.
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YouTube creates and manages the key; OBS uses it to connect the encoder to your stream. YouTube describes stream keys as “like your YouTube stream’s password and address.” Avoid sharing the key, since someone with access may be able to send video to your stream.
3. Check whether YouTube changed the key
Open YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room and check which key is assigned to the stream. If the key was reset, update OBS with the current one; the old key will no longer be the right credential. YouTube says only a channel owner or manager can reset a key. See Manage live stream settings for YouTube’s key-management guidance.
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This check addresses whether the credential in OBS is current. It does not explain or repair a missing local OBS setting: if YouTube’s key is still valid but the field is blank after restarting OBS, return to the Profile check.
4. Back up a working OBS Profile
Once the correct Profile has the right Stream settings, export it from OBS as a JSON backup. OBS supports exporting and importing Profiles, including for backup or transfer to another installation. Keep the backup somewhere you can access if you need to restore or move those settings.
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An exported Profile is a settings backup, not a guarantee about how stream credentials are stored on every operating system or OBS version. OBS’s documentation does not establish OS credential-storage behavior or diagnose file permissions, profile-directory corruption, portable installations, or version-specific defects.
5. Keep YouTube’s “Reuse settings” separate from OBS saving
When creating a new stream in YouTube, Reuse settings copies details from an earlier stream, including metadata, settings, and its key. That helps populate a new YouTube stream; it does not establish that OBS saved its local configuration. YouTube’s live-stream settings guide also explains auto-start and auto-stop. Those options control whether the encoder can start or stop the stream; they are not OBS key-retention settings.
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6. Identify whether the problem is local or on YouTube
| What you see | Where to check | What it points to |
|---|---|---|
| The key is missing only in OBS after restart | Active OBS Profile, then Settings > Stream | A Profile or local settings issue is more likely; a YouTube key reset alone does not explain a blank local field. |
| The key is present in OBS, but YouTube no longer accepts it | YouTube Studio Live Control Room | Check whether YouTube’s current key differs from the one entered in OBS. |
| A new YouTube stream has copied the old stream’s details | YouTube’s Reuse settings workflow | This populates the new stream; it does not confirm OBS retained its own settings. |
7. Troubleshoot what remains
- A different Profile is selected: switch to the Profile configured for YouTube, then check Settings > Stream.
- The Stream page has the wrong service or server: select the intended service or custom server and check the key field.
- YouTube’s key was reset: copy the current key from Live Control Room into OBS. If you cannot reset it, ask a channel owner or manager.
- The correct Profile is active, but the key field is blank after restart: export a working Profile if one is available. The official OBS and YouTube guidance cited here does not establish a universal fix for OS permissions, corrupted profile data, portable installations, or version-specific problems; diagnosis depends on the OBS version and operating system.
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