YouTube's live encoder recommendations
| Resolution / frame rate | H.264 recommended | H.264 minimum | AV1 / H.265 recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2160p 60 fps | 50 Mbps | 14 Mbps | 35 Mbps |
| 2160p 30 fps | 42 Mbps | 11 Mbps | 30 Mbps |
| 1440p 60 fps | 34 Mbps | 8 Mbps | 24 Mbps |
| 1440p 30 fps | 21 Mbps | 7 Mbps | 15 Mbps |
From YouTube Help (checked November 2026). YouTube also recommends CBR, a 2-second keyframe interval and 128 kbps AAC stereo audio. For 1080p and below, see YouTube's page for the current figures.
Headroom
A stream needs spare upload capacity for retransmissions, chat and everything else on the network. If your bitrate takes up most of your measured upload, frames will drop the moment the connection dips. Measure at the time of day you stream, prefer a cable over Wi-Fi, and lower resolution before you lower bitrate too far.
Exporting graphics for the stream? Use the resolutions reference, and look up terms like GOP or CBR in the glossary.
FAQ
Where do the YouTube presets come from?
From YouTube Help, "Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions" (checked November 2026), which lists recommended H.264 bitrates such as 50 Mbps for 2160p60 and 34 Mbps for 1440p60. Platforms change these values, so check the source before a big event.
Why does my recording take more space than calculated?
The calculator assumes a constant bitrate. Variable-bitrate recordings and containers with extra tracks (several audio tracks, timecode) can differ.
What keyframe interval should I use?
YouTube recommends a keyframe every 2 seconds for live streams and says not to exceed 4 seconds.
Is 1 MB 1,000,000 bytes?
Here, yes: file sizes use decimal units (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes), as most operating systems other than Windows display them. Windows shows binary units, which look about 7% smaller.