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Live stream from a Google Meet Meeting to YouTube: Everything you need to know!

Live streaming to YouTube from Google Meet (or any other third party service) can feel pretty intimidating if you don’t know your way around YouTube’s features. I’ve put together a guide that tells you all the steps you need to follow to set up YouTube for your live stream, then manage your stream from inside a Meet meeting.

Here’s what I’ll cover (click to jump to the section you are interested in):
Note that you need to follow the same steps to set up live streaming on YouTube from any other platform, so they are not unique to live streaming from Meet.

Watch the video, or read on for detailed instructions.


Video Chapters

0:00 Intro
00:55 Requirements to live stream from Meet
2:33 Enable live streaming on your YouTube channel
3:03 Phone verification
4:19 Request access to live streaming
4:57 Make sure the right people can stream to your channel
5:47 Use channel permissions to add an Editor
8:01 Use brand account permissions to add a Manager
10:16 Schedule a YouTube live stream event
14:27 Start the live stream in a Meet meeting
16:20 Why use Google Meet to live stream?

Introduction

Google launched the ability to live stream Meet video meetings to YouTube in July 2022. It was only possible to live stream to a YouTube channel on your personal Google account. That made the feature not particularly useful for anyone whose YouTube channel is on a Brand account, or who wanted to live stream to their business or school’s channel.

Just recently, Google Meet was updated so that it can live stream to any channel that the person starting the live stream has permission to live stream to. That opens the possibility for designating a manager of the live stream in your meeting, or live streaming on behalf of a client or friend.

While this is not quite the same as the old Hangouts on Air live streaming, it’s an easy way to live stream to YouTube with guests or a presentation.

Requirements for live streaming from a Google Meet meeting

Live streaming from Google Meet to YouTube has just two requirements:
  • Up-to-date web browser on desktop and strong internet connection
  • Paid account that includes Google Meet live streaming to YouTube
Live streaming from Google Meet is browser based, so the technical requirements are only an up-to-date browser, like Chrome, and a strong internet connection. If you can participate in a Google Meet meeting without a problem, then you should be all set.

What’s the catch?

Live streaming to YouTube is a premium feature. The host of the Meet meeting must have live streaming to YouTube enabled on their account.

If you are using a personal Google Account, for example with a free @gmail email address, you have two options:
At this writing, the cost of Google Workspace Individual account or Google One Premium is $99.99 per year.

Live streaming to YouTube is also available for some Google Workspace enterprise and education editions. Currently it is included with:
  • Enterprise Starter
  • Enterprise Standard
  • Enterprise Plus
  • Education Plus
  • Teaching and learning upgrade
Note that if you have a supported Enterprise or Education account, live streaming to YouTube must be enabled as a feature by your Google Workspace Administrator.

Tip: If you are using a Google Workspace account, you can appoint other meeting participants as co-hosts. If the meeting host can live stream to YouTube, their co-hosts can also manage live streaming from inside the Meet meeting.

Enable live streaming on your YouTube channel

Before you can live stream your Meet meeting, you need to enable live streaming on your YouTube channel. This may take 24 hours, so be sure to set this up well in advance.

YouTube does not have any minimum subscriber requirements for live streaming on desktop, so you can enable live streaming on a newer channel.

Phone verification

The first step is to phone verify the YouTube channel you want to live stream to.

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio (studio.youtube.com) in a web browser

2. Click the Settings gear on the bottom of the left menu

3. Click Channel

4. Then click the Feature Eligibility tab
    Live streaming is an “Intermediate” feature that requires phone verification.

5. If your channel is not yet phone verified, click the Verify Phone Number button.

6. The phone verification page opens in a new browser tab. Enter:
  • Type of verification: text message or automated audio call
  • Your country
  • Your phone number
7. Click Get Code

8. Enter the 6 digit code you received by text message or audio call.

Tip: If you do not receive the verification code, see these troubleshooting tips from YouTube.

Note: You can only verify two accounts per phone number per year.

Request Streaming Access


Once your channel is phone verified, you can request live streaming access in YouTube Live Control Room.

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio (studio.youtube.com) in a web browser

2. At top right, click the Go Live button or click Create, then select Go Live
Or use this shortcut link: studio.youtube.com/channel/UC/livestreaming

3. Click the Request button

The request to enable live streaming may be automatically submitted when you open the Live Control Room.

There is a 24 hour delay before live streaming is enabled. You will see a countdown to when live streaming will be available.

Note that you can’t speed up this process, so don’t wait until the last minute.

Make sure there are no restrictions on live streaming

To live stream on YouTube a channel must not have had any live stream restrictions in the past 90 days. Here are issues that can result in a restriction:
  • Community guidelines strike on the channel
  • Live stream taken down for policy violations
  • Live stream with children under age 13 who are not visibly accompanied by an adult
  • Channel has a significant number of videos with features disabled, for example because of hate speech that is close (but not quite at) the removal line
  • Live stream shows someone “holding, handling, or transporting a firearm”
  • If you suggest that you'll live stream content that violates YouTube’s Community Guidelines
  • Copyright violations in previous live streams
Learn more in the YouTube help center.

Note: If live streaming is restricted on your YouTube channel, you are not allowed to live stream to a different channel.

Give the person managing the live stream the necessary permissions

The person who starts the live stream in the Google Meet meeting must have owner, manager or editor access to the YouTube channel where the live stream will appear.

There are two types of permissions for YouTube channels:

Channel Permissions can be used to give someone access to a channel’s YouTube Studio. Managers and editors have the ability to manage live streaming for the channel.

If your YouTube channel is on a Brand Account (check here), Brand Account Permissions can be used instead of Channel Permissions. Brand Account owners and managers can manage and act as the channel anywhere on YouTube.

Tip: The Editor (Limited) role in Channel Permissions is the most restrictive option that still allows the person to manage a channel’s live stream. An Editor (Limited) can also edit channel details, upload videos, post comments in YouTube Studio, but cannot delete videos, add other managers or editors, or view revenue data.

Add a Manager or Editor in YouTube Studio using Channel Permissions



You can add someone as a manager or editor of a YouTube channel in YouTube Studio.

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio (studio.youtube.com) on desktop

Note: if the YouTube channel is on a Brand Account, the Brand Account owner must sign in to YouTube Studio to make these changes.

2. Click the Settings gear icon on the bottom of the left menu

3. Select Permissions

Note: if your YouTube channel is on a Brand Account, and you have been using Brand Account Permissions, you will see the option to switch to Channel Permissions.

4. At top right, click Invite

5. Enter the person’s Google account email

Note: this should be the account they use to participate in the Google Meet meeting.
Also, if the person is using a Google Workspace account, they need to have YouTube enabled as a service on their account.

6. Select a role. To manage live streaming, select:
  • Manager: View everything, manage permissions, go live, create, edit and delete content
  • Editor: View everything, go live, create and edit content. Cannot manage permissions or delete content.
  • Editor (limited): Same as Editor, but cannot view revenue data.
7. Click Done

8. Save the changes.

Note: You may need to re-authenticate your account to complete the process. If you are having difficulty doing that, see YouTube’s troubleshooting tips.



The person who was added as a Manager or Editor will receive a message from YouTube at their Contact email address.

All they need to do is click the Accept button.

Note: if the person cannot find the invitation email in their Inbox or Junk folder, they should confirm that they are checking the Contact email for their account. Email settings are at myaccount.google.com/email. The Contact email is usually the same as the email username, but can be changed.

The person does not need to be signed in to the invited Google account to accept the invite.

When the new Editor (or Manager) is managing the channel in YouTube Studio, they will see their role listed under their name at top right.

Learn more:

Add a manager using Brand Account Permissions

If the channel is on a Brand Account, the alternative to Channel Permissions is to use Brand Account Permissions.

If the Brand Account was created in Google+, Google My Business, or YouTube before Channel Permissions were available, then it is probably already using Brand Account Permissions. Especially if a Manager or additional Owner was added.

Note that Brand Account Managers have full access to YouTube Studio (including adding and deleting content) and can act as the channel on YouTube proper. Only add a Manager who you fully trust.

1. Sign in to Google with the account that is the Owner of the Brand Account

2. Open the Brand Accounts page at myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts

3. Click the Brand Account that the YouTube channel is on

Note: A YouTube channel does not necessarily have the same name or channel icon as the underlying Brand Account (or Google Account).

4. On the Brand Account Details page, click Manage Permissions

Note: You will likely need to re-authenticate your account at this step. If you are having difficulty doing that, see YouTube’s troubleshooting tips.

5. On the Manage Permissions screen click the Invite New Users icon at top right

6. Enter the person’s Google account email

Note: This should be the account they use to participate in the Google Meet meeting.
Also, if the person is using a Google Workspace account, they need to have YouTube enabled as a service on their account AND they need Brand Accounts enabled as a service (available if they are at least 18 years old).

7. Select a role.

Note: When acting as the Brand Account, Managers have full access to YouTube Studio and YouTube.

8. Click Invite.

The invited person should receive an email with a link to accept the invitation.
However, I have found that to be glitchy.

 


The invitee can accept the invite to be a Brand Account Manager in their own Brand Account settings.

1. The invitee should sign in to Google with the account that was invited to be a Manager of the Brand Account

2. Open the Brand Accounts page at myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts

3. Click Pending Invitations

4. Click the Brand Account they were invited to Manage

5. Click Accept

Learn more:
  • For more details about managing Brand Accounts see my tutorial here (just ignore the mentions of Google+).

Schedule a Live Stream Event in YouTube Live Control Room

At this point YouTube is all set up for live streaming. A live stream can be started from inside Google Meet with just a few clicks.

However, I recommend creating a live stream event in YouTube Live Control Room before the Meet meeting.
  • You can use the live stream video link to promote the live stream in advance of your meeting
  • You can configure all the live stream settings (for comments, live chat, embedding, and so forth) the way you want them, as most of those settings are not available from inside Google Meet
  • You can make sure that the live stream is broadcast on the correct channel when the live event is selected
To schedule a live event:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio on desktop (studio.youtube.com)

2. Click Go Live at top right, or click Create, then select Go Live

Or use this shortcut link: studio.youtube.com/channel/UC/livestreaming

3. Make sure you are on the Manage tab (click on the left menu to switch)

4. At top right click the Schedule Stream button

5. If you have previously set up a live stream, you will see the option to Create New or use the previous live stream’s settings

6. On the Details tab, set the following:
  • Title (required)
  • Description
  • Broadcast type: Streaming Software (not Webcam)
  • Category
  • Add a custom Thumbnail (the default is to use the channel banner image)
  • Add to Playlists
  • Set whether the video will be “Made for Kids”
  • Set whether it should be age restricted (this is off by default)
Click Show More for more optional settings
  • Will you include paid promotion?
  • Tags (“useful if content in your stream is commonly misspelled”)
  • Language and Captions Certification: You do not need to set this, as you can set the captions language in Google Meet before starting the stream.
  • Recording Location
  • License type: Either standard YouTube License or a Creative Commons CC-BY license
  • Allow Embedding: This allows the video to be embedded on other websites. It is enabled by default.
  • Comments: Allow or disable comments, or hold comments for review
  • “Show how many viewers liked the stream” can be turned off
7. When you are done, click Next

8. On the Customization tab, set the following:
  • Turn on or off Live Chat and Live Chat Replay (shows the live chat messages when someone is watching the recording of the live stream).
    Live Chat is on by default and Live Chat Replay is off by default.
  • Set who can participate in the Live Chat: Anyone, Channel Subscribers, or Approved Users
    Note: You can add approved users in YouTube Studio Settings > Community
  • You can also enable Slow Mode, which limits how frequently a person can post
On channels that have at least 1,000 subscribers, there will be two additional settings:
9. When you are done, click Next

10. Channels with monetization enabled can turn on ads in their live stream

11. Finally, on the Visibility tab
  • Set the video visibility to Public, Unlisted (only viewable with a link) or Private
Tip: If you are signed into YouTube with a Google Workspace account you can share a private livestream or video with your entire Google Workspace Organization with a single click.
  • Set the date and time of the live stream event
12. Click Done

Manage your upcoming live stream event


You will find the upcoming live stream event on the Manage tab in Live Control Room.

Click the event name to open the Live Control Room dashboard or edit the settings.
  • You do not need to worry about the Stream Key settings as you don’t need that to live stream from Google Meet.
  • You also do not need to enable Auto-Start or Auto-Stop.
Additional settings you may want to manage on that page:
  • Enable DVR: This allows viewers to pause and rewind in the live stream, or start from the beginning if they start viewing late. This is on by default.
  • Closed Captions: This will be enabled from inside the Meet meeting.
  • Unlist live replay once stream ends: If you don’t want the archive recording of the live stream to be visible on your YouTube channel, enable this option.

Managing Live Chat

If you have the live chat enabled during your live stream, it is a good idea to have someone who is not participating in the streamed meeting to moderate.

Open your YouTube Studio Settings and click the Community tab to:
  • Add comment and live chat moderators
  • Add approved users and hidden (blocked) users
  • Add blocked words
  • Block links from being posted (which doesn’t apply to channel owners, chat moderators or approved users)
The live chat can be viewed and managed from inside the Live Control Room or by popping out the live chat box from the video watch page.

Learn more:

Live stream from Google Meet


Now you’re ready to live stream from a Google Meet meeting.

The host of the meeting must have live streaming enabled for their account, and if available, can assign co-hosts who can then manage the live stream.

Note: If the meeting organizer is using a Google Workspace account, and Host Management is turned OFF then anyone in the same Google Workspace organization can start the live stream from Meet. If Host Management is turned ON (recommended), then only the host or co-hosts can start the live stream. 

To start the live stream from inside the Meet meeting:

1. Join the Meet meeting in a browser on your desktop computer

Note: Live streaming cannot be managed from the Meet or Gmail app on mobile devices. You must be in Meet on the web on desktop.

2. At the bottom right of the Meet window, click Activities

3. On the Activities panel that appears on the right, select Live Streaming

4. Click Stream with YouTube


 
Note: If you do not see the live streaming or Live Stream to YouTube option, this feature is not available for the account you are signed into.

5. Select the channel to live stream to.

Note: You must be an owner, manager or editor of the channel.
Grayed-out channels are those you can manage, but that do not have live streaming enabled.

6. Create or select the live stream event

Note: If you do not see your scheduled live stream event, make sure you have selected the correct channel in the first step.
Live stream events scheduled after the meeting has started may require leaving the meeting, then rejoining, for the event to appear on the list.

7. If you have created a new live stream event, you will be able to add a title and set the privacy level (public, unlisted, private).
 
Note: If you scheduled the live event in YouTube Live Control Room, you cannot change those settings inside Meet.

8. Select a language for captions

9. Go live by clicking Start Streaming

You will see a prompt to let everyone in the meeting know that the live stream is about to start. Click that last Start button and you will be live on YouTube.

What is included in the live stream from Google Meet

Google Meet streams the video of the person who is talking and any active presentation.

Changing the layout of the participants in the meeting does not affect the live stream layout. And it is not possible to show multiple meeting participants at the same time.

Tip: If a second person starts presenting in the Meet meeting, the first presentation is paused, and will no longer show in the live stream or recording. The first presentation must be unpaused to display.

Watch a demonstration live stream where I first live streamed to my own YouTube channel, then live streamed to Nina Trankova’s YouTube channel.


Update April 9, 2023: Google now adds the Meet logo on the top right corner of live streams (hat tip to Nina Trankova for spotting this!).

Learn more:

Privacy and live streaming

While you are live, meeting participants will see a red live stream icon at top left labeled Public, as a reminder that they are no longer in a private meeting.

Anyone joining the meeting after the live stream has started, will also see a notice before they enter the meeting.

Managing the live stream in Meet


If you started the live stream in the Meet meeting, or otherwise have live streaming privileges, you will see a banner at the top of the screen with:
  • The number of current viewers
  • The option to copy the video URL
  • The option to stop the stream
Note: You may need to click the live stream icon at top left to see the banner.
          
Note: Anyone with live stream privileges can end the live stream.

Note: There is no way to pause the live stream. If you stop the live stream, then start a new live stream, the new stream will have a different video watch page link on YouTube.

The live stream can also be managed from the Activities panel.

Recording the live stream

YouTube will automatically create an archive of your live stream video, as long as it is less than 12 hours long.

During the live broadcast inside the Meet meeting, you can also turn on Recording. That makes a separate recording of the meeting that is saved in the meeting organizer’s “Meet Recordings” folder in Google Drive.

Why live stream from Google Meet?

YouTube offers a simple option to live stream with your webcam from inside the Live Control Room.

Like streaming from Meet, that requires no software other than your web browser.

Unlike live streaming from Meet, that option is free to use with your YouTube account.

The advantage to live streaming from Google Meet includes:
  • Live stream with guests
  • Share your screen or show a presentation
  • Replace your background or use Meet’s augmented reality filters
Meet also offers improvements to your audio and video, including:

So that’s it (a lot, I know)!

If you have the Google Meet live streaming to YouTube feature for your account, give it a try.

Learn more

Last updated: April 9, 2023
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