- How to find live streams on a computer
- How to watch live streams in the YouTube app
- How to never miss a stream from a channel you follow
- What you can do once you're in a stream
- How to use YouTube live chat
- Why you can't see the chat
- Watching after the stream ends
- Where to watch, at a glance
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To watch a live stream on YouTube from a computer, go to YouTube.com and click Live at the top, then pick any stream or Premiere that's on now. If it hasn't started yet, tap Notify me and YouTube will tell you when it goes live.
The catch most people miss: YouTube has no TV-style schedule you can rely on. You find streams through the Live page, a creator's channel page or a Notify me reminder, and once a stream ends there's no guarantee a replay will be posted. Here's how each route works, and how the live chat behaves once you're in.
How to find live streams on a computer
- Go to YouTube.com.
- Click Live at the top to browse current and upcoming live streams and Premieres.
- Click a stream that's on now to start watching.
- For one that hasn't started, tap Notify me to get a notification when it goes live.
How to watch live streams in the YouTube app
The app wording varies by device. On Android, YouTube's help points you to Live in the top bar of the Home tab. Upcoming streams also show on a creator's channel page, so if you're waiting for one particular creator, their channel is the most reliable place to look.
You'll also come across vertical live streams, the ones taller than they are wide, while you scroll live streams or Shorts. Tap one to enter the vertical live feed and watch full screen, then swipe up to see more live streams. Scheduled streams, Premieres and horizontal streams won't appear in Shorts. Only vertical ones can.
How to never miss a stream from a channel you follow
Notify me works for one stream. For a channel you watch every week, use the notification bell on the channel instead. YouTube says All notifications sends you mobile, web and inbox notifications for long-form uploads and live streams, while Personalized only sends some uploads, Shorts and live streams. So if your bell is on Personalized, you'll miss some streams.
One exception: channels set as made for kids don't send notifications at all, and the bell can't be changed.
What you can do once you're in a stream
- Send chat messages and reactions.
- Buy Super Chats or Super Stickers to support the creator.
- Buy a channel membership.
- Swipe up to see more live streams.
How to use YouTube live chat
- Join the live stream or Premiere.
- Click Say something.
- Type your message.
- Click Send.
To reply to someone, type @ before their username, and you'll both see the name highlighted. Reactions (Heart, Smiley Face, Party Popper, Flushed Face and 100) are anonymised, and if you turn your phone to horizontal full screen, they're hidden.
The limits that trip people up: YouTube allows up to 11 messages every 30 seconds, each message is capped at 200 characters, and special characters, URLs and HTML tags aren't allowed. If the creator has made the chat subscribers-only, you may not get every Live Chat feature.
New viewers may also see an experimental AI-generated chat summary when they join. It summarises the public chat, not the stream itself, not every stream has one, and you can give it a thumbs up or down.
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Why you can't see the chat
Live Chat only works on YouTube watch pages, not on embedded players. If you're watching a stream inside another website, open it on YouTube to see and join the chat. If the stream itself won't play, I go through the causes in why YouTube Live isn't working.
Watching after the stream ends
When a stream ends, the channel may post a replay or highlights, and they show up as ordinary videos on the channel. That's the creator's call, so it isn't guaranteed. If you want to read back the chat from a past stream, see how YouTube live chat replay works.
Where to watch, at a glance
| Where | What you do |
|---|---|
| Computer | YouTube.com, click Live at the top, pick a stream or Premiere, tap Notify me for upcoming ones |
| YouTube app | Live in the top bar of Home (Android wording), or find a stream while scrolling Shorts |
| Vertical streams | Tap to open the vertical live feed, full screen, swipe up for more |
| A channel you follow | Set the bell to All notifications to hear about every live stream |
| After it ends | Look on the channel for a highlight or replay video, it may not exist |
My verdict
Don't go looking for a TV guide, because YouTube doesn't have one. Click Live on a computer to browse what's on now, hit Notify me for anything upcoming, and switch the bell to All notifications on the channels you never want to miss. And if a stream matters to you, watch it live: whether a replay goes up is the creator's decision, not yours. If you're the one behind the camera, here's how to go live on YouTube.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a schedule of YouTube live streams?
Not a TV-style one. On a computer, click Live at the top of YouTube.com to browse current and upcoming streams and Premieres, and check a creator's channel page for their upcoming streams.
How do I get notified when a YouTube live stream starts?
Tap Notify me on the upcoming stream. To hear about every stream from a channel, set its notification bell to All notifications, which covers long-form uploads and live streams.
Why can't I see the live chat?
Live Chat only works on YouTube watch pages, not on embedded players, so open the stream on YouTube. If the chat is subscribers-only, you may not get every chat feature.
Can I watch a YouTube live stream after it ends?
Only if the channel posts a replay or highlights, which then appear as ordinary videos on the channel. It isn't guaranteed.
