---
title: 'Best OBS Settings for Streaming 2026 – Twitch & YouTube'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=yWNri-chbqI'
video_id: 'yWNri-chbqI'
date: 2026-06-17
duration_sec: 0
---

# Best OBS Settings for Streaming 2026 – Twitch & YouTube

> Source: [Best OBS Settings for Streaming 2026 – Twitch & YouTube](https://youtube.com/watch?v=yWNri-chbqI)

## Summary

This video provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to configuring the best OBS settings for streaming in 2026, specifically for Twitch and YouTube. It covers all major configuration areas including stream connection, output encoding, audio, video, hotkeys, and advanced options to maximize stream quality.

### Key Points

- **Stream Service Selection** [0:08] — Open Settings, go to Stream tab, select your platform (Twitch or YouTube), connect your account or use a stream key. Uncheck 'Enable Enhanced Broadcasting' and check 'Ignore streaming service setting recommendations' for higher quality.
- **Output and Encoder Setup** [0:44] — Set Output Mode to Advanced, choose FFmpeg AAC audio encoder, enable Twitch VOD Track if needed. Video encoder should be NVIDIA NVENC H.264 or AMD HW H.264 (or x264 if unavailable). Ensure Rescale Output is disabled.
- **Bitrate and Rate Control** [1:40] — Set Rate Control to CBR. For Twitch, use 8000 kbps if upload >12 Mbps, otherwise 6000 or 4000. For YouTube, use 10000 kbps with upload ~14 Mbps. Lower bitrate if frames drop.
- **Encoder Quality Settings** [2:45] — Set Keyframe Interval to 2s, Preset to P6: Slower (Better Quality), Tuning to High Quality, Multipass Mode to Two Passes (Quarter Resolution). Profile: High, uncheck Look-ahead, enable Adaptive Quantization, B-Frames: 2.
- **Audio Bitrate and Sample Rate** [3:19] — Set Audio Bitrate to 160 (or 320 for best quality, 128 if issues). Sample Rate: 48 kHz, Channels: Stereo. Assign Desktop Audio and Mic in Global Audio Devices.
- **Video Canvas and Output Resolution** [4:34] — Set Base (Canvas) Resolution to 1920x1080 or your screen resolution. Output (Scaled) Resolution: 1920x1080 for 1080p. Downscale Filter: Lanczos (Sharpened scaling, 36 samples). FPS: 60 (or 30 if bitrate 4000).
- **Hotkeys for Streaming** [5:50] — Set keyboard shortcuts for Start Streaming and Stop Streaming in Hotkeys settings. This allows starting/stopping stream without opening OBS, useful for single-screen setups.
- **Audio Mixer and VOD Tracks** [7:05] — In Advanced Audio Properties, assign which audio devices are heard on stream track and VOD track. Use separate tracks for music/gameplay if needed. Ensure mic and desktop audio are correctly routed.

### Conclusion

By following these OBS settings, you can achieve high-quality streams on Twitch and YouTube with optimized video, audio, and encoding configurations. The guide covers everything from connection to final audio routing, ensuring a smooth and professional streaming experience.

## Transcript

In this video I’ll be showing you the best OBS 
Settings for Streaming in 2026. I’ll be covering  
settings for Twitch and YouTube.
Start by heading to the side,  
then open the Settings.
Go across and select Stream from the side menu. 
Select Service from the top, then 
choose the platform you want to  
stream to. I’ll be selecting Twitch.
Click the Connect Account button,  
then sign in to the account you will be streaming 
on. If you don’t have the option to connect  
account then you’ll need to use a stream key.
Once connected head down to the Multitrack Video  
options and uncheck the Enable 
Enhanced Broadcasting setting. 
Head down to the Advanced options and check 
the box to Ignore streaming service setting  
recommendations. This will allow your 
stream to be higher quality when possible. 
Click the Apply button, then 
go to the Output settings. 
Expand the Output Mode menu, then select Advanced.
Make sure you’re on the streaming tab,  
then set Audio Track to the track you 
want to use for streaming. I recommend  
using track 1 for simplicity.
Set Audio Encoder to FFmpeg AAC. 
If you are streaming to Twitch then you can enable 
the Twitch VOD Track option and select the audio  
track you want to use. This allows you to 
use a different audio track for your VOD,  
and can be used to remove music or specific 
audio from your past broadcasts. Again,  
I’ll be selecting track 2 for simplicity.
Set the Video Encoder to NVIDIA NVENC H.264  
or AMD HW H.264. If you have the option to 
stream with NVIDIA NVENC HEVC or AMD HW H.265  
then you can use that instead. If you don’t 
have any of the NVIDIA or AMD options then  
you’ll need to use the x264 option.
Make sure Rescale Output is Disabled,  
then go down to the Encoder Settings.
Set Rate Control to Constant Bitrate or CBR,  
then set the bitrate to 8000 if you’re 
streaming on Twitch, or 10000 if you’re  
streaming on YouTube. Although Twitch only 
has a maximum bitrate of 6000 your stream  
can occasionally get a boost in quality when 
using 8000, provided you enabled the ignore  
streaming service settings recommendations option 
earlier. Additionally, Twitch partners will almost  
always benefit from setting the bitrate to 8000.
The bitrate you can use also varies depending on  
your upload speed. If your upload speed is above 
12mbps then you can use 8000. However, if your  
upload speed is between 10mbps and 12mbps then 
use 6000. If your upload speed is below 10mbps  
then set the bitrate to 4000. To stream to YouTube 
with your bitrate set to 10000 you’ll want your  
upload speed to be around 14mbps or higher. If you 
are dropping frames or having connectivity issues  
then you can try lowering your bitrate slightly.
Set Keyframe Interval to 2s, and Preset to P6:  
Slower (Better Quality). If you have a dedicated 
streaming PC then you can use P7: Slowest (Best  
Quality), and if you experience any lag then 
you can drop it down to P5: Slow, or P4: Medium. 
Set Tuning to High Quality, and Multipass 
Mode to Two Passes (Quarter Resolution). If  
you are streaming on a low end PC then 
you can use Single Pass if necessary. 
Set Profile to High, then uncheck 
Look-ahead, and enable Adaptive Quantization. 
Set B-Frames to 2 and make sure 
Custom Encoder Options is blank. 
Click the Apply button, then go 
up and switch to the Audio tab. 
Find your stream audio track, then select the 
Audio Bitrate menu and set your bitrate to  
160. You can use 320 for the best audio 
but you typically won’t be able to tell  
a difference. If you have any audio issues 
then you can try using 128 to fix the issue. 
Set the same bitrate for your 
VOD track if you enabled one,  
then go down and click the Apply button.
Go to the side, then open the Audio settings. 
Set the Sample Rate to 48 kHz, and 
make sure Channels is set to Stereo. 
Go down to the Global Audio Devices, then 
set the Desktop Audio to the device you use  
to listen to your computer or gaming 
audio. Typically, this will be your  
headset. If you are using audio software, 
like SteelSeries Sonar or Elgato Wave Link,  
then make sure you select the correct output.
Depending on your headset or the audio software  
you’re using you may have 2 separate outputs, 
one for gameplay and one for chat. If this is  
the case then set Desktop Audio 2 to your 
chat output. Also make sure you have the  
chat output selected in Discord or for any 
other voice chat application you’re using. 
Expand the Mic/Auxiliary Audio 
menu, then select your microphone. 
Make sure you don’t have any other microphone 
selected to prevent any echoing, then go down  
and click the Apply button.
Head back to the side menu,  
then switch to the Video Settings.
Set the Base (Canvas Resolution) to  
your screen’s resolution or 1920x1080. This is the 
size of your OBS Canvas and preview. Typically,  
stream graphics are designed based on a 1080p 
canvas so you may want to use 1920x1080. 
To find your screen’s resolution right-click 
on your desktop then select Display settings. 
Select the monitor that you’re streaming 
from, then scroll down and find the Display  
resolution option.
Go to the side and  
you will see the resolution here.
Set Output (Scaled) Resolution to  
1920x1080 for 1080p. I recommend this resolution 
as it makes repurposing and editing your clips  
easier while using the resolution most 
people are used to for long form content. 
If your Output resolution is lower than your Base 
resolution like mine is, then set the Downscale  
Filter to Lanczos (Sharpened scaling, 36 samples).
Expand the FPS menu, then select Common FPS Values  
and set the frame rate to 60. This is how many 
times the video image will be updated per second,  
60 is the standard for gaming and streaming. 
However, if your bitrate is set to 4000 then  
you can set the FPS to 30 to improve 
the image quality of your stream. 
Go down to the bottom and click Apply, then 
head back to the side and select Hotkeys. 
Go up to the top and select the 
Filter box, then type in “Streaming”. 
Click the box next to the Start Streaming option, 
then enter a keyboard shortcut that you want to  
use to start your stream. You can use this to 
start your stream even when OBS is minimized. 
Select the Stop Streaming box, then enter a 
shortcut you want to use to stop your stream.  
You can use the same keyboard shortcut, which 
will make it work like a toggle or on/off switch. 
Using a hotkey to start and stop your stream 
stops you from needing to open the OBS window  
to start or end your stream. This is particularly 
useful if you’re streaming with only one screen. 
Be sure to add your streaming hotkeys to your 
Elgato stream deck if you have one, or use the  
Stream button to start and end your stream.
Apply your settings, then go back to the side  
menu and open the Advanced options.
Go to the top and set the Process  
Priority to Normal if it isn’t already.
Keep your video settings set to default,  
if yours are different then you can pause the 
video and copy the settings I have. Alternatively,  
you can set the Color Range to Full, but this 
is preference and doesn’t make much difference. 
Go down to the Stream Delay heading and 
uncheck the Enable option if it isn’t already. 
This will ensure there’s no added 
stream delay for a good chat experience. 
Head to the bottom and click the 
Apply button, then click Ok to close. 
Find the Audio Mixer dock and click the 
three dots next to any of the audio devices,  
then select Advanced Audio Properties.
Here you will have your audio track  
options. You will need to select what 
audio devices are heard on your stream  
track and on your VOD track if you are using one.
Track 1 is my stream track, so I’ll be enabling  
Desktop Audio 1, Desktop Audio 2, and Mic/Aux 
all to be heard on track 1. Meanwhile, track 2  
is my VOD track so I’ll be enabling Desktop Audio 
1 and Mic/Aux to be heard in the VOD, but keeping  
Desktop Audio 2 unchecked so it won’t be heard.
I’ll include a link in the description to my  
tutorial on separating audio in case you need 
more help. You can use the guide to separate  
your music and gameplay instead of having 
it all come from the same audio device. 
Click the Close button when done, and you will 
now have the best stream settings for OBS. 
Please consider leaving a like 
if you found the video helpful.