My stream won't start on YouTube

If you went live in ApexStream but nothing shows up on YouTube, work through this checklist in order.

Check these, in order

1. Is your YouTube channel enabled for live streaming? ApexStream can only start a broadcast on a channel that YouTube itself has approved for live streaming. If you've just turned this on in YouTube's own settings, give it a little time to finish activating before you try again.
2. Is YouTube switched on in the Channels panel? Open Web Studio's Channels panel (or the Integrations page) and confirm your YouTube channel's toggle is on for this broadcast. ApexStream only sends your feed to destinations you've enabled.
3. Did a previous broadcast get stuck? If your last YouTube session didn't shut down cleanly, ApexStream can flag it so it doesn't try to reuse a broken broadcast on your next attempt. If you see a message about YouTube failing to go live, go to Integrations and reconnect your YouTube channel to clear it.
4. Has your YouTube connection expired? Sign-ins can be revoked or expire over time. Reconnect YouTube from the Integrations page the same way you connected it originally.
5. Have you hit YouTube's own daily usage limit? YouTube limits how many times an account can create or update broadcasts each day. If you've been starting and stopping a lot of test streams, you may need to wait for YouTube's limit to reset before you can go live again.
6. Is your stream quality above your plan's cap? Every plan has a maximum resolution and bitrate. If your broadcast is sending more than your plan allows, ApexStream stops the stream rather than deliver a broken feed — lower your encoder's output or upgrade your plan.

Good to know: If YouTube's daily usage limit is the problem, there's nothing to reconnect or fix on your end — it resets automatically around midnight Pacific Time. Just try going live again after that.