StreamYard Tutorial: Everything You Need to Go Live (From Zero to Streaming)

StreamYard is a browser-based live streaming and recording tool that lets you broadcast to YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, and other platforms without downloading any software. It's become the go-to option for podcasters, marketers, and content creators who want professional-looking streams without wrestling with OBS or complicated encoding software.

This tutorial covers everything from initial setup to advanced features like branding, guest management, and multistreaming. Whether you're doing your first broadcast or trying to level up your production quality, you'll find what you need here.

Getting Started: Account Setup

StreamYard runs entirely in your browser—no downloads required. Just a computer with a mic and camera. Chrome or Edge on desktop are the recommended browsers for the best experience.

Here's how to get started:

  1. Create an account: Head to StreamYard and sign up with an email or Google account
  2. Allow browser permissions: You'll need to grant access to your microphone and camera
  3. Select your use case: StreamYard asks a few questions during onboarding to customize your experience
  4. Connect your destinations: Add the platforms you want to stream to (YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)

A free trial is available, but note that StreamYard requests card information to begin the trial so it can continue billing if you don't cancel.

Understanding the Dashboard

Once you're logged in, the dashboard becomes your command center. Here's what you'll see:

Connecting Destinations (Platforms)

Before you can stream, you need to connect at least one destination. StreamYard supports YouTube, Facebook (pages, groups, profiles), LinkedIn (pages and profiles), Twitch, and custom RTMP destinations.

To add a destination:

  1. Go to the Destinations tab
  2. Click "Add Destination"
  3. Select your platform
  4. Authorize StreamYard to access your account

One of the best features inside StreamYard is that you can select multiple destinations for your livestream. This means you can simultaneously broadcast to YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn in a single stream—expanding your reach without extra work.

For each destination, you can enter a title and description. For YouTube, you can also choose whether the live stream will be private, public, or unlisted. The title and descriptions don't need to be the same for all destinations—select "Customize for Each Destination" to tailor your messaging to each platform.

Creating Your First Broadcast

When you're ready to create a broadcast, click "Create" and choose between three options:

If you don't want to go live immediately, you can schedule the live stream for later by selecting a start time.

The Studio Interface

The StreamYard studio is where the magic happens. Here's a breakdown of the key areas:

Bottom Toolbar

Right Sidebar

Top Controls

Before entering the studio, you can configure settings like broadcast quality (depending on your plan), separate audio file recording for each guest, and hotkeys for keyboard shortcuts to trigger different actions while you're live.

Inviting Guests to Your Stream

One of StreamYard's strongest features is how easy it makes guest interviews. Your guest doesn't need a StreamYard account—they just need a link.

To invite guests:

  1. Enter your broadcast studio
  2. Click the "Invite" button at the bottom
  3. Copy the unique broadcast link and send it to your guest

When guests join, they'll appear backstage. As the host, you control when to add them to the stream by clicking "Add to stage."

What Guests Can Do

What Guests Can't Do

The free plan allows up to 6 on-screen participants. Paid plans support up to 10 people on screen simultaneously.

Screen Sharing

Both hosts and guests can share their screen by navigating to the bottom panel and clicking Present → Share screen. You can share:

After a guest shares their screen, it shows as a thumbnail at the bottom of the studio. The host needs to click "Add to stage" to show it to the audience.

Pro tip: Screen sharing works best when you have two monitors. This lets you control the live stream on one screen while presenting from the other. Also, if you want to share a video with audio, use the Chrome tab option and check the "Share audio" box—this is the only method that supports audio sharing.

Note that screen sharing is not supported on mobile devices (tablets, iPads, phones).

Branding Your Stream

StreamYard offers extensive branding options to make your streams look professional. In the Brand tab, you can customize:

You can create overlays, backgrounds, and other graphics in programs like Canva, Photoshop, or Figma. StreamYard recommends PNG files with transparent backgrounds for overlays. Overlays and backgrounds can be toggled on and off during your stream by clicking on them in the Brand panel.

Want to learn more about creating graphics? Check out our Canva tutorial for designing stream assets.

Managing Comments and Engagement

The Comments panel aggregates chat from all connected destinations, letting you see everything in one place. You can:

Engaging with your audience in real-time is one of the best ways to build loyalty and keep people watching. StreamYard makes it easy to acknowledge viewers without switching between platform tabs.

Layouts

StreamYard offers multiple layout options for displaying hosts, guests, and shared content. You can switch between layouts on the fly during your broadcast:

Use the layout buttons under the stream preview to change how content appears. You can also remove yourself or guests from the stream temporarily without ending the broadcast.

Going Live and Ending Your Broadcast

When you're ready, click "Go Live" in the top right corner. Your stream will begin broadcasting to all selected destinations simultaneously.

During the broadcast:

When you're done, click "End Broadcast." Your stream will end on all platforms you selected. If you recorded your stream, you'll be able to access the recording in your StreamYard dashboard.

Warning: Clicking "Go live" or "End broadcast" accidentally will require manual re-programming of your scheduled broadcast. Double-check before clicking.

StreamYard Pricing

StreamYard restructured its pricing in late August 2024, introducing three main plans: Core, Advanced, and Teams. Here's the current breakdown:

PlanMonthly PriceAnnual Price (per month)Key Features
Free$0$0StreamYard branding, 6 participants, basic features
Core$44.99$35.99No StreamYard branding, 1080p screen sharing, reusable studios
Advanced$88.99$68.994K local recordings, more destinations, on-air webinars
Teams$298.99$238.99Multi-user collaboration, advanced team features

StreamYard has a 7-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase. You can cancel your plan anytime—you'll have access to paid features until the end of your billing cycle, then move back to the free plan.

For a detailed breakdown, check out our StreamYard pricing guide.

Tips for Better StreamYard Broadcasts

After using StreamYard for countless streams, here are the things that actually matter:

StreamYard Alternatives

StreamYard isn't the only option. Here's how it compares to the competition:

For a full comparison, see our StreamYard alternatives guide.

Final Thoughts

StreamYard hits the sweet spot between ease of use and professional output. It's not the cheapest option (especially after the pricing restructure), but for most content creators and businesses doing regular live streams, the time savings and reliability are worth it.

The free plan is genuinely useful for testing the waters. You get StreamYard branding on your videos, but all the core functionality works. If you're streaming regularly and care about branding, the Core plan at $35.99/month (annual) removes the watermark and adds meaningful features.

Ready to try it? Get started with StreamYard here.

For more tools to improve your video content, check out our guides on video editing software and screen recording tools.