TL;DR: YouTube vertical live streams can appear in the Shorts feed on phones. Use a portrait layout, check your live-streaming eligibility, and compare audience response before making the format part of your schedule.
YouTube Vertical Live: Is It For You?
Uttaran Samaddar · 5 min read · Published Mar 14, 2024
Reviewed by Darryl Rentz on Oct 05, 2026
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YouTube Vertical Live is worth testing if your content fits a portrait frame and you want to reach viewers browsing Shorts. The format gives you another way to be discovered, but your layout and audience response should guide whether you keep using it.
Read More: 6 Things to Do Before Your First YouTube Live Stream
In this 2024 Creator Insider interview, YouTube creator liaison Rene Ritchie discusses the vertical live rollout with YouTube Live’s product manager.
What are Vertical Livestreams?
Vertical livestreams use a portrait layout, usually 9:16, and can appear in YouTube’s scrollable vertical live feed.
Compared to regular horizontal livestreams, this format limits screen space and you have less real estate for presentation. This is where Shorts creators might have an edge over others getting into this new mode of creation.
How to Stream Vertically?
Streaming vertically doesn’t require you to learn new tools and techniques to get started with. As of now, there are 3 main ways to go live vertically on YouTube:
- Using a smartphone: Hold your phone vertically. In the YouTube app, tap Create, then Live, enter your stream details, check the preview, and tap Go live.
- Using an Encoder: Preferred for versatility, encoders like OBS studio allow for setting up a vertical canvas for streaming, commonly used by gaming channels.
- Using a Third-party tool: A compatible third-party streaming tool can also send a portrait stream to YouTube.
To stream independently, you must be at least 16, verify your channel, and have no live-streaming restrictions in the past 90 days. Mobile streaming also requires at least 50 subscribers; first-time activation can take up to 24 hours.
Live Control Room now streams in horizontal and vertical formats by default, using a center crop for the vertical version. Check that preview before going live so faces, text and gameplay stay visible. To disable it, turn off Dual stream under Stream settings. You can’t add the vertical format after the stream starts.
How to Find Vertical Livestreams?
On the YouTube app for phones, you may find vertical live streams while browsing Shorts or live content. Tap a stream to enter the vertical live feed, then swipe to explore more. You can also pause a Short and tap Live.
Scheduled live streams and Premieres do not appear in this feed.
Is Vertical Streaming Worth It?
Try vertical streaming when your main subject and on-screen information remain readable in a portrait frame. Keep a horizontal option for presentations, detailed screen shares or gameplay that needs more width. Compare the audience response with your usual streams before committing. The vertical live feed also lacks clickable links in chat and channel descriptions, plus pre-roll and mid-roll live ads; eligible fan-funding features remain available.
Your total live watch time is not the same as your eligible YPP watch hours. YouTube excludes private, unlisted and deleted videos, plus livestreams that are not converted to video on demand. Check the Earn tab in YouTube Studio for your eligibility progress.
A Clipping Opportunity
After your stream, turn a self-contained moment into a Short. A portrait recording already fits a vertical frame, but you still need to trim the moment and check that it makes sense on its own. vidIQ Clipping can help identify moments, crop the video and add captions. See how to clip a YouTube video into Shorts for the full workflow.