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Heroes of Might and Magic 3Share the Live Link
Share youtube.com/@yourhandle/live instead of one stream's watch link: while the channel is live, YouTube opens the current stream, and when it is not, the channel page.
To give people one link that always opens a YouTube channel's current live stream, add /live to the channel address: youtube.com/@handle/live (for example https://www.youtube.com/@LofiGirl/live), or youtube.com/channel/CHANNEL_ID/live. While the channel is live, that address opens the live stream's watch page; when it is not live, it opens the channel page instead. A single stream's own link (youtube.com/watch?v=...) stops being useful the moment that stream ends, so the /live address is the one to print on posters, pin in a bio or put in a schedule.
Quick facts
| Link with a handle | https://www.youtube.com/@handle/live |
| Link with a channel ID | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC.../live |
| While live | Opens the live stream's watch page |
| While not live | Opens the channel page |
| Old embed form | youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=UC...: showed "This video is unavailable" in our test on Nov 6, 2026 |
Tested on Nov 6, 2026: youtube.com/@LofiGirl/live and youtube.com/channel/UCSJ4gkVC6NrvII8umztf0Ow/live both opened Lofi Girl's running stream (its watch page, marked live), while youtube.com/@MrBeast/live, with no stream running, opened the MrBeast channel page.
How do I get my YouTube channel's live link?
- Open your channel on youtube.com and copy the address from the browser bar. It looks like
https://www.youtube.com/@yourhandle. (Your handle is shown, and can be changed, at youtube.com/handle; see Handles.) - Add /live to the end:
https://www.youtube.com/@yourhandle/live. - Paste that link wherever you announce streams: your website, social bios, Discord, a QR code, the video description of your uploads.
- Test it once while you are live and once while you are not: live, it should open the stream; offline, your channel page.
YouTube Creators' introduction to live streaming, from Jul 14, 2020, gives the two habits a fixed link supports: test your sound and image first with an unlisted or private stream, and tell your audience when you plan to go live.
If you prefer an address that never changes even when you change your handle, use the channel ID version, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC.../live; Find a Channel ID shows where to copy the ID.
Why it beats sharing one stream's link
Each YouTube live stream is a video with its own ID. Share that ID and the link is tied to that one broadcast: after the stream ends it opens the replay (or nothing, if the archive is private), and the next stream needs a new link. The /live address is resolved by YouTube each time someone opens it, so one link serves every future stream.
George Vanous, who runs the Freedom! YouTube network, recommends advertising the /live address rather than a stream's video link for exactly this reason: the same link keeps pointing at whatever stream is running.
Can I embed my channel's current live stream on a website?
For years the answer was an embed with the channel ID, https://www.youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=UC..., which showed whatever the channel was streaming. That form never appeared on YouTube Help's embedding page (Embed videos and playlists documents only video and playlist embeds), and it no longer worked in our test: on Nov 6, 2026, iframes with embed/live_stream?channel= for Lofi Girl's channel, while its stream was live, showed "This video is unavailable" on both youtube.com and youtube-nocookie.com, while an embed of the same stream's video ID played normally.
What works today is embedding the stream itself: open the live stream, click Share > Embed, and paste the code (see YouTube Embeds). Update the embed when you start a new stream, or link to the /live address beside the player so visitors can always reach the current one.
When the /live link shows something else
- Several streams at once: a channel can run up to 10 active streams. Lofi Girl runs several, and its /live link opened one of them; YouTube Help does not say how it picks.
- Scheduled but not started: YouTube Help does not say whether /live shows an upcoming scheduled stream. Test your own link before relying on it.
- Members-only or unlisted streams: people without access cannot watch them, whatever link they use.
Frequently asked questions
What is my YouTube live link? It is your channel address with /live added, such as youtube.com/@yourhandle/live. YouTube opens your current live stream while you are live and your channel page when you are not.
Does the YouTube /live link change every stream? No. The /live address stays the same; YouTube sends it to whichever stream your channel is running when someone opens it.
Why does my YouTube /live link show my channel instead of the stream? The channel was not live at that moment, or the stream is not public. Start the stream, make sure it is public, and open the link again.
Does youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel= still work? It did not in a test on Nov 6, 2026: YouTube's player showed "This video is unavailable" for a channel that was live. Embed the live stream's own video instead.
Can I use my handle in the YouTube live link? Yes. Both youtube.com/@handle/live and youtube.com/channel/CHANNEL_ID/live worked on Nov 6, 2026; the channel ID version survives a change of handle.
Sources
- Get started with live streaming, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- Embed videos and playlists, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- Understand your channel's handle, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- Intro To Live Streaming on YouTube, YouTube Creators, Jul 14, 2020 (video)
- Tests of youtube.com/@LofiGirl/live, youtube.com/channel/UCSJ4gkVC6NrvII8umztf0Ow/live, youtube.com/@MrBeast/live and the embed/live_stream?channel= player, Nov 6, 2026
Moments
Intro To Live Streaming on YouTube
YouTube Creators
Related
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Keyboard ShortcutsYouTube's main keyboard shortcuts on a computer are k to play or pause, j and l to jump 10 seconds, f for full screen, m to mute, c for captions, and comma and period to step frames; Shift + ? shows the full list in the player.
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Link to an Exact TimeTo share a YouTube video from a set time, click Share under the video, tick Start at, enter the time and copy the link, or add &t=90 (seconds) to the address yourself; embeds use start= and end= instead.
- Loop a VideoTo loop a YouTube video on a computer, right-click the player and click Loop; in the app, tap Settings, Additional settings, Loop video; a playlist loops with the Loop button in its playlist box.
- Open a Video's TranscriptTo open a YouTube video's transcript on a computer, click "...more" under the video to expand the description, scroll to the Transcript section and click Show transcript; it works on any video that has captions.
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Playback SpeedChange YouTube's speed in the player's Settings gear under Playback speed, from 0.25x to 2x for everyone (up to 4x with YouTube Premium), press and hold the video for 2x, or use Shift + > and Shift + < on a keyboard.
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Right-Click Twice to Copy a Video FrameOn YouTube in Chrome on a computer, pause the video, right-click it once for YouTube's menu, then right-click again for the browser's own menu, which offers Copy video frame and Save video frame as.
- See a Video's Hidden TagsYouTube hides a video's tags from viewers, but on a computer anyone can read them in the page source: open view-source: before the watch address and search for name="keywords".
- See Which Shorts Used a VideoThe address youtube.com/source/VIDEO_ID/shorts lists the YouTube Shorts made from a video, such as remixes that used its sound or a cut of it; creators can also see remix traffic in YouTube Studio.
See also
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HandlesA YouTube handle is a channel's unique @name, 3 to 30 characters long. Change it in YouTube Studio under Customization > Profile > Handle, or at youtube.com/handle, up to twice in 14 days.
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Find a Channel IDFind any YouTube channel's ID on its channel page by opening the description (the About panel), then Share channel > Copy channel ID; your own is also under Settings > Advanced settings, or at youtube.com/account_advanced.
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YouTube EmbedsTo embed a YouTube video, click Share under it, then Embed, and paste the HTML code into your site; swap youtube.com for youtube-nocookie.com for privacy-enhanced mode, add ?start= to begin at a second, and creators can stop others embedding by unticking Allow embedding in YouTube Studio.
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Frame by Frame with Comma and PeriodOn YouTube on a computer, pause the video, then press the period key to step one frame forward and the comma key to step one frame back.
- Get a Video's Full-Size ThumbnailAny YouTube video's thumbnail opens at img.youtube.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/maxresdefault.jpg, 1280 by 720 pixels when the video has one, with hqdefault.jpg (480 by 360) as the size every video has.
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Hidden YouTube Studio PagesYouTube Studio pages can be opened directly by address, studio.youtube.com/channel/YOUR_CHANNEL_ID/ followed by a path such as content/inspiration (saved ideas), copyright/history (copyright removal requests) or monetization/affiliate_hub (Shopping affiliate offers).