To loop a local video into YouTube Live from Windows, FFmpeg needs to read the file at real-time speed, repeat it, and send a compatible stream to the ingest URL and key shown in YouTube Studio. The command below is a starting pattern, not a universal recipe: check it against your FFmpeg build, video and current YouTube settings before relying on it.
That process can keep a feed going while the computer, network and YouTube session remain available. It cannot by itself guarantee an uninterrupted 24/7 broadcast, so test the whole setup and decide how you will detect and respond to interruptions.
What you need before starting
Gather the working parts before opening a command prompt: a Windows computer that can remain on, FFmpeg, a local video file, access to YouTube Live, and the stream URL and key from YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room. You also need a stable enough upload connection for your chosen output settings, plus a way to check the stream after it starts. There is no universal hardware or upload-speed figure that fits every source and encoding choice; test your own combination.
Confirm that you have the rights to stream the video, music and other material in the file, and check YouTube’s current Community Guidelines. Being able to send a file to YouTube does not establish that you have permission to broadcast it or that a channel is eligible for a particular feature. For a channel built around music, review the practical rights issues in licensed songs for a 24/7 Indian music stream, but check the current rules for your own material rather than treating an article as legal advice.
Also decide what “24/7” means for your channel. You might mean that viewers can find a live endpoint at any time, that one continuous event should keep running, or that viewers can rewind and watch a complete replay. Those aims are not identical. YouTube’s archive and DVR behaviour can affect the last two even when the feed is still live.
Prepare FFmpeg and a video you may stream
Use an FFmpeg build suitable for your Windows system and keep track of which build you install. In Command Prompt, ffmpeg -version should print version and build information. If Windows reports that the command is not recognised, either run FFmpeg from its folder or add its executable directory to your PATH and open a fresh command prompt. Do not download an executable from an unfamiliar source simply because it is the first search result.
Put the video somewhere with a stable path, such as a dedicated media folder, rather than a temporary download or removable drive that might disappear. Use quotes around the path in the command when it contains spaces. Check the file from beginning to end, including its sound, picture and final frames. A visible title card, a few seconds of silence, or a black frame at the join will repeat every time the file loops; that may be intentional, but it should not surprise you during a long broadcast.
FFmpeg’s input-loop option, -stream_loop -1, means to loop an input indefinitely. Its -re option reads an input at its native frame rate, which is useful when sending a file as a real-time feed rather than letting FFmpeg consume the file as fast as it can. Both are input options, so put them before the relevant -i filename. The FFmpeg documentation describes these options, but the behaviour of a full command still depends on the streams and options you select.
Inspecting the source first helps you choose between stream-copying and re-encoding. Copying already compatible audio and video streams uses less encoding work, but leaves less control over the outgoing format and may reveal issues with timestamps, stream compatibility or the loop boundary. Re-encoding takes more processing capacity but lets you choose output codecs and bitrate. Neither path is automatically the right one for an unknown file.
Create or select a YouTube Live stream
In YouTube Studio, open Live Control Room and create a stream or select the one you intend to use. YouTube shows the stream URL and stream key there; its encoder setup guidance explains where to find and use them. Choose the exact ingest URL presented for the stream. If an RTMPS address is available, YouTube recommends it for encrypted delivery; RTMPS is RTMP over TLS/SSL. Check that the FFmpeg build you installed supports the transport you plan to use.
Treat the stream key like a password. Do not put a real key in a public article, screenshot, shared support log or source-code repository. A command entered directly in a terminal may remain in its history, and a batch file containing the key can be copied or backed up. An environment variable can keep the literal key out of a batch file, but it is not a complete security boundary: users and processes with access to the Windows account may still be able to reach it. Limit access to the machine and rotate the key through YouTube Studio if you think it has been exposed.
Before broadcasting, choose whether the test should be private or unlisted and confirm who can view it. A private test is useful when you want to restrict viewing to selected accounts; an unlisted test is easier to open on devices where you have the link, but anyone with that link may be able to view it. Check YouTube’s current controls and permissions for the channel instead of assuming every account has identical access.
Configure FFmpeg to repeat and send the video
The following Windows command illustrates the pieces to adapt. It re-encodes to H.264 video and AAC audio, reads the input at real-time pace, loops it indefinitely, and sends an FLV-formatted output to an RTMPS ingest address. The values shown are examples, not a claim that this bitrate, frame rate, keyframe interval or preset suits your file or connection.
ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i "C:\path\to\video.mp4" -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 4500k -maxrate 4500k -bufsize 9000k -g 60 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -f flv "rtmps://<YouTube-ingest-host>/<path>/<STREAM_KEY>"
Replace the input path and the entire output address with the values for your setup. Do not type the angle-bracket placeholders literally. YouTube’s current encoder settings guidance gives recommendations for supported output formats, frame rates, bitrates and keyframes. Match those recommendations to the source resolution and frame rate, then verify that your actual connection can sustain the selected upload bitrate with room for normal variation. The example’s -g 60 is not a universal keyframe setting: select an interval in line with current guidance and the frame rate you are sending.
The -c:v libx264 and -c:a aac options encode the outgoing video and audio. If your file’s streams already meet YouTube’s current requirements and play cleanly across the join, a copy-mode command may reduce CPU use, for example by using -c:v copy -c:a copy instead. Do not just swap those options in and assume success: check codec, resolution, frame rate, audio format, timestamps and loop behaviour. If YouTube rejects the feed or the join glitches, use a controlled test to identify whether the issue is the source, copy compatibility or output settings.
The -f flv output muxer and RTMP-family ingest address belong to this example pattern. The correct address must come from your Live Control Room, not from a URL copied from someone else’s setup. If the command exits with an error, read the first relevant error message and check paths, codecs, URL format and build support before repeatedly changing bitrate values at random.
Start the feed and check YouTube preview
Start with a private or unlisted test rather than making an untested loop public. Run the command and watch the terminal: FFmpeg should continue producing output instead of returning to the prompt immediately, and its reported progress should advance. Then check Live Control Room for an incoming preview and stream-health information before starting or making the scheduled broadcast public as appropriate to its configuration.
Watch and listen to more than the opening seconds. Confirm that the video appears at the expected size, that audio is present and intelligible, and that the transition from the end of the file back to the start is acceptable. Keep the test running through a full loop boundary. A file can play correctly in a desktop player yet behave differently when streams are sent live, particularly at a transition or where audio and video durations do not align.
Open the test on the devices and networks your intended viewers use. A preview on your own computer does not prove that sound, captions, framing or playback behave the same on a phone or television. Check stream health in Studio while the test is running, and confirm that the local process and upload remain active. YouTube recommends testing and monitoring live quality; a green-looking preview at startup is not a substitute for watching a longer test.
If the feed fails, change one thing at a time and repeat the test. Check the command output, source file, stream settings and connection rather than treating every failure as a YouTube issue. This is also the time to confirm whether the loop should be seamless or whether a brief transition is acceptable. For a different design based on rotating scheduled material, compare the workflow with a Hindi podcast episode rotation in OBS; it is not the same setup as a single FFmpeg input loop.
Plan for process, internet and session interruptions
A looping input handles one narrow problem: reaching the end of a file. It does not restart FFmpeg after Windows restarts or the process crashes, restore a failed network connection, prevent an upload from fluctuating, or guarantee that YouTube will accept a reconnect into the same session. Plan for each failure point rather than reading “infinite loop” as “unattended forever”.
For the computer, decide whether it will stay powered on, avoid sleep, and keep the media file available. Windows updates, power cuts, account sign-outs and manual changes can all stop a local process. You can consider a scheduled task or process supervisor with restart behaviour, but test it with your actual stream configuration. Make sure it does not launch a second encoder while the first is still sending to the same key. A restart policy is useful only if you can tell that the restart happened and whether the new feed was accepted.
For the connection, measure how the upload behaves during a sustained test rather than relying on a headline speed from a short test. Other household or office traffic can compete for capacity, and a router restart or ISP outage can break the send. YouTube recommends selecting encoder settings appropriate to the available connection and monitoring quality. Where a person needs to notice a failure, arrange an alert or a check-in schedule; an unattended terminal window is not monitoring.
FFmpeg documents a FIFO muxer pattern that can attempt recovery after temporary output failures, including options such as -f fifo, -fifo_format flv and -attempt_recovery 1. Recovery behaviour depends on the build and command, and it does not guarantee that YouTube accepts a reconnect or that Windows restarts a crashed process. Treat the FFmpeg FIFO documentation as a pattern to validate in a controlled test, not as a promise of recovery. Keep a copy of the working command and note what the logs show when you deliberately test a recoverable interruption.
Finally, plan the YouTube session itself. YouTube Help says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived, while DVR rewind may be limited or unavailable on streams longer than 12 hours. These are separate considerations: a long live endpoint is not the same as a complete archive or unrestricted rewind. If replay completeness matters, decide how you will handle sessions and retain recordings, and verify the current Live Control Room controls before scheduling a long event. Do not assume that splitting a stream solves every session or archive constraint.
Some channels need the video to remain live while the operator’s own computer is switched off or while local restarts are a recurring concern. In that case, StreamNeo removes the repeated need to keep a local FFmpeg process and PC running by taking an uploaded video and stream key for a cloud-run YouTube broadcast; it remains your responsibility to choose suitable content, configure the channel and check the live result.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
How do I loop a video on YouTube Live with FFmpeg?
Use -stream_loop -1 before the input file and -re before -i to read it at real-time pace, then configure a compatible output and send it to the stream URL and key from Live Control Room. The example above is a starting pattern only: validate codecs, output settings, connection and loop boundary with a private or unlisted test.
Why does FFmpeg go offline when the file reaches its end?
A command that reads a file once reaches EOF and exits; it needs an input-loop option to repeat. Put -stream_loop -1 before the relevant -i and test the transition, since looping alone does not fix incompatible streams or network and session failures. For the EOF-specific failure case, see how to loop the input when an FFmpeg playlist ends.
Will YouTube archive a 24/7 livestream?
YouTube Help says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived, and separately says DVR rewind may be limited or unavailable for streams longer than 12 hours. Do not infer that a continuous 24-hour broadcast will produce one complete archive or retain rewind throughout; check current YouTube guidance and plan session and recording needs separately.
Does this command guarantee that my stream stays live for 24 hours?
No. It tells FFmpeg to loop its input, but it cannot guarantee that the computer, process, internet connection or YouTube session remains available. Run a sustained test, monitor both FFmpeg and Live Control Room, and decide in advance how you will detect and respond to a drop.