During an active YouTube live stream, the channel creator can pin a Super Chat or an ordinary chat message by opening More beside it and choosing Pin. You can do this from YouTube on a computer or from the YouTube mobile app.
A Super Chat is a viewer purchase, while pinning is a creator action. A viewer does not need to pay for a Super Chat before you can pin their message, and only one message can be pinned at a time.
Pin a message during a live stream
Start with the watch page for the live broadcast, not an old video page or an embedded player. YouTube documents pinning for a live stream or Premiere while its live chat is available. The control is in the chat itself.
Open the stream and confirm that the live chat panel is visible. Find the message you want viewers to notice, open its More menu, and select Pin. The message can be your own or a viewer’s message. If YouTube asks you to confirm the action, follow the prompt shown in the chat window.
Once pinned, the message appears in the documented pinned-message position below Super Chat in live chat. That placement matters on busy channels. A paid Super Chat may already stand out through its purchase-related display, while a pinned message gives you a separate way to keep one item visible for the current conversation.
For example, a devotional channel might pin the evening prayer schedule, a local news channel might pin the location of a developing story, and a study channel might pin the time of the next session. None of those messages has to be a Super Chat. The useful question is whether the message helps the people currently watching.
Do not treat the pin as a permanent banner for the channel. YouTube’s help instructions describe the action during a live stream or Premiere, but they do not promise that a pin will survive a stream restart, a broadcast transition, or a handoff between separate live sessions.
Open live chat on desktop or mobile
The basic action is the same on both platforms, but the route to the chat control differs. Use the device on which you can reliably see the live chat and identify the correct broadcast.
| Where you are working | Where to open the chat | Pin action | Permission and limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | Open the live stream’s watch page and use its live chat window | Open More beside the message, then choose Pin | Creator only; one message at a time |
| YouTube mobile app | Open the live stream in the YouTube app and display live chat | Open the message options, choose Pin | Creator only; one message at a time |
On a computer
Open YouTube in your browser and go to the live stream’s watch page. If the chat panel is hidden, look for the live chat area beside or below the video, depending on the window size and page layout. You need the live chat attached to the active broadcast rather than a comments section below a recorded video.
The exact spacing and icons can change as YouTube updates its interface. Look for the message’s options control, usually shown as More or a three-dot menu. The important sequence is the documented one: select the message, open More, then choose Pin.
If you run the channel from a small office or home connection, keep the browser open only for the control work you need to do. The live broadcast itself does not have to depend on that browser session if it is being run by a separate streaming arrangement. For a wider look at the pieces involved in a continuous channel, see what RTMP means for a 24/7 streamer.
On a mobile device
Use the YouTube app, open the active live stream, and display its live chat. Find the message you want to highlight, open its message options, and choose Pin. The mobile instructions document the same core operation as the computer flow, although the button may be reached through a tap rather than a permanently visible menu.
Before tapping, check that you are signed into the channel’s creator account. A phone can show the chat for a viewer without giving that viewer the creator controls. Seeing a message is not the same as having permission to pin it.
Mobile is useful when you are away from the computer running the channel, but it is also easier to select the wrong live broadcast if you manage several channels or repeated streams. Read the stream title and confirm the channel identity before pinning. This is particularly important for a 24/7 operation that has a scheduled loop and a separate live event running at the same time.
Find the message and choose More, then Pin
Once live chat is open, scroll or wait until the target message is visible. You can pin your own message or a viewer’s message. The message does not need to contain a payment, and the creator can choose it because of its usefulness rather than its value.
Use this sequence:
- Open the active live stream and show its live chat.
- Locate the Super Chat or ordinary chat message you want to highlight.
- Open More beside that message. On mobile, this may appear through the message’s options control.
- Select Pin.
- Check the chat display to confirm that the intended message is now the pinned one.
If the option is missing, check the account first. The account must be the creator account for the channel. Also check that you are looking at live chat for the active stream, rather than chat replay or a comments area.
It is sensible to prepare important wording before you need it. Write the channel announcement in a note, then post it as your own chat message when required. This reduces mistakes when the channel is busy. A prepared message could say, “Next local bulletin begins at 7 pm,” or “Tonight’s meditation loop continues until morning.” You can then pin that message without asking viewers to make a payment.
The same discipline helps when a stream has technical trouble. If viewers report pauses or missing audio, do not pin a reassuring claim that you cannot verify. Point them to a clear status message instead. You can investigate the underlying issue using a guide such as how to fix dropped frames in a 24/7 FFmpeg YouTube stream, while keeping the pinned wording accurate.
A pin is a visibility control, not a replacement for moderation. It does not make a message true, remove the need to check copyright or community rules, or guarantee that every viewer will see it in the same way. It simply marks one chat message for prominence within the live chat.
A pinned message is not the same as a Super Chat
A Super Chat is a paid feature through which a viewer purchases a highlighted chat message. Pinning is a separate creator control. The creator can pin a regular message, including a message written by the creator, without requiring a Super Chat.
This distinction matters because the wording of the question can suggest a requirement that does not exist. You can pin a Super Chat if you choose, but you can also pin a normal message. Do not tell viewers that they must pay to have their message pinned unless you have a separate channel policy, and do not describe a payment as a condition imposed by YouTube for pinning.
| Feature | Who starts it | Is payment required | What the creator controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Chat | Viewer | It is a paid YouTube feature | Whether to respond to, moderate, or pin the message |
| Pinned message | Creator | No | Which one message is highlighted in live chat |
| Ordinary chat message | Viewer or creator | No | Whether the creator chooses it for pinning |
YouTube places pinned messages below Super Chat in its documented live-chat layout. That does not turn a pin into a payment product. It only describes where the two types of highlighted content appear in relation to each other.
For a monetisation-focused channel, keep the language clear. You might write, “Super Chats are optional. The pinned announcement is from the channel.” That tells viewers what they are seeing without implying that payment buys a guaranteed pin.
You should also separate the pin from other revenue features. Memberships, advertising, and Super Chat have their own eligibility, display, and reporting arrangements. A pinned message is a chat presentation choice. It is not evidence that a payment has been made and should not be included as revenue merely because it is prominent.
The official YouTube Help guidance on Super Chat and other fan-funding features is the right place to check current product availability and requirements. Those details can vary by account, location, and YouTube policy, so do not rely on an old screenshot when explaining payment features to viewers.
Who can pin, and how many messages can be pinned
Only the creator can pin messages according to YouTube’s documented instructions. Moderators and viewers cannot use the creator’s pin control. A moderator may help manage chat in other ways, but do not promise that assigning moderator status will allow that person to pin a message.
The limit is one pinned message at a time. This is easy to miss on a busy broadcast because a channel may have several important announcements, several Super Chats, and many ordinary messages moving through the chat. You must choose which single message deserves the pinned position now.
That limit changes how you should plan a long-running channel. Do not write one pinned message that tries to contain the schedule, donation explanation, technical status, contact details, and every current announcement. Use a short message with one purpose, then replace it when the priority changes.
A good order might be:
- At the beginning of a programme, pin the schedule or topic.
- During a service or event, pin the current activity or relevant instruction.
- If the broadcast develops a problem, replace it with a factual status update.
- When the issue is resolved, restore the next useful viewer instruction.
This is especially useful for channels that run continuously from a prepared file. If you are deciding whether the workload of monitoring and restarting a channel is manageable, compare the operational choices in how to compare monthly cloud streaming plans for a 24/7 YouTube channel. Pinning is a small chat task, but it still needs someone to make the decision when the message should change.
If you stream a Tamil devotional radio station, for example, the pinned message might identify the current prayer segment rather than ask for a payment. The production method is separate from chat control; the practical workflow is covered in how to stream a Tamil devotional radio station on YouTube Live.
Replace or remove the pinned message
To replace the current pin, find another message, open its More menu, and choose Pin. Pinning the new message replaces the existing pinned message because only one message can occupy that position at a time.
You do not need to unpin the old message first. In a live situation, selecting the next message is the direct way to change what is highlighted. After doing so, look at the chat and confirm that the correct wording is now displayed.
To remove the pin without selecting a replacement, open More on the pinned message and choose Unpin. The chat message itself is not necessarily deleted by this action. You are removing its pinned status, not rewriting the conversation.
Use replacement rather than deletion when the message remains useful as part of the chat record. For instance, if a channel announcement has been superseded by a newer timetable, pin the new timetable and leave the old message in its normal place unless there is a separate reason to moderate it.
Be careful when working from a phone. A tap on the wrong message can replace a useful pin immediately. After every change, read the displayed pinned text rather than assuming the selected row was the one you intended.
YouTube’s official computer instructions for using Live Chat during a stream or Premiere describe the creator-only permission, the More menu, and the one-message limit. YouTube also provides mobile guidance for Live Chat. Check those pages if the labels or screen layout have changed since you last used the feature.
A practical workflow for an always-on channel
An always-on stream does not create a separate pinning mode. The documented controls still apply to the active live chat. Treat each active broadcast as its own working session, even if the video content is designed to run continuously.
Before the stream begins, decide who will monitor the chat and what types of messages deserve the pin. A small business might use the position for opening hours or an order instruction. A study channel might use it for the current subject and timetable. A local news loop might use it for a correction or a link to the next bulletin, provided the wording is checked before publication.
Keep a short set of prepared messages, but do not leave them pinned without review. A schedule can become wrong, a contact detail can change, and a technical update can become misleading after the stream recovers. The person monitoring the channel should know how to replace or unpin the message rather than assuming the first announcement will remain suitable overnight.
If the stream is operated through StreamNeo, the file can keep playing while you use YouTube’s chat controls separately, so the computer used to prepare or monitor the channel does not have to remain switched on for the broadcast itself. That removes one practical burden, but it does not decide which message should be pinned or confirm whether the pin persists through a later broadcast transition.
After the stream ends, live chat is not available in the same way as during the broadcast, although an archive may have live chat replay depending on the channel and video settings. Do not promise viewers that a pinned state will appear in replay unless YouTube’s current documentation explicitly confirms it for the situation you are describing.
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FAQ
Can I pin a regular message, or must it be a Super Chat?
You can pin a regular message. A Super Chat is a viewer purchase, while pinning is a creator action, so payment is not required before you select More, then Pin.
Can a moderator pin a Super Chat?
YouTube’s documented instructions say that only the creator can pin messages, not moderators or viewers. A moderator may have other chat permissions, but do not assume that moderator status includes pinning.
Can I pin more than one message at the same time?
No. YouTube documents a limit of one pinned message at a time. Pinning another message replaces the current pin.
Will the pinned message remain after an always-on stream restarts?
YouTube’s help instructions describe pinning during an active live stream or Premiere, but they do not promise that the pin survives a restart, handoff, or other broadcast transition. Check the live chat after a new session begins and pin the required message again if necessary.