“Turn off Live Redirect” can mean two different things on YouTube. You may want to stop your own stream or Premiere from sending viewers to another destination, or you may want to stop other channels from redirecting viewers to your channel.
The two settings are separate. YouTube documents where to configure an outgoing destination and where to manage incoming permissions, but its help does not confirm a universal off switch or one exact removal sequence for every current Studio interface.
First identify which redirect you mean
Live Redirect is an end-of-stream handoff. When your live stream ends, YouTube can move viewers to a Premiere or another channel’s live stream that you selected. This is different from a link in your description, a pinned chat message, a playlist, or a normal end screen.
The direction matters:
| What you want to stop | Where to look | Scope of the change |
|---|---|---|
| Your viewers being sent elsewhere when your stream ends | The relevant stream or Premiere’s Redirect setting | One stream or Premiere destination |
| Other creators sending viewers to your channel | Channel redirect permissions in Community settings | Your channel’s incoming permissions |
| A vertical version of a horizontal broadcast | Dual stream controls in the Live Control Room | Stream format, not redirect behaviour |
If you run a devotional channel, a lofi station, or a local news loop, the first case is usually the one causing confusion. You may have selected a following Premiere or another live channel months ago and now want the broadcast to end without that handoff.
If you instead receive viewers from another creator’s stream and do not want that traffic, use the channel-wide permission controls. Changing those permissions does not remove a destination configured on your own stream.
YouTube’s official Live Redirect guidance describes the feature and its setup. Keep that page open while checking Studio, because labels and placement can change.
Inspect the outgoing destination on the relevant video
To investigate an outgoing redirect, sign in to YouTube Studio and open the content area. Select Content, then the Live tab, and find the stream or Premiere whose ending behaviour you want to change.
Open that item for editing and look under Customization for the Redirect control. The important point is to edit the specific video or event. This is not normally a single channel-wide setting that clears every redirect attached to every past or scheduled broadcast.
You may see a destination such as a Premiere or another channel’s live stream. YouTube’s documented setup flow explains how to add a destination, but the reviewed help does not specify the exact control used to remove an existing one. That distinction matters when you are writing instructions for a channel that must work overnight: do not assume that a button visible in one account, browser, or Studio version appears in another.
Before changing anything, note the title and status of the item you are editing. A scheduled Premiere, an already completed stream, and an upcoming live broadcast may expose different controls. If you have several similarly named videos, open the details and check that you are changing the intended event rather than a previous test stream.
For a prerecorded channel, this is also a useful moment to separate the redirect question from the broadcast method. The guide on streaming a prerecorded video as a YouTube Live event on repeat covers the event itself; it does not determine whether viewers are handed to another destination when that event ends.
A redirect destination may be a Premiere or another channel’s live stream. It is therefore possible for a viewer to remain on YouTube while still leaving your channel page. If your aim is simply to keep viewers with your own next programme, changing the destination may be more appropriate than trying to disable the feature altogether.
Use a remove or clear control only if Studio shows one
Once you have opened Customization > Redirect, inspect the destination row and the controls immediately beside it. If the current interface offers a clearly labelled remove, clear, or equivalent control, use that control and then save the edit.
Do not treat a particular click path as a confirmed YouTube-wide procedure. The official help reviewed for this guide explains adding a redirect destination, but it does not explicitly document the removal gesture. The control may be represented differently depending on whether you are editing a scheduled event, a Premiere, or a live video, and YouTube can change Studio labels.
The safe approach is deliberately narrow:
- Open the intended stream or Premiere.
- Locate the Redirect setting under its customisation controls.
- Read the destination currently shown.
- Use a remove or clear action only if Studio presents one for that destination.
- Save the change if saving is available.
- Reopen the item and check what remains configured.
If no removal or clear action is visible, do not invent one by deleting the video, changing the stream key, or altering unrelated settings. Those actions address different problems. A stream key controls how software connects to YouTube, while a redirect controls what viewers may see after the stream ends. The guide to resetting or replacing a YouTube stream key explains that separate task.
There is also no basis for promising that a single global “turn off Live Redirect” switch exists. If your account does not show a removal option, record what the current interface does show and check YouTube’s current help or Creator Support route before making a wider change.
Save, reopen and verify the current interface
A setting is not confirmed merely because the destination disappeared while you were editing. Save where the interface provides a save action, wait for the change to finish, and reopen the same video or event. The purpose is to confirm the stored state rather than relying on a temporary panel view.
For a channel that runs continuously, test the workflow without stopping the main broadcast if possible. You can inspect a scheduled or test item, but make sure the item has the same type of destination and visibility as the production event. A test that never reaches its end cannot prove what viewers will see after a real broadcast closes.
YouTube describes the redirect as happening after the original live stream ends. Its guidance also tells creators to remind viewers to wait a few seconds for their screens to reload when they are being sent to a Premiere. That means checking the end-of-stream behaviour is part of verification. It is not enough to watch the live feed and conclude that redirect is off because nothing changes during the broadcast.
Ask a trusted viewer to observe the end of a non-critical test, or review the result after the event finishes. Check whether the viewer remains on your content, reaches the selected destination, or sees a normal end state. Do not use an important devotional broadcast, paid event, or news loop as the first test of an uncertain setting.
The same disciplined check helps with other 24/7 decisions. For example, YouTube Live bitrate settings for a prerecorded video affect the broadcast signal, not the redirect destination. Keeping those settings separate prevents you from troubleshooting the wrong layer when a viewer reports an unexpected result.
Change who may redirect to your channel
If your concern is incoming traffic from other creators, open YouTube Studio and go to Settings, then Community. Review the channel redirect permissions rather than editing an individual stream.
This setting controls who may send viewers to your channel through Live Redirect. It does not cancel a destination that you configured for your own stream, and changing it does not rewrite the outgoing Redirect setting on an existing video.
Choose the restrictive permission that fits your channel’s needs, review any manually maintained list, and save if the interface asks you to do so. If you have allowed specific channels in the past, remove entries you no longer recognise or want to approve. Make the change deliberately: a devotional channel may welcome handoffs from partner channels, while a small business or local news channel may want to approve each source.
YouTube’s documented choices include channels you subscribe to, all channels, or a manually maintained list of specific channels. Subscription-based permission is also subject to subscription privacy settings. The manual list supports up to 100 channels according to the official help, while the all-channels choice cannot be combined with the subscription-based setting or the manual list.
These permissions are about incoming redirects, not a general audience block. They do not prevent a viewer from finding your channel through search, a link, a recommendation, or a shared post. They only govern the Live Redirect route covered by the setting.
Understand the permission choices before narrowing access
The three documented modes have different practical effects:
| Permission mode | Who may redirect viewers to you | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Channels you subscribe to | Channels you subscribe to, subject to the relevant subscription privacy condition | Convenient for known partners, but depends on your subscription settings |
| All channels | Any channel permitted by the feature | Broadest access and least manual review |
| Specific channels | Only channels you add to the approved list | More control, but the list needs maintenance |
There is no universally correct choice. If you collaborate with a small group of bhajan or study channels, a specific list may match your working arrangement. If you want to accept handoffs from a wider network, the subscription-based option may be less administrative. If you do not want to receive Live Redirect traffic from unknown channels, avoid the broadest setting.
Check the list after changing modes. The documented restrictions mean that the all-channels setting is not combined with the other two modes, so a change to that option can alter how the remaining controls behave. Read the current wording shown in your account instead of assuming that an old list remains active in the same way.
The sending creator also has requirements. YouTube says creators sending a redirect need more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes. That is an eligibility condition for the sender, not a promise that every destination will accept a redirect or that a channel will receive one.
A destination channel must permit redirects if another creator wants to send viewers there. This is why a sender may be unable to choose your channel even when the sender has set up its own outgoing Redirect control correctly. The two sides must be considered separately: the sender chooses the destination, and the destination controls who may redirect to it.
For a small always-on operation, permission changes should be included in your channel notes. Record the intended mode, the approved partners if you use a list, and the date you checked it. Do not record or share your stream key in those notes. Redirect permissions and stream credentials serve different purposes.
Do not confuse Live Redirect with Dual stream
YouTube has a separate feature called Dual stream. It concerns creating a vertical stream alongside a horizontal live stream in the Live Control Room. Turning off Dual stream does not remove an end-of-stream destination and does not change who may redirect viewers to your channel.
This distinction is useful when troubleshooting a mobile viewer report. If viewers see a vertical version while the broadcast is still running, investigate Dual stream. If they move to a Premiere or another live channel after your broadcast ends, investigate Live Redirect. If the stream stops entirely, investigate the encoder, connection, or hosting arrangement instead.
The official YouTube live-streaming guidance covers broader live setup, while YouTube’s live-stream settings documentation provides separate context for event controls. Use the page that matches the symptom rather than changing several settings at once.
For a 24/7 channel, changing the running arrangement can also create a different failure. A local computer running OBS may stop when the machine sleeps, loses its connection, or restarts after an update. The article on calculating the electricity cost of running OBS 24/7 is relevant when you are deciding whether the computer should remain on, but it does not change YouTube’s redirect settings.
If the main problem is that you need a file to keep playing while your own computer is switched off, StreamNeo removes that specific operating burden by taking an uploaded video and running the YouTube broadcast from the cloud, with monitoring and automatic restart if the stream drops. It does not change YouTube’s redirect permissions, so you still need to configure the channel and event settings correctly.
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
Does turning off incoming redirects stop my stream redirecting viewers elsewhere?
No. Incoming permissions in Settings > Community control who may redirect viewers to your channel. An outgoing destination is configured on the relevant stream or Premiere under its Redirect controls.
Is there a confirmed global switch to turn off Live Redirect?
The reviewed YouTube help does not document a universal global off switch. It explains how to add a destination and how to manage incoming permissions, so inspect the current Studio interface and use a remove or clear control only if it is shown.
Can I remove a redirect without deleting my stream?
If Studio shows a remove or clear action beside the configured destination, use that control and save the edit. YouTube’s documented help does not confirm one exact removal sequence, so do not delete the video or change its stream key as a substitute.
Is Live Redirect the same as Dual stream?
No. Live Redirect moves viewers to a Premiere or another live stream after the original stream ends. Dual stream concerns creating a vertical version alongside a horizontal live broadcast.