StreamYard’s dedicated prerecorded-video limits table lists Core at 10 GB and 2 hours, Advanced at 25 GB and 4 hours, and Teams and Business at 25 GB and 8 hours; it shows no availability on Free. However, two other StreamYard help pages say Advanced supports 10 GB, so the current enforced Advanced file-size limit remains unresolved in the published documentation.
These figures concern scheduling an unattended prerecorded broadcast. Sharing a local video file inside an active live studio is a separate feature, and its help page states that it has no file-size or duration limit. Do not use the scheduled-broadcast table to judge studio sharing, or vice versa.
Limits at a glance by plan
The figures below come from StreamYard’s dedicated prerecorded-video limits table. Its Advanced size conflicts with two other official help pages, which are discussed below. Treat the Advanced row as a visible documentation discrepancy, not as a confirmed statement of what an upload will accept today.
| Plan | Availability for scheduled prerecorded streams | File size in dedicated table | Maximum video length in dedicated table | Documentation note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Not available | — | — | The prerecorded-stream guide also shows no availability. |
| Core | Available | 10 GB | 2 hours | Other cited help pages agree. |
| Advanced | Available | 25 GB | 4 hours | The prerecorded-stream guide and recommended-formats page instead state 10 GB; both give 4 hours. |
| Teams | Available | 25 GB | 8 hours | The cited pages agree. |
| Business | Available | 25 GB | 8 hours | The cited pages agree; Business plan details also list these figures. |
A dash means there is no listed scheduled-prerecorded allowance on that plan in the table, not that a particular local studio feature cannot be used. The distinction matters if you are trying to solve a specific workflow problem: a long file may be usable for live-studio sharing while still falling outside a scheduled broadcast’s plan cap.
For a scheduled broadcast, compare both dimensions. A file can meet the duration allowance but exceed the listed size, or meet the size allowance but run longer than the permitted duration. For example, a Core subscriber preparing a video that is under 10 GB but over 2 hours would still exceed the table’s duration limit. Do not infer that reducing the bitrate alone fixes duration, or that trimming runtime necessarily brings file size within the cap.
The plan details and limits are product specifications and may change. StreamYard’s help pages cited here do not give a publication date for these figures. Check the current official pages and your account before relying on them for a purchase or upload decision.
What the dedicated limits table lists
The dedicated table is the most direct single summary for the question “How large of a video can I upload?” It gives plan availability, maximum size and maximum duration together, which makes it useful for initial planning. Its values are not, however, a complete answer for Advanced because the same provider’s other documentation differs on file size.
For Core, the table lists 10 GB and 2 hours. For Teams and Business, it lists 25 GB and 8 hours. The Advanced entry is 25 GB and 4 hours, while the Free plan is shown without prerecorded-stream availability. Those are the figures shown in that particular table; the Advanced size should not be lifted out of context as a definitive current cap.
A duration limit is a limit on the whole video submitted for the scheduled broadcast, not a promise that a video will be edited, looped, or shortened for you. The prerecorded-stream guide describes choosing an uploaded video or a prior recording, selecting destinations and a scheduled time, then creating the broadcast. The stream starts at the selected time and ends when the video finishes. If your intended YouTube programme needs to continue beyond one file, consider the schedule and content plan separately rather than assuming this file allowance describes a continuous 24/7 loop.
That distinction is useful when deciding whether a prerecorded broadcast fits the job. A one-off service, event replay or prepared programme can be scheduled as a video-led broadcast. A continuous station with a repeating music or ambience sequence has different operational needs, including what happens after a file ends. For a YouTube loop, review the practical considerations in how to set latency for a prerecorded loop stream; latency settings do not change StreamYard’s upload cap.
The dedicated table is a starting point, not a substitute for checking format and encoding. StreamYard’s separate recommended video formats page says MP4 and MOV are supported for video-library uploads, and recommends H.264 video encoding with AAC audio. It also lists a maximum bitrate of 10 MB/s. StreamYard’s optimization guide gives related recommendations for prerecorded streaming, including MP4, H.264, constant 30 fps, AAC, web optimization or faststart, and audio/video alignment.
These preparation settings address compatibility and upload behaviour; they do not replace a plan’s size or duration allowance. A file can be encoded in a recommended format and still be too large or too long for its plan. Conversely, a file beneath the stated cap may still take time to upload, particularly if it is large or the connection is slow.
The Advanced figure differs across official help pages
The Advanced row is materially inconsistent. The dedicated limits table lists 25 GB and 4 hours. StreamYard’s prerecorded streaming guide and its recommended-formats page instead state a 10 GB Advanced file-size limit. Both of those pages list the Advanced duration as 4 hours.
That means the disagreement is specifically about file size, not the maximum video length stated for Advanced. The same two figures should not be blended into a supposed “safe” or “updated” number. Nor is it sound to assume that the larger number supersedes the smaller one simply because it appears on a dedicated table, or that the repeated smaller number necessarily reflects the current enforcement.
The table is the clearest single page for comparing all the listed plans side by side. But the other two pages are also official StreamYard help material and remain relevant evidence. The prudent reading is: the dedicated table says 25 GB; other official guidance says 10 GB; available documentation does not establish which file-size limit the account will enforce now.
This matters most when the file falls between the two stated figures. If your Advanced account is being used for a video larger than 10 GB but no larger than 25 GB, the documentation does not let you confidently predict whether the scheduled upload will be accepted. If it is at or under 10 GB, you avoid that particular discrepancy, but you should still check the duration, plan availability, format and other applicable requirements.
For a decision that depends on the larger allowance, get a current answer from StreamYard before committing to a workflow. A comparison of live-streaming approaches can help frame the operational trade-offs; for example, cloud live streaming services and how to choose covers broader workflow questions, but it cannot settle StreamYard’s current Advanced upload validation.
Why the current enforced Advanced limit is unresolved
The research available for this article found no authoritative reconciliation of the discrepancy. The three official pages do not explain that the 10 GB figure is old, that the 25 GB figure applies only in a particular circumstance, or that one page is an exception. Without an explicit clarification or a verified account-interface check, there is no sound basis for labelling either figure as definitively current.
Documentation can disagree for several reasons: a support page may not have been revised at the same time as a plan table, a product rule may change, or the upload interface may present a limit that a general article does not. Those are possibilities, not established explanations for this case. Do not write them as StreamYard’s reason unless the company confirms it.
The actionable conclusion is narrower. If the file is below 10 GB and within the listed Advanced duration, the known file-size conflict is less likely to affect your plan decision. If it is larger than 10 GB, especially if it approaches 25 GB, pause and verify rather than scheduling on the assumption that the dedicated table is controlling. Likewise, do not buy or upgrade based solely on an expectation that a 25 GB upload will be accepted.
You can check the current account interface by starting the relevant upload flow without relying on an imminent broadcast time, if that flow exposes the applicable cap before you schedule. If it does not clearly show the limit, ask StreamYard support a precise question: for your plan, what is the maximum file size accepted for a scheduled prerecorded broadcast today, and does the answer differ from the dedicated limits table? Save the response or note the date and context so that the advice is useful when you return to the schedule.
Keep a fallback. If timing allows, make a smaller encode using an appropriate bitrate and codec, or divide a programme only if the format of the broadcast genuinely supports separate scheduled parts. Do not assume that a split will preserve a seamless continuous stream; scheduled items can have transitions or gaps that matter to viewers. For a channel that needs a computer-free unattended broadcast and does not want to diagnose an overnight encoder failure, StreamNeo removes the specific burden of keeping your own computer on and restarting a dropped broadcast, while leaving your YouTube content and channel decisions with you.
Scheduled broadcasts and live-studio file sharing are different
The scheduled prerecorded feature and local video sharing in a live studio solve different problems. In the scheduled workflow, you upload or select a video, choose the destination and schedule, and the broadcast begins at the chosen time. StreamYard says it ends when the video finishes. The plan-specific file size and duration table applies to this workflow.
In the studio-sharing workflow, you play a file from your computer while an active live studio is running. StreamYard’s long-form video sharing guide says there is no file-size or length limit for this feature. It is a different operation: you are present in an active studio and sharing local playback, rather than relying on a scheduled upload to start an unattended broadcast later.
The help page says MP4 and MOV work best for local sharing, and warns that shared files are removed if you exit or refresh the studio. That makes it important to distinguish a studio session from a prepared scheduled event. A local file that works in an active studio does not thereby qualify for a scheduled broadcast, and the scheduled plan caps should not be applied to the studio-sharing feature.
There is also a third category: video clips used as media assets such as overlays. StreamYard’s page about sizes for logos, overlays, backgrounds and video clips gives separate clip limits: under 200 MB and under 10 minutes, or up to 1.2 GB and 60 minutes on Business. Those figures are about media clips, not scheduled prerecorded streams, so they should not be substituted for either of the workflows above.
Choose the feature by how the broadcast needs to run. If you will be in the studio and play a local file as part of a live session, consult the studio-sharing instructions. If the broadcast must begin later without someone in the studio, consult the plan table and verify the Advanced size if relevant. If you are instead looking to keep a live encoder running and recover it after a fault, see the considerations in automatically restarting an FFmpeg YouTube stream on a VPS; that is a distinct technical workflow, not a way to change StreamYard’s limits.
Prepare the file without confusing settings and caps
Once you know which workflow you are using, prepare the file against the relevant requirements. For the video-library upload used in scheduled prerecorded streaming, StreamYard recommends MP4 or MOV, H.264 video and AAC audio. Its optimization material recommends a constant 30 fps and web optimization or faststart, and says to align the audio and video. The recommended-formats page lists a maximum bitrate of 10 MB/s for the relevant upload guidance.
These are format and encoding recommendations, not alternate plan allowances. Bitrate affects how much data is used for each second of video, so reducing it can reduce a file’s size while leaving its running time unchanged. That can help if the size is too large, but it cannot make a video that exceeds a duration cap shorter. Trimming footage or creating shorter parts changes duration; it may also change size, depending on the encode.
StreamYard notes that large files can take a long time to upload and suggests compression with a tool such as HandBrake. Its optimization guide describes a HandBrake conversion workflow for bringing a file within supported settings. Use an export copy rather than overwriting a master if you may need to produce another version. After conversion, check the resulting file’s actual duration and size, rather than relying on the project’s intended export settings.
A useful preflight sequence is to identify the workflow, confirm the plan and current allowance, inspect the file’s size and duration, then check the file’s format and encoding. If the plan is Advanced and the file exceeds 10 GB, treat the file-size question as unresolved until StreamYard confirms it. If the file is comfortably below the relevant limits but upload is slow, allow time for the upload and avoid leaving a schedule until the selected file and destination are clearly correct.
For a YouTube channel, the video file is only one part of a reliable broadcast. You still need to check the YouTube destination, schedule, title and stream status, and have a plan for what viewers see when the programme ends. If your channel is building an all-day ambience feed, the rain-sounds encoder settings guide may help with a different part of the setup; it does not override StreamYard’s file-specific plan limits.
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 large of a video can I upload for a scheduled prerecorded stream?
It depends on the plan. StreamYard’s dedicated table lists Core at 10 GB, Advanced at 25 GB, and Teams and Business at 25 GB, while Free has no listed availability. Because two other official pages list Advanced at 10 GB, confirm the current limit if that difference affects your file.
How long can my video be?
The dedicated table lists 2 hours for Core, 4 hours for Advanced, and 8 hours for Teams and Business. It shows no scheduled prerecorded availability for Free. These are scheduled-broadcast durations, not limits for sharing a local video in an active studio.
Does the file-size limit apply when I share a video in the studio?
No. StreamYard describes local video-file sharing in an active studio as a separate feature with no stated file-size or length limit. The file is local to that workflow, and the guide says shared files are removed if you exit or refresh the studio.
What should I do if my Advanced video is between 10 GB and 25 GB?
Do not assume that either published figure is the enforced limit. Check what your account currently shows or ask StreamYard support to confirm the scheduled-broadcast cap before you rely on that upload. If the answer is not available in time, prepare a smaller file that fits the lower stated figure or choose another workflow that meets your broadcast needs.