How to Stream to a Telegram Channel With OBS (RTMP)

To stream to a Telegram channel with OBS, start a live stream in the channel and choose the option to stream with another app, which gives you a server URL and a stream key. Paste both into OBS under Settings, Stream, with the service set to Custom, then start streaming in OBS. Once Telegram detects the signal, start the live stream in Telegram and your subscribers can watch.

This guide covers the whole setup step by step, the OBS settings that matter, how to run the stream once it is live, and the common problems with a fix for each. OBS Studio is free, open-source broadcasting software for Windows, macOS and Linux. Telegram's menus change from version to version, so if a label differs, look for the closest match.

Why stream with OBS instead of your phone

Telegram can broadcast your phone's camera, or your computer's camera and screen, without any extra software. That is enough for a quick chat with your audience. OBS earns its place when you want more:

• Several sources in one picture, such as a screen share with your webcam in a corner, or a slide deck with a logo.
• Scenes you can switch between, such as a "starting soon" screen, the main show, and an "we'll be right back" screen.
• Better audio control, with separate levels for your microphone, music and game or app sounds, plus noise filters.
• Professional cameras and capture cards that the Telegram app cannot use directly.
• Pre-recorded segments played into the live stream.

The connection between OBS and Telegram uses RTMP, the standard protocol most streaming platforms accept. Telegram provides the address and key; OBS sends the video to it.

How streaming in a Telegram channel works

A few facts about Telegram live streams shape how you plan one:

• Live streams in channels are one-to-many. Subscribers watch; they do not appear on camera. That is different from a video chat in a group, where people can speak.
• When you stream through RTMP, OBS is the only source. Telegram's documentation describes the RTMP mode as having a single publisher, which supplies all the audio and video. Admins cannot add their own cameras to the same stream while OBS is broadcasting.
• The stream key is a secret. Anyone who has it can broadcast into your channel's stream while it is set up. Telegram lets you revoke the key and get a new one.
• Notifications go to subscribers who have not muted the channel, so the start of a stream is a moment when people pay attention.

For the general features of live streams and video chats, see our guide to Telegram voice chats and live streams.

Before you start

1. Admin rights. You must be the channel's owner or an admin with permission to manage live streams. Our guide to adding admins to a channel explains admin rights.
2. OBS Studio installed on the computer you will stream from, downloaded from its official website.
3. Telegram on that computer or your phone. You need Telegram to get the key and to start and end the stream. Telegram Desktop is convenient because everything is on one screen.
4. A stable upload connection. Live video depends on upload speed, not download speed. A wired connection is more reliable than Wi-Fi. Run a speed test and note your upload figure.
5. A test channel. Create a private channel with just yourself, or yourself and a friend, to rehearse. Our guide on creating a Telegram channel takes a minute to follow.
6. Your scenes ready. Build them in OBS before you get the key, so you are not adjusting sources while live.

Step 1: Get the server URL and stream key in Telegram

On Telegram Desktop

1. Open your channel.
2. Find the live stream option. It is usually in the channel's menu or behind the video chat icon at the top of the channel.
3. When Telegram offers a choice of how to start, pick the option to stream with another app, often labelled along the lines of "Stream with...".
4. Telegram shows two values: the Server URL and the Stream Key. Each has a copy button.
5. Leave this window open. Telegram waits here for the signal from OBS.

On a phone

1. Open the channel and tap its name to open the info page.
2. Tap the live stream option.
3. Choose to stream with another app.
4. Copy the server URL and stream key, and send them to yourself somehow that is private, for example in your Saved Messages, then open them on the computer running OBS.

Telegram's interface notes that you enter these two values into your streaming app. The key is shown hidden by default on some versions; reveal it only when nobody is looking at your screen, and never while you are already streaming your desktop.

Step 2: Set up OBS

Connect OBS to Telegram

1. Open OBS and go to Settings, then Stream.
2. Set Service to Custom.
3. Paste the Server URL from Telegram into the Server field. Paste it exactly as shown, including the beginning of the address. Do not add or remove anything.
4. Paste the Stream Key into the Stream Key field.
5. Click Apply.

Output settings

Under Settings, then Output, switch the output mode to Advanced if you want full control. The settings that matter most:

• Encoder. Telegram's own interface recommends software encoding, which in OBS is the x264 encoder. Hardware encoders may work on your setup, but if you have problems, x264 is the first thing to try.
• Rate control and bitrate. Use constant bitrate and set a bitrate comfortably below your upload speed. A common rule of thumb is to use no more than about half of your measured upload, leaving room for everything else on your connection. Telegram does not publish a required bitrate, so start moderate and raise it only if the picture looks soft and the stream is stable.
• Keyframe interval. Many streaming services expect a keyframe every couple of seconds, and setting a fixed interval rather than leaving it automatic often helps playback start quickly for viewers. If viewers report long delays when they open the stream, this is a setting to adjust.
• Audio bitrate. The default is usually fine for speech. Raise it if music is central to your stream.

Video settings

Under Settings, then Video:

• Base resolution is your canvas, usually your screen's resolution.
• Output resolution is what you send. If your upload is limited, a lower output resolution at a steady bitrate looks better than a high resolution that keeps stuttering.
• Frame rate. A standard frame rate is fine for talking, slides and screen shares. Higher frame rates use more bandwidth and matter mainly for fast motion such as games.

Many viewers watch Telegram on phones, so text on screen should be large enough to read on a small display. Test by watching your test stream on your own phone.

Audio settings

1. Under Settings, then Audio, choose your microphone and, if you want to share computer sound, your desktop audio device.
2. In the main OBS window, watch the audio mixer meters while you speak. Your voice should move the meter into the upper middle range without hitting the top.
3. Add a noise suppression filter to the microphone if your room is noisy. Right-click the microphone in the mixer and open its filters.
4. If you play music, keep it well below your voice.

Building your scenes in OBS

Scenes are what make OBS worth the setup. A scene is a layout; sources are the things inside it. Sources higher in the list sit on top of those below.

The sources you will use most

• Display capture shows a whole monitor. Simple, but it shows everything, including notifications and the stream key window.
• Window capture shows one application window, such as your slides or browser. Safer than display capture, because other windows stay private.
• Video capture device is your webcam or a camera connected through a capture card.
• Image is a still picture, such as a logo or a "starting soon" card.
• Text adds a title, your name or the topic.
• Media source plays a video file, such as a short intro.
• Audio input and output capture add a microphone or computer sound to a specific scene.

A simple three-scene setup

1. Starting soon. An image with your channel's name and the topic, plus quiet background music if you have the rights to it. Microphone muted in this scene.
2. Main. A window capture of your slides or app filling the frame, with your webcam as a smaller box in a corner, and a text source showing the topic.
3. Be right back. An image saying you will return shortly, microphone muted.

Right-click a source to open its filters: crop the webcam to remove a messy background, add a colour correction if the picture looks dull, or apply a chroma key if you use a green screen.

Making switching smooth

In OBS's settings you can assign hotkeys to scenes, so one key press takes you from "starting soon" to "main" without looking for the mouse. Studio mode lets you prepare the next scene in a preview before sending it live, which helps avoid showing a half-arranged layout.

Choosing settings for your connection

Work from your measured upload speed, not from settings someone else uses.

This is illustrative arithmetic, not a recommendation for any specific connection. Suppose a speed test shows an upload of 10 megabits per second. Using about half of that leaves headroom, so the video and audio together should stay around 5 megabits per second. If the picture at your chosen resolution looks blocky at that bitrate, lower the output resolution rather than raising the bitrate. If your upload were 3 megabits per second, you would aim far lower, and a smaller output resolution with a standard frame rate would give a steadier stream.

Run your test stream at the same time of day as the real one. Home connections are often slower in the evening, when everyone in the building is online.

Step 3: Go live

1. In OBS, click Start Streaming.
2. Switch to Telegram. Within a few seconds, the waiting window should show that it is receiving your stream, usually with a preview.
3. Click Telegram's button to start the live stream. Your subscribers are notified and can join.
4. Watch the stream yourself on a second device, such as your phone, with the sound off to avoid echo. Check the picture and audio from a viewer's point of view.

Order matters: Telegram needs to see a signal from OBS before you start the stream for viewers. If you start OBS after opening the stream in Telegram, simply wait for the signal and then start.

Tell people in advance

A live stream nobody knows about is a stream to an empty room. Post an announcement in the channel beforehand with the date and time. Telegram's scheduled messages let you post a reminder at the right moment automatically, and a pinned post keeps the time visible.

Step 4: During the stream

Switch scenes deliberately

Use your "starting soon" scene for the first minutes while people join. Switch to the main scene when you begin. If something goes wrong, switch to a holding scene rather than ending the stream; viewers will wait for a holding screen but leave when a stream ends.

Keep an eye on OBS's status bar

OBS shows dropped frames and the current bitrate at the bottom of its window. A rising count of dropped frames due to the network means your connection cannot keep up; lower the bitrate after the stream or, if it is severe, during a pause.

Interacting with viewers

Channel live streams are mainly one-way. If you want questions from viewers, give them a route: comments on the announcement post through a linked discussion group, or a group where you collect questions. Read questions aloud before answering, since viewers cannot see the chat you are looking at.

If your connection drops

If your internet cuts out, OBS tries to reconnect on its own, and Telegram shows viewers that the signal has stopped. Do not end the stream in Telegram straight away. Once your connection returns and OBS reconnects, the picture may resume in the same stream; test this in your private channel so you know how your setup behaves. If it does not come back within a minute or two, post a short message in the channel saying what happened and when you will try again.

Do not show the stream key

If you share your whole screen, close Telegram's key window first. Anyone who sees the key in your stream can use it. If it is exposed, revoke it after the stream, as described below.

Step 5: End the stream

1. In Telegram, end the live stream from the stream window. This closes it for viewers.
2. In OBS, click Stop Streaming.

Ending in Telegram first means viewers see a clean end rather than a frozen picture while OBS stops. If you stop OBS first, Telegram will show that no signal is arriving until you end the stream.

Recording the stream

Telegram has offered admins an option to record video chats and live streams from the stream's menu; check whether your version shows it. You can also record locally in OBS by clicking Start Recording alongside streaming. A local recording is the safest copy, because it does not depend on your connection. You can later upload an edited version to the channel for people who missed it.

Streaming into a live story

Telegram has added live streams in stories, and its announcement said these also accept RTMP keys from external apps such as OBS. The process mirrors the channel version: start a live story, choose to stream with another app, copy the server URL and key, and paste them into OBS. Stories reach people differently from channel posts and disappear on a schedule, so they suit short, informal broadcasts. See Telegram stories explained for how stories work, and check your app for whether live stories are available to you.

Pre-stream checklist

Go through this list fifteen minutes before every stream:

1. Upload test passed, and nobody else on your network is about to start a large upload.
2. OBS has the current server URL and stream key for the right channel.
3. All scenes open correctly and show the right windows.
4. Microphone meter moves when you speak; desktop audio is at the level you want.
5. Notifications on the computer are silenced, so pop-ups do not appear on stream.
6. Telegram's key window is closed or hidden if you are capturing the display.
7. Local recording is set up if you want a copy.
8. A second device is ready to watch the stream, with its sound muted.
9. Your announcement post is published and pinned.
10. Water, notes and anything else you need are within reach.

Keeping your stream key safe

The key is a password for your channel's stream.

1. Do not post it in chats, even with your team; share access by making people admins instead.
2. Do not show it on stream.
3. Revoke it if it was exposed or if someone who knew it leaves your team. Telegram's stream setup screen offers an option to revoke the key and generate a new one.
4. After revoking, update the Stream Key field in OBS before your next broadcast.

Troubleshooting

Telegram does not see the stream

How to recognise it: OBS says it is live, but Telegram's waiting window keeps saying it does not see any stream coming from your app.

1. Check that you pasted the server URL into Server and the stream key into Stream Key, not the other way round.
2. Check for extra spaces at the start or end of either value. Paste them again with the copy buttons.
3. Make sure the key is current. If you or another admin revoked it, the old one no longer works.
4. Make sure you are streaming to the right channel: if you manage several, each has its own key.
5. Stop streaming in OBS, wait a few seconds, and start again.

If it still fails, a firewall or security software may be blocking OBS's outgoing connection. Allow OBS through it, or test on another network, such as your phone's hotspot.

OBS fails to connect

How to recognise it: OBS shows a connection error or keeps reconnecting.

1. Check your internet connection by opening a website.
2. Confirm the server address was pasted completely. A partial address is a common cause.
3. Try another network to rule out your router or workplace filtering.
4. Update OBS to the current version.

The stream stutters or freezes for viewers

How to recognise it: OBS reports dropped frames, or viewers see frequent buffering.

1. Look at OBS's status bar during the stream. Dropped frames due to the network point to upload limits.
2. Lower the bitrate, then lower the output resolution if needed.
3. Use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi.
4. Close uploads running on the same connection, such as cloud backups or other people's video calls.

If OBS shows frames lost to encoding or rendering instead, the computer is overloaded. Choose a faster x264 preset, lower the resolution or frame rate, or close heavy programs.

Sound is missing, echoing or out of sync

How to recognise it: viewers cannot hear you, hear themselves twice, or see your lips move before the sound.

1. No sound: check the mixer meters in OBS. If they do not move, the wrong device is selected in Audio settings, or the source is muted.
2. Echo: you are probably monitoring the stream on the same computer or a nearby device with sound on. Mute the viewing device, and use headphones.
3. Desktop sound captured twice: you may have both a desktop audio device and an application audio source. Remove one.
4. Out of sync: a camera or capture card can add delay. OBS has a sync offset setting in each audio source's advanced properties; adjust it until lips and voice match.

Black screen in OBS

How to recognise it: a source shows black in OBS, so viewers see black too.

1. On laptops with two graphics chips, OBS may run on a different chip from the program you are capturing. Set OBS to use the same one in your system's graphics settings.
2. Some apps block screen capture of protected content, such as video players showing copyrighted films. That is deliberate; use a different source.
3. On macOS, allow OBS screen recording in system privacy settings, then restart OBS.

Viewers see a long delay

How to recognise it: viewers are noticeably behind what you are doing.

Some delay is normal for any stream that goes through a server to many viewers. Fix what you can:

1. Set a fixed keyframe interval rather than automatic.
2. Avoid very large bitrates that viewers' devices must buffer.
3. Plan interaction around the delay: ask questions, then keep talking while answers arrive.

Bringing a guest into the stream

Because OBS is the only publisher in RTMP mode, a guest cannot simply join your channel stream with their camera. The usual workaround is to talk to them in a separate video call and capture that call in OBS.

1. Start a private video call with your guest, for example a Telegram call between the two of you.
2. In OBS, add a window capture of the call window, cropped to the guest's video.
3. Add the call's sound to OBS. On most systems, capturing desktop audio picks it up; some setups need an application audio source for the call app.
4. Wear headphones. If the guest's voice comes out of your speakers, your microphone sends it back to them and into the stream as an echo.
5. Test the whole chain with the guest before the stream, including how they sound to a viewer on a phone.

Remind the guest that everything they show on camera goes to your whole channel, and agree in advance what they will share on screen.

After the stream

1. Watch a few minutes of your recording. Note sound levels, unreadable text and awkward scene changes while they are fresh.
2. Post the recording or a summary for subscribers who missed it, with timestamps for the main topics.
3. Look at the response. Views on the announcement and recording posts, and the questions people asked, tell you whether the time and topic worked. Our guide to Telegram channel statistics explains which numbers to watch.
4. Save your OBS scene collection so next week's setup takes minutes rather than an hour.

Streaming responsibly

Only stream content you have the right to share. Streaming films, sports broadcasts or other people's paid content can get the channel reported and banned; see why Telegram channels get banned. Background music is a common trap, since commercial music in a stream is still a public performance of someone else's work.

Example

This is an illustrative plan. A language teacher runs a weekly live lesson in her channel. In OBS she builds three scenes: a "starting soon" card with the topic, a main scene with her slides full-screen and her webcam in a corner, and a "short break" card. She rehearses in a private test channel, checks the slides are readable on her phone, and records locally each week. A scheduled message reminds subscribers an hour before. After each lesson she uploads the recording and pins a short post listing the next topic. Our guide to Telegram for teachers and courses covers how to build the rest of such a channel.

Common mistakes

• Swapping the server URL and stream key fields.
• Starting the stream for viewers before Telegram sees the OBS signal.
• Setting a bitrate close to the full upload speed, which leaves no headroom.
• Streaming over weak Wi-Fi when a cable is available.
• Showing the stream key on screen during a desktop capture.
• Never testing on a phone, so slides and text are unreadable for most viewers.
• Monitoring with sound on, which causes echo.
• Ending in OBS but not in Telegram, leaving viewers looking at a frozen stream.

FAQ

Do I need Telegram Desktop to stream with OBS?

No. You can get the server URL and key on a phone, then paste them into OBS on your computer. Desktop is simply more convenient because everything is on one screen.

Can I stream to a group instead of a channel?

Groups use video chats, and Telegram has also offered streaming from other apps there. The steps to get a key are similar; look for the option to stream with another app in the group's video chat menu.

Can I use other streaming software?

Yes. Any software that streams over RTMP with a custom server and key works the same way. Telegram's own announcement mentioned other common broadcasting apps alongside OBS.

Does the stream key change each time?

It stays valid until it is revoked, so you can usually reuse it. Check before each stream, and revoke it if it might have been exposed.

Can several people stream into one channel stream?

Not through RTMP: Telegram's RTMP mode has a single publisher. To combine several people, bring them into OBS, for example through a video call captured as a source, and send one combined picture.

Summary

Streaming to a Telegram channel with OBS takes four parts: get the server URL and stream key from the channel's live stream option, paste them into OBS as a custom service, start streaming in OBS, then start the live stream in Telegram once it sees the signal. Use x264 as Telegram recommends, keep the bitrate well under your upload speed, test on a phone in a private channel first, protect the stream key, and end the stream in Telegram before stopping OBS.