How to stream on Twitch from a PC
You need a Twitch account, a streaming app, a camera or a game to show, and about ten minutes. Here is the whole path.
1. Get your stream key
On Twitch open Creator Dashboard, Settings, Stream and copy your Primary Stream Key. It works like a password for your channel: never show it on stream or send it to anyone.
2. Add Twitch to your streaming app
In Streamdzy open Settings, Go live, pick Twitch in the platform list, paste the key and press Save. The server address is filled in for you. The key is kept encrypted on your PC.
3. Choose a bitrate and picture
Twitch ordinary accounts are commonly held to about 6,000 kbps. Good starting points: 1080p60 at about 6,000 kbps, 1080p30 at 4,500 to 6,000 kbps, 720p at 3,000 kbps. Check your upload with the upload speed test and use at most 70% of it.
4. Set the scene
Add your camera and, for a game, a game capture. Check your microphone with the microphone test. Press Record so you keep a copy.
5. Go live
Press Go live. In Twitch’s dashboard set your title and category. After a few seconds your stream is up. When you stop, your recording is in your Videos folder.
Common problems
- “Stream key invalid”: copy it again, with no spaces.
- Dropped frames: lower the bitrate or use a cable. See the no-lag checklist.
- Black picture: the camera is in use by another app.
Questions
Can I stream to Twitch and YouTube together?
Yes. See the guide on streaming to several platforms. Check Twitch’s current simulcast rules first.
Do I need a capture card?
Not for a PC game: the app captures the game on the same computer.
Want all of this in one app?
Streamdzy is a free streaming and recording app for Windows: several cameras, your phone as a camera, going live to many places at once, and recording first so a bad connection never costs you the show.