How to Change Live Video Settings on Facebook

Getting your Facebook Live settings right can transform a fuzzy, low-engagement broadcast into a sharp, professional stream that captivates your audience. Whether you’re broadcasting from your phone or using advanced streaming software, knowing which virtual levers to pull is the key to running a smooth show. This guide will walk you through exactly where to find and what to change in your Facebook Live settings - before, during, and after your broadcast - so you can go live with confidence.

Before You Hit 'Go Live': The Power of Pre-Broadcast Settings

The vast majority of a successful live stream is decided before you even press the button. This is your chance to configure the technical, creative, and strategic elements that define your broadcast. Think of it as your pre-flight check.

Taking a few minutes to get these settings right helps you:

• Control Your Reach: Decide exactly who sees your video, from the entire public to a private test group, or even target specific demographics.
• Boost Engagement: Enable features like comments, polls, and questions to create an interactive experience.
• Look Professional: Set a compelling title, a detailed description, and a custom thumbnail to make your stream look like a planned event, not a random whim.
• Ensure Stability: For advanced users, correctly configuring your stream key and server settings prevents lag, dropped frames, and technical glitches.

Changing Settings on a Mobile Device (iOS/Android)

Going live from your phone is fast and easy, but that doesn't mean you have to skip the important settings. The Facebook app gives you a surprising amount of control.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Start the Live Process: Open the Facebook app and tap "What's on your mind?" (on your profile) or "Create Post" (on a Page). Select "Live video" from the menu.
2. Adjust Your Audience: At the top, you'll see a button that likely defaults to Public or Friends. Tap this to change who can see your stream. We highly recommend selecting Only me for your first few tries. This lets you do a complete test run to check your audio, video, and connection without anyone watching.
3. Write a Compelling Description: Tap to add your video's title and description. Don't skip this! A good description tells people why they should stop scrolling and watch. Include relevant keywords and hashtags so people can discover your broadcast later.
4. Explore Tools and Effects: On the left side of your screen (or sometimes at the bottom), you’ll see icons for various tools. You can add AR filters, stickers, or even bring in a guest (depending on your app version).
5. Access More Settings: Look for the three dots (...) or a gear icon to access more options. Here you might find the ability to:
   • Turn Microphone On/Off: Important if you're using an external mic and want to make sure it's selected.
   • Flip Camera: Switch between the front and back cameras.
   • Enable Donations: If you're a nonprofit or supporting one, you can add a donation button.
6. Schedule Your Live (for Pages): Instead of going live immediately, Pages have the option to schedule a broadcast. This creates an announcement post on your Page, lets people opt-in for notifications, and builds anticipation for your event.

Changing Settings on Desktop (Facebook Live Producer)

For a more professional and feature-rich experience, broadcasting from a desktop computer using Facebook’s Live Producer is the way to go. It opens up a new world of settings that aren't available on mobile.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Navigate to Live Producer: Go to your Facebook Page, Group, or Profile and click the "Live Video" button. This will launch the Live Producer dashboard.
2. Choose Your Video Source: You'll be asked to choose between Webcam or Streaming Software. If you're using your computer's built-in camera, choose Webcam. If you’re using a tool like OBS, StreamYard, or Ecamm, choose Streaming Software.
3. Dive Into the Settings Panel: On the left-hand side, you’ll find the control center for your broadcast. Let's break it down.
   • Post Details: Add your Title and Description. This is prime real estate for SEO. Think about what people might search for to find your content later on.
   • Audience: Just like on mobile, choose who can view your video (Public, Friends, etc.). On Pages, you can also set audience restrictions based on age and location. This is perfect for broadcasting content that’s only relevant to specific regions or legally restricted to certain age groups.
4. Understand the 'Stream' and 'Settings' Tabs: Right below your video preview, new settings will appear.
   • Distribution: Where your video will appear The Settings > Stream submenu has a key option called End video if stream stops. We recommend keeping this enabled. If your internet has a blip, your broadcast will end cleanly instead of showing a frozen screen. The Post Settings > Distribution Tab is super important:
     • Share to your Story: Automatically shares a link to a viewer's Story, boosting reach.
     • Crosspost to more Pages: Fantastic for brands with multiple Pages. You can broadcast your live video simultaneously to other Pages you manage without any extra software.
     • Allow embedding: Lets you (or others) embed the live video on a website.
   • Interactivity: Getting your audience involved This is where you set up tools to keep your audience engaged. You can configure these before going live and then activate them during the broadcast:
     • Polls: Create multiple-choice questions to ask your audience during the show.
     • Questions: Invite viewers to submit questions that you can feature on-screen.
     • Graphics: If you use certain streaming tools, you can control custom on-screen graphics from here.
   • Comments: Your Command Center for Chat Moderation Click the gear icon next to Comments to configure your chat rules:
     • Slow Mode: Limits how often each person can comment to prevent spam.
     • Follower-Only Mode: Only users who follow your Page can comment. This is a game-changer for reducing trolls.
     • Conversation Blocking: Automatically hide comments containing profanity or words from your custom blocklist.

Settings for Streaming Software (Advanced)

If you choose "Streaming Software" in Live Producer, you're telling Facebook that you'll be using an external tool like OBS Studio, StreamYard, or Ecamm Live to produce your video. These tools allow for multiple cameras, screen sharing, custom graphics, and more. Facebook's role here is to provide the "address" for your software to send the video feed to.

Getting Your Stream Key

The core setting you'll need here is your Stream Key. Think of it as the unique password for your broadcast. Anyone with your stream key could broadcast to your Facebook Page, so keep it secret!

• Standard Stream Key: This key changes every time you create a new live session in Live Producer. It’s secure but requires you to copy and paste a new key for every broadcast.
• Persistent Stream Key: Found under the "Advanced Settings," this is a permanent stream key that doesn't change. It's incredibly convenient if you stream regularly from the same machine with the same software (like a weekly show). You set it once in your software and forget it.

On-the-Fly Adjustments: What You Can Change Mid-Stream

Even with perfect preparation, things happen. Sometimes you need to make changes while you're live. While you can't alter fundamental settings like the audience once you’ve started, you have control over several important interactive elements.

Moderation and Interaction

Managing the conversation is one of the most critical mid-stream activities. From the comments section of your live view (on desktop or a second mobile device), you or an assigned moderator can:

• Pin a Comment: Pin an important comment (like a link to your website or a key topic) to the top of the chat for all viewers to see.
• Highlight a Comment: Through Live Producer, you can bring a viewer's comment on-screen as a graphic. This is a fantastic way to recognize your audience and answer questions directly.
• Kick, Ban, or Mute Users: If someone is being disruptive, you can remove them from your live stream. A kick removes them, while a ban prevents them from rejoining.
• Activate Polls and Questions: Launch the polls and questions you prepared ahead of time to keep your audience engaged.

Technical Controls

You also have some basic hardware controls available while live:

• Camera Switching (Mobile): Easily flip between your phone's front and back camera.
• Muting (Mobile & Desktop): Quickly mute and unmute your microphone to cough, have a private word with someone off-screen, or fix an audio issue.
• Graphics (via Streaming Software): Tools like StreamYard and Ecamm let you show and hide elements like lower-third title cards, calls-to-action, or screen demonstrations in real-time.

The Post-Show Wrap-Up: Optimizing Your Video Replay

Your live video's job isn't over when the broadcast ends. It lives on your Page as a powerful piece of content. Optimizing its settings after the fact can dramatically increase its long-term value and viewership.

• Edit Video Details: Go to the post on your timeline, click the three-dot menu, and select "Edit video." Here you can:
  • Change the Thumbnail: The auto-generated thumbnail is rarely flattering. Upload a custom, well-designed graphic that makes people want to click.
  • Refine Your Title & Description: Re-watch your video and add timestamps for key moments in the description (e.g., "05:15 - Q&A Starts"). Add any relevant links or information you promised during the broadcast.
  • Add Tags: Add relevant tags to help Facebook's algorithm understand your video's content and show it to a wider audience.
• Trim Your Video: In the video editor, you'll also have the option to trim the beginning and end. This is perfect for cutting out the first minute of "Hello, is anyone here?" awkwardness, giving your replay a much more professional feel.
• Distribution Controls: Once your video is posted, you can still share it to Groups, your Story, or embed it on your website. Under Edit, you can also control if it’s added to a playlist on your Page, helping organize your video content library.

Final Thoughts

Going live on Facebook offers an incredible opportunity to connect with your audience in an authentic and immediate way. Mastering your settings - before, during, and after you broadcast - gives you the control to create a professional, engaging, and polished experience that stands out from the crowd and keeps people coming back for more.

Managing a live video is just one piece of a modern content strategy that relies heavily on repurposed video content. That’s a major reason why we designed our platform to be video-first, easily handling the formats that dominate feeds today, like Reels and Stories created from your live broadcast. We help you use a visual calendar to plan your live event announcement, schedule promo posts, and even map out how you’ll repurpose that live replay across all your platforms. With Postbase, you can manage the entire lifecycle of your video content from one place, ensuring you get the most impact out of everything you create.