How to Stream on Twitter with OBS

Streaming directly to Twitter, now X, is one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience in real time. Using OBS (Open Broadcaster Software), you can move beyond simple phone-shot video and create a professional-looking broadcast for free. This guide will walk you through setting up a high-quality livestream on X with OBS, covering everything from dialing in your settings to going live without a hitch.

Prepping for Your First Twitter/X Stream

Before jumping into the settings, let's make sure you have everything you need. A successful stream is built on a solid foundation, both in terms of your content and your technical setup.

What is OBS Studio?

If you're new to the name, OBS Studio is a free, open-source application for video recording and live streaming. It’s the industry standard for creators everywhere, from gamers on Twitch to businesses holding panel discussions on LinkedIn. It lets you combine multiple sources - like your webcam, microphone, screen share, and pre-recorded videos - into a single, polished broadcast feed that you can send to platforms like X.

The Essential Checklist

To follow along with this guide, you’ll need a few things ready to go:

• A decent computer: Streaming uses your computer's processing power (CPU/GPU) to encode video in real time. A modern computer from the last few years will usually handle this well, but older machines may struggle with high-definition streams.
• A stable internet connection: Your upload speed is what matters most for streaming. Run a speed test (just Google "internet speed test"). For a smooth 1080p stream, you should have at least 10 Mbps of dedicated upload speed.
• A webcam and microphone: While you can use your laptop's built-in options, external webcams (like a Logitech C920) and USB microphones (like a Blue Yeti or Rode NT-USB) will dramatically improve your audio and video quality.
• OBS Studio installed: Download the latest version for free directly from the official OBS Project website.
• An X (Twitter) account: You'll need access to X’s Media Studio, which is available to all users.

Getting Set Up: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Streaming on X with OBS

Follow these four parts in order, and you'll be ready to stream in no time. We'll start with building your visual layout in OBS and end with the final click to go live.

Part 1: Building Your Scene in OBS

Think of OBS as your virtual TV studio. A "Scene" is the final layout of what your viewers will see. Within each scene, you add "Sources," which are the individual elements like your camera feed, graphics, or screen share.

By default, OBS starts with an empty scene. Let's add some basic sources:

Add Your Webcam

1. Beneath the video preview window, find the "Sources" box. Click the "+" icon at the bottom.
2. Select "Video Capture Device" from the list.
3. Give it a name, like "My Webcam," and click "OK."
4. In the new window that appears, choose your webcam from the "Device" dropdown menu. You should see a preview of your camera. Leave the other settings at their default for now and click "OK."

You’ll now see your webcam feed in the main OBS window. You can click and drag the red corners to resize it and move it around your scene.

Add Your Microphone

1. In the "Sources" box, click the "+" icon again.
2. Select "Audio Input Capture."
3. Name it "My Mic" and click "OK."
4. From the "Device" dropdown, select your USB microphone or headset. Click "OK."

In the "Audio Mixer" box, you should see the audio meter for "My Mic" moving when you speak. This confirms it's working.

Add a Screen Share

Sharing your screen is perfect for presentations, tutorials, or gameplay.

1. Again, click the "+" icon in the "Sources" box.
2. Choose "Display Capture" to share your entire monitor, or "Window Capture" to share just a single application (this is often better, as you won't accidentally show notifications).
3. Name it and click "OK." Select the display or window you want to share.

Sources are layered like in Photoshop. The source at the top of the list appears in front of the sources below it. Drag your "My Webcam" source above your "Screen Share" source so your video feed appears on top of your screen, not behind it.

Part 2: Connecting OBS to Your Twitter/X Account

Now that your visual layout is ready, you need to tell OBS where to send the stream. This requires a specific URL and a "Stream Key" from X.

Heads up: Your Stream Key is like a password to your stream. Never share it with anyone.

Finding Your X Stream Credentials

1. Open your web browser and navigate to studio.x.com. Log in if prompted. This takes you to your Media Studio.
2. Click on the "Producer" tab in the top navigation bar.
3. Click the purple "Create Broadcast" button in the top right.
4. A pop-up will appear. Give your stream a name (this is just for your reference, not the final tweet) and select "OBS Custom Streaming" under the Source section. Choose a category for your content (e.g., "Technology").
5. Once you've done that, you’ll be taken to the broadcast details page. Here, you'll find the two pieces of information you need: the RTMP URL and the Stream key. Keep this page open.

Putting the Credentials into OBS

1. Go back to your OBS application. In the bottom right, click the "Settings" button.
2. In the pop-up window, click the "Stream" tab from the left-hand menu.
3. From the "Service" dropdown, select "Custom..."
4. Now, copy and paste the information from your X Producer page:
   • Paste the RTMP URL into the "Server" field in OBS.
   • Paste the Stream key into the "Stream Key" field in OBS.
5. Click "Apply" and then "OK" to save your settings. OBS is now connected to your X account!

Part 3: Dialing in Your Stream Settings

With your visuals and connection ready, it's time to choose the right settings to balance quality and stability. Incorrect settings can cause a blocky, laggy stream, even with a great internet connection, so let's configure them for optimal performance.

Open Settings again in OBS. Here are the recommended starting points.

Video Settings

On the "Video" tab:

• Base (Canvas) Resolution: This should match your monitor's resolution, typically 1920x1080. It’s the canvas you arrange your sources on.
• Output (Scaled) Resolution: This is the resolution your viewers will see. 1280x720 (720p) is a great balance of quality and stability. 1920x1080 (1080p) looks better but requires more internet bandwidth.
• Common FPS Values: Set this to 30. Choosing 60 is only needed for fast-paced gaming content and demands significantly more from your computer and internet.

Output Settings

On the "Output" tab, change the Output Mode at the top to "Advanced."

• Encoder: If you have an NVIDIA graphics card, choose "NVIDIA NVENC H.264 (new)." This uses a dedicated chip on your graphics card for streaming and puts less strain on your main processor. Otherwise, choose "x264."
• Rate Control: Set this to CBR (Constant Bitrate). It provides the most stable stream.
• Bitrate: This determines how much data you send per second. A good starting point for your stream to X is:
  • For 720p at 30fps: 3000 Kbps
  • For 1080p at 30fps: 5000 Kbps

Do not set your bitrate higher than about 80% of your total upload speed to leave some room for connection stability.

Click "Apply" and "OK." Your setup is complete!

Part 4: Going Live and Promoting Your Stream

This is the final step. Let's get your stream live and in front of your audience.

1. In OBS, click the "Start Streaming" button in the bottom-right corner.
2. Go back to your broadcast setup page in X Producer (where you got the stream key). You should now see a live preview of your OBS feed appear.
3. If everything looks good, write your announcement tweet. Then click the purple "Tweet" button to publish your tweet and embed the livestream on your X profile.

You’re live! Now the work of community building begins. A great tactic is to keep an eye on your tweet's replies on a separate monitor or device while you stream. This allows you to give shoutouts and answer questions in real time. Engaging directly with viewers shows that you value your audience.

When you're ready to finish, click the "Stop Streaming" button in OBS, and then end the broadcast in the X Producer window. It's a good idea to say goodbye and wait a few moments before ending the stream to account for any delay.

Final Thoughts

Streaming directly to X might seem daunting at first, but with OBS, the process becomes manageable and straightforward. By following these steps, you can create a professional-looking broadcast with clear audio, allowing you to connect with your audience in a more engaging way. This setup gives you the tools to build your brand and share your ideas on one of the internet's most dynamic platforms.

Making great content deserves an equally great promotional plan. Creating a buzz before your stream is just as important as the stream itself, but getting the word out across multiple platforms becomes a chore. At Postbase, we built our social media management tool to solve this exact headache. Using our visual calendar, you can plan and schedule all your promotional posts for your stream across X, Instagram, Facebook, and more - all from one place. This lets you focus on creating a memorable broadcast, confident that your announcements are going out right on time, every time.