Last updated: 2026-01-14

For most people in the US, the fastest way to get a polished screen recording on YouTube is to use StreamYard: record your screen, camera, and audio in the browser, then publish straight to your connected YouTube channel without extra uploads. When you need advanced encoder control or offline production, you can pair StreamYard with tools like OBS or use file uploads from tools like Loom.

Summary

• Record your screen and camera in StreamYard, then publish the finished recording directly to YouTube without re-uploading.
• Use StreamYard’s layouts, overlays, and presenter notes to make your screen recording feel like a real show, not just a raw capture. (StreamYard pricing)
• OBS suits detailed encoder control and local files; Loom suits quick async clips and link sharing, but both add extra upload steps for YouTube.
• For most creators and teams on typical laptops, a browser-based StreamYard workflow hits the sweet spot of speed, reliability, and quality.

How do you share a screen recording to YouTube in the simplest way?

Think of this in two big paths:

1. Record and publish through StreamYard

   • Open a StreamYard studio in your browser and choose a YouTube destination connected to your account. (Connect a YouTube channel)
   • Share your screen, present your content, and optionally include your camera and guests. (Screen sharing guide)
   • End the session and let StreamYard handle delivery to YouTube so you’re not waiting on a separate upload in YouTube Studio. (How to connect streaming software to YouTube)

2. Record locally, then upload the file

   • Use a desktop app like OBS to record your screen to a file. (OBS official site)
   • Or capture with Loom and download/export the video from your library. (Loom pricing)
   • Manually upload that file into YouTube Studio.

Both approaches work, but the first path removes an entire upload step. That is why we recommend StreamYard as the default starting point for most people.

How do you record your screen and send it straight to YouTube with StreamYard?

Here’s a practical, repeatable workflow using only your browser:

1. Create a StreamYard account and connect YouTube

   • Sign in, then add YouTube as a destination from your dashboard.
   • You must be the channel owner or brand account manager/owner to connect it. (Connect a YouTube channel)

2. Enter the studio and set up your recording

   • Choose to create a live broadcast or a record-only session that’s still targeted at YouTube for easy publishing.
   • Select your microphone and camera for a presenter-led feel.
   • Add your logo, overlays, and backgrounds so the video looks branded from the start. (StreamYard pricing)

3. Share your screen the right way

   • Click Share in the studio and pick a window, full screen, or specific browser tab.
   • If you need system audio (e.g., demoing a video or app sound), share a Chrome tab with audio enabled, since screen sharing with audio is supported there. (Screen sharing guide)

4. Use layouts to keep it presenter-led

   • Switch between screen-only, picture-in-picture (you next to the content), and stacked layouts in real time.
   • Keep your notes visible only to you while the audience sees a clean, distraction-free layout.

5. End, trim, and publish

   • When you’re done, stop the session and let StreamYard finish processing.
   • Because you’ve already targeted YouTube, you bypass the traditional “record → download → upload to YouTube” loop.

You end up with a high-quality YouTube-ready video recorded in the cloud, with local multi-track backups available on paid plans for stronger post-production. (Local recording)

How do I include system audio when sharing screen recordings to YouTube?

System audio is where many workflows fall apart—viewers can’t hear the app or video you’re demoing.

In StreamYard, the specifics are:

• For browser-based audio, share a Chrome tab and tick the option to include tab audio. Screen sharing with audio is supported this way and avoids echo feedback. (Screen sharing guide)
• For microphone audio, keep your mic input separate so your voice stays clear while system audio comes from the shared tab.
• For mixed content, alternate between your slides, app windows, and video tabs while staying on-mic. Because layouts are live, you do this on the fly instead of in an editor later.

With OBS, you capture system audio by adding audio output sources and adjusting levels, but that adds setup and monitoring. With Loom, system audio is included in supported desktop and browser captures, but you still need to export/download before uploading to YouTube. (Loom pricing)

How can I upload a Loom screen recording to YouTube?

Sometimes teams are already using Loom for quick async updates. You can still get those recordings to YouTube—it just isn’t a one-step YouTube flow.

Typical Loom → YouTube workflow:

1. Record in Loom using the desktop app or browser extension. Your video is stored in Loom’s cloud library with a shareable link. (Loom pricing)
2. Download the file from Loom. Video uploading into Loom’s library (for existing files) is only available on Business, Business + AI, and Enterprise plans, so free users are limited to what they record there. (Video upload limits)
3. Open YouTube Studio in your browser, click Create → Upload video, and select the downloaded Loom file.

This path works fine for occasional clips. But compared to StreamYard’s YouTube-connected recording flow, it inserts extra download and upload steps that add friction as your volume grows.

Can OBS record my screen and upload the recording directly to YouTube?

OBS is a powerful desktop encoder for local recording and streaming, but it doesn’t automatically upload finished recordings to YouTube.

You have two main options:

1. Stream live from OBS to YouTube

   • Create a live event in YouTube, copy the stream key, and paste it into OBS’s stream settings. (OBS → YouTube guide)
   • Start streaming; YouTube receives the live feed via RTMP/RTMPS as recommended in YouTube’s encoder guidance. (YouTube encoder settings)

2. Record locally and upload manually

   • Configure a recording profile in OBS (often MKV for safety, then remux to MP4 afterward). (OBS help)
   • After recording, upload the file from your hard drive to YouTube Studio.

OBS is a good fit if you need detailed encoder and scene control and are comfortable managing local files. For many US-based educators, marketers, and solo creators on laptops, a browser-first approach via StreamYard is quicker to set up and maintain.

When should you use StreamYard versus OBS for sharing screen recordings to YouTube?

A simple rule of thumb:

• Choose StreamYard when you care about:

  • Fast setup in the browser, no heavy installs. (StreamYard pricing)
  • Presenter-led recordings with live layouts, logos, and overlays applied as you speak.
  • Multi-guest demos or interviews where everyone can share screens, and you can capture separate local audio/video tracks on paid plans. (Local recording)
  • Easy publishing to YouTube without babysitting uploads.

• Choose OBS when you care about:

  • Hardware-level control over bitrates, codecs, and formats. (OBS official site)
  • Complex multi-scene compositions and overlays that you want to build like a mini control room.
  • Recording long gameplay or software sessions directly to a disk you manage.

In practice, many teams use both: StreamYard as the main studio for branded, multi-presenter content that goes straight to YouTube, and OBS as a specialized local recorder when they need full control over the capture pipeline.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard if your goal is to get clear, presenter-led screen recordings onto YouTube quickly with minimal setup.
• Use Chrome tab sharing with audio in StreamYard whenever you need viewers to hear the app or video you’re demoing.
• Reach for OBS only when you have specific encoder or scene-control needs and are ready to manage local files and YouTube uploads yourself.
• Treat Loom as a complementary tool for quick internal walkthroughs and async feedback, not as your primary YouTube publishing pipeline.