What this guide is based on
This guide restates YouTube's Help Center page 'YouTube recommended upload encoding settings', read on 13 October 2026, as an export checklist. It is based on official documentation, not on our own upload tests, so it says nothing about how a given file will look after YouTube processes it. Editor menus differ; map each setting to the equivalent field in your own export dialog. [1]
Who this is for: tutorial and interview creators exporting from Descript, DaVinci Resolve, CapCut, Filmora or similar editors. Who can skip it: anyone whose editor offers a YouTube preset that already matches the table below and whose uploads look right.
Container and video codec
YouTube recommends an MP4 container with no edit lists and the moov atom at the front of the file, often labelled Fast Start in export dialogs. For H.264 video it lists progressive scan (no interlacing), High Profile, 2 consecutive B-frames, a closed GOP of half the frame rate, CABAC entropy coding, variable bitrate with no bitrate limit required, and 4:2:0 chroma subsampling. [1]
In practice most editors expose only a few of these. The ones you can usually control are container, codec, profile, progressive versus interlaced, and bitrate mode. If the remaining fields are hidden, leave the editor's defaults alone rather than hunting for a plugin. Fast Start is worth enabling when it is offered, because it places the index at the front of the file as YouTube recommends. [1]
Frame rate: match the source
YouTube says to encode and upload at the same frame rate the content was recorded at. It lists 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 fps as common, while noting other rates are accepted, and says interlaced content should be deinterlaced before upload, for example 1080i60 to 1080p30. [1]
For screen tutorials this is the setting most worth checking. A recording made at 60 fps and exported at 30 fps, or the reverse, can introduce judder that no bitrate will fix.
Bitrate table for SDR uploads
These are YouTube's recommended video bitrates for standard dynamic range uploads, as listed on 13 October 2026. HDR uploads have a separate, higher table on the same page, and 480p and 360p are listed as not supported for HDR. [1]
| Resolution | 24, 25 or 30 fps | 48, 50 or 60 fps |
|---|---|---|
| 2160p (4K) | 35-45 Mbps | 53-68 Mbps |
| 1440p (2K) | 16 Mbps | 24 Mbps |
| 1080p | 8 Mbps | 12 Mbps |
| 720p | 5 Mbps | 7.5 Mbps |
| 480p | 2.5 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
| 360p | 1 Mbps | 1.5 Mbps |
Audio and color
For audio, YouTube lists AAC-LC, Opus or Eclipsa Audio codecs, stereo or stereo plus 5.1 channels, and a 48 kHz sample rate. Recommended audio bitrates are 128 kbps for mono, 384 kbps for stereo and 512 kbps for 5.1. [1]
For SDR color, YouTube recommends BT.709 for transfer characteristics, primaries and matrix. It says unspecified values are assumed to be BT.709, full-range color is converted to limited range, and the RGB color matrix is not recommended. If your editor offers Rec. 709 and limited or video range, those match the recommendation. [1]
What not to over-optimize
The recommended bitrates are a floor for a good starting file, and YouTube says variable bitrate with no limit is fine. Since YouTube re-encodes every upload, we would not spend time shaving megabytes off the export unless upload time is a real constraint. Equally, exporting far above the table does not buy you a better-looking stream; it mostly costs upload time and disk space.
Things we would not chase: custom GOP structures if your editor hides them, exotic audio codecs, or 5.1 for a single-voice tutorial. Things we would check every time: frame rate matches the recording, the export is progressive, audio is 48 kHz, and the file plays from start to end before you upload.
A one-minute export check
No purchase is needed for any of this; every mainstream editor exposes these basics.
- Export a 20-second section with your intended preset and play it outside the editor.
- Confirm the file's frame rate, resolution and audio sample rate in your player's info panel.
- Upload it as a private video and check it before exporting the full project.
- Fictional example: a creator exports a 60 fps screen recording at 30 fps through an old preset; the cursor stutters on YouTube. Re-exporting at 60 fps is the fix. This scenario is invented for illustration.
Questions before you decide
Does YouTube require these exact settings?
The page calls them recommended upload encoding settings. It also states other frame rates are accepted and that unsupported color spaces are converted to BT.709.
Should I upload at a higher bitrate than the table?
You can, since YouTube recommends variable bitrate with no limit required, but YouTube re-encodes uploads, so the main cost of a much larger file is upload time.
Sources & verification
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- YouTube Help: YouTube recommended upload encoding settings Accessed 13 Oct 2026
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