Instagram is a great social media application. The amazing features like stories, IGTV, and more make it interesting. Adding to all this, the reels feature is quite engaging. One of the features that many influencers use is the “live feature”. You can go live and stream your content for your viewers. It allows better engagement and is super fun. For most people, it is a known fact that you can use the live feature on your Instagram mobile application.
But many people do wonder – can I do Instagram live on my laptop?
The answer to this is No. Instagram does not have any official feature or functionality that lets you go live from your laptop. It only supports this feature for your mobile applications.
So, how can you do an Instagram live from your laptop or any desktop system?
In this article, I will try to answer this in brief and show you a few ways that can help you do Instagram live from your laptop. These methods use some third-party applications that can eventually help you fulfill your purpose.
Can I Do Instagram Live On My Laptop
Let us check a few ways in which you can do Instagram live from your laptop. These are some workarounds that would help you achieve this
First Method - Using YellowDuck
The first method is using a software called the YellowDuck. It is a third-party application that can let you set up your account for Instagram live from your laptop. YellowDuck makes it extremely easy to live stream from your desktop just like any other live-streaming platform. It allows you to stream live on Instagram using OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) or Wirecast.
Here are the steps you can perform to go live on Instagram using your desktop and YellowDuck.
Downloading and Setting Up OBS – Open Broadcaster Software
Step 1
Download OBS from here: Download OBS
Step 2
Open OBS. Go to “Settings”.
Step 3
Go to “Output” in Settings.
Make the video bitrate to 2500 kbps.
Make the audio bitrate 192
Step 4
Go to “Video” in Settings.
Make the base and output resolution “1080×1920”.
Set the Downscale Filter to bicubic and the Common FPS Values to 30.
The download and setup for OBS are complete. The settings should look like this.
Downloading and Setting Up YellowDuck
Step 1
Download YellowDuck from here: Download YellowDuck
Step 2
Install the software.
Step 3
Open YellowDuck. Login with your Instagram ID.
NOTE
If you get an error message. Do not worry. You can uninstall the software and reinstall it. You may need to do it 2-3 times. It is quite irritating but it fixes itself after a few reinstalls.
Step 4
Once you are logged in. You will get two credentials.
RTMP URL – copy this somewhere. You’ll need it.
Stream Key – Copy this too.
Step 5
Open OBS. Go To “Settings” and select “Stream”.
Step 6
Select the “service” as Custom.
Paste your RTMP URL and Stream Key here. (That you copied from Yellow Duck)
Step 7
You can go to the home screen of OBS and select “Start Streaming”. Your Instagram live will be started. You can then select “Stop Streaming” once you are done.
Step 8
Go back to YellowDuck and click Save & Finish, followed by finish again.
Second Method - Using Loola
Step 1
Download Loola from here
Step 2
Sign in with your account. Most people use Google sign-in.
Step 3
Give permission to Loola for microphone and camera usage. It will prompt you itself.
Step 4
Click the gear in the upper right and select Instagram. You will be prompted to download the Chrome Extension. Go ahead and download it.
Step 5
Click the gear icon in the upper right and select Instagram again. Log in with your account.
Step 6
Click on “Studio” in the top menu. Select the gear in the bottom right and choose your microphone and camera.
Step 7
On the left side of the screen. Select Instagram.
Step 8
Select “Go Live to start live streaming”
Some Frequently Asked Questions
Both the applications mentioned in the article claim to not save your Instagram information or your data in any manner. However, being a third-party application, I would recommend going through their policies by yourself too.
Yes. Once you stop your Instagram live, both the applications mentioned in this article provide you to download the live stream video.
There are some other applications too. But the two mentioned in this article are the most popular and got positive reviews across the boards.
No. The live stream will continue until you stop it manually using the application.
YellowDuck – Windows and Mac. The website says Linux, but there is no download button for Linux on the website as of 2023.
Loola.tv – Windows and Mac