One of the most fun parts about the TikTok app is that you can interact with your followers by doing live streams. You can easily go live on TikTok via your iPhone or Android smartphone, but did you also know that it is possible to go live on TikTok from the comfort of your computer or laptop? Thanks to Streamlabs and OBS integration, this process is actually fairly easy, and we’ve detailed the full steps below.
Do I need an emulator to go live on TikTok from my pc or laptop?
Using an emulator such as Bluestacks to run the mobile TikTok application on your PC – something we’ve discussed in one of our previous how-to articles on how to run the app on PC – is most definitely an option, but it is not the easiest way to go live on your computer. In fact, you don’t even need to download a version of TikTok on your pc, as there is streaming software that will bypass this and allow you to live stream to TikTok without any issues.
If you don’t want to use specialized live streaming software, you can still opt to use an emulator of course. Similarly, if you’re on a Windows 11 PC, you can just download the TikTok app from the Windows Marketplace and go live via the regular method. You can find more information about that in the article above.
Can everyone go live on TikTok via a computer or laptop?
The requirements to go live on a computer are no different from the regular requirements on your phone. In other words, you’ll need to have over a thousand followers before you’re able to go live. If you’re not there yet, simply keep posting content and keep interacting with the TikTok community until you reach the threshold of a thousand followers.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to be at least eighteen years old to go live. There are no exceptions to this rule at this moment in time, although there are rumors that TikTok will soon lower this age limit in some regions where a lower minimum age is applied.
Let’s say for example that you’re sixteen years and want to go live on TikTok. It’s not possible right now (unless you lie about your age, which we wouldn’t recommend as it can get your account suspended or deleted) but it might be officially supported in the future.
Of course, this may speak for itself, but your computer will need to have a camera and microphone in order to go live. Most recent laptops have both built-in, but there’s nothing stopping you from using external peripherals.
How to go live on TikTok from your computer or laptop with Streamlabs OBS
We’ll need a piece of software before we can actually start live streaming on TikTok via your pc, but it’s free and easy-to-use software. Follow our easy step-by-step guide below.
- Download and install the Streamlabs OBS software here
- Open Streamlabs OBS on your computer or laptop, and wait for the “Connect” pop-up to appear
- Underneath the “Select Platform” list, you’ll see TikTok, click it to proceed
- You will now use your TikTok log-in credentials to create an integration between OBS and TikTok. This happens completely safe and is required in order to go live on stream so that OBS knows where to live stream to
- Press the “Go Live” button and you’ll be able to access your Server URL and Stream Key. Paste these into Streamlabs OBS
- Choose a title and cover image for your TikTok live stream, and press the pink “Save” button to continue
- Hit the “Confirm & Go Live” button
- Hooray! You’re live on TikTok from your pc or laptop
What are the benefits of livestreaming on pc?
The method we’ve detailed below involved the use of the popular free streaming software, Streamlabs OBS. If you’re already familiar with that streaming software, you’ll find that it can offer a lot of extra functionalities that the regular TikTok live functionality on your smartphone can not do.
For example, you can choose which part of the screen you capture, you can share your desktop with your live viewers, and you can edit much more heavily – perfect for those weird DeepTok videos, for example. In short, using OBS and live streaming TikTok on pc greatly enhances the things you can do in a live stream, although it can take a little bit to learn all of these nifty features.
Another main benefit is that you can truly decide what equipment you can use. If you’re totally serious about live streaming, you’d want to have the best possible audio and video equipment, and that’s only a possibility if you’re on a pc. Some professional streamers install DLSR cameras or 4K video cameras and have dedicated microphones that are vastly superior to the ones on your phone – even the expensive flagship ones. Let’s say you’re a music TikTokker, for example.
Live streaming with a professional microphone sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? We all know that the microphone on your smartphone doesn’t pick up all the fine details and is much less clear than a professional studio mic.
If you’re using the Streamlabs software, you also have access to a wide range of extra functionality, which allows users to use and have access to tipping functionality via PayPal and other payment methods, as well as the use of onscreen alerts. Streamlabs and TikTok announced this partnership in May 2021, making it an additional huge benefit and reason why you should live stream on TikTok from your pc or laptop.
Summary
By using the Streamlabs OBS and TikTok integration, you can easily broadcast and live stream to TikTok from your pc or laptop. It’s free and easy to do, and it has a number of benefits as well. For starters, you gain access to all the Streamlabs integrations, including donations and alerts. Furthermore, you can also use whatever kind of professional audio and video equipment you like on your pc, greatly increasing the video quality of your livestream.
