Step 1: find your Kick stream URL and key
Sign in at dashboard.kick.com, then go to Channel → Stream URL and Key. Kick shows both a server URL and a stream key on this page. Treat the stream key like a password; anyone with the key can broadcast on your channel.
If you have not set up 2FA yet, do it now. Kick requires two-factor authentication before you can broadcast, and you will want it regardless.
Step 2: connect OBS to Kick
Open OBS and go to Settings → Stream:
- Service: Custom.
- Server: paste the Kick stream URL.
- Stream Key: paste the stream key.
Click Apply, then OK. OBS now knows where to send the broadcast.
Step 3: pick safe output settings
Kick supports up to 1080p, 60 fps, and 8,000 kbps video. That is real room to test, but most new streamers look better with conservative settings than with the maximum. A safer starter preset:
- Output mode: Advanced.
- Encoder: NVENC (NVIDIA), Apple VT (mac), QuickSync (Intel), or AMD HW H.264.
- Rate control: CBR.
- Video bitrate: 4500 kbps for 1080p30, 6000 kbps for 1080p60.
- Keyframe interval: 2 seconds.
- Audio bitrate: 160 kbps AAC.
Run your upload speed through the stream bitrate calculator to confirm your preset fits your connection with 30% headroom. The bitrate you can sustain all stream is the bitrate you should use, not the one you wish for.
Step 4: set your video canvas and output
In Settings → Video, set Base (Canvas) Resolution to your monitor’s native resolution and Output (Scaled) Resolution to your stream resolution. A common pairing is a 1080p canvas on a 1080p stream (both 1920x1080) and a 1440p canvas on a 1080p stream (2560x1440 base, 1920x1080 output). For FPS, 30 is the safe default for 1080p; try 60 only after your 30 fps preset is stable.
Step 5: add sources and run a private test
Under Sources:
- Add a Game Capture (Windows) or Display Capture for your screen.
- Add a Video Capture Device for your webcam.
- Add an Audio Input Capture for your microphone.
- Add an Audio Output Capture if you want desktop audio as a separate track.
Run a 30 to 60 second recording with Controls → Start Recording. Listen with headphones and confirm your voice is louder than the game, there is no echo, and the picture is clean. Fix any of that before you go live.
Step 6: title the broadcast and go live
Back on dashboard.kick.com, open Edit Stream Info. Set a descriptive title, pick the right category, and choose whether you want stream chat in English-only mode (a common Kick preference). Save and then click Start Streaming in OBS.
Watch the bottom-right OBS meter for the first minute. If dropped frames appear, the connection is the bottleneck: lower bitrate by 1000 kbps, switch to Ethernet if you are on Wi-Fi, or try a different ingest region. If skipped frames appear, the encoder is the bottleneck: drop FPS before dropping resolution, or move to a hardware encoder.
Things that look different from Twitch
- H.264 only: Kick accepts H.264 streams. Do not push H.265 or HEVC; it is not supported on the ingest side.
- 8,000 kbps cap: anything above this is silently dropped or rejected. Set bitrate at or below the cap.
- Chat moderation: Kick’s chat culture rewards clear moderation rules. Set them before going live.
- Clips and VODs: Kick stores past broadcasts on the channel page. Trim them after the stream if needed.
Common first-stream problems
- Stream key rejected: the key was regenerated, or copied with an extra space. Re-copy it.
- Black screen on Game Capture: OBS was launched before the game was set to fullscreen, or the wrong capture mode was picked. Run OBS as Administrator on Windows if Game Capture refuses to attach.
- Echo or hollow sound: speakers are on. Switch to headphones.
- Music rights warning: background music is copyrighted. Use Kick’s cleared music options or your own royalty-free source.