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You can’t insert your own uploaded video as a manual pre-roll ad on an active YouTube live stream. If you want viewers to see your opening video before a scheduled event, YouTube’s built-in option is a scheduled-stream trailer. If you mean an advertisement, YouTube—not the creator—selects and serves pre-roll ads when monetization is enabled.
First, choose the feature that matches what you mean
| What you want | YouTube feature | Where or when it appears | Can it be your uploaded video? |
|---|---|---|---|
| An ad before a monetized live stream | Automatic pre-roll ad | Before the stream for viewers selected by YouTube’s ad system | No. It is platform-served advertising. |
| Your own branded or informational opening clip | Scheduled-stream trailer | On the scheduled stream’s watch page before the event begins | Yes, if your channel and video meet YouTube’s requirements. |
| An ad break while you are live | Mid-roll ad | During the live stream | No. A mid-roll is an ad break, not an uploaded trailer. |
YouTube Help explains that pre-roll ads run automatically. You cannot choose an uploaded video as the ad creative, and an ad is not guaranteed to appear for every viewer. See YouTube’s live-stream ad guidance.
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How to add your own video before a scheduled live stream
Use YouTube Studio’s trailer setting. The clip plays on the scheduled stream’s watch page before the event starts; it is not inserted as an ad into an already-active stream.
- Upload the trailer. Add the intended clip to your channel as a regular YouTube video.
- Open YouTube Studio. Choose Go Live.
- Choose the scheduled stream. Create a scheduled live stream, or select an existing one from the Manage tab.
- Open the customization settings. Select Edit, then Customize.
- Add and save the trailer. In Trailer, click Add, choose the uploaded video, and save.
YouTube documents this workflow in Manage live stream settings. Check the scheduled stream’s watch page after saving so you can confirm the trailer is attached to the intended event.
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Eligibility and trailer requirements
- YouTube says the channel must have more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guideline strikes.
- The trailer must be 15 seconds to 3 minutes long.
- Use a video format supported by YouTube. YouTube recommends matching the trailer’s aspect ratio and resolution to the stream video.
- Make sure you have the necessary rights to all audio and video, and that the clip complies with YouTube’s Community Guidelines.
These are YouTube’s published operational requirements on its current help pages, accessed in 2026—not performance guarantees. If the trailer control is unavailable, check channel eligibility and confirm that you are editing a scheduled stream.
If you meant a YouTube-served pre-roll ad
For a monetized live stream, review monetization in Live Control Room. YouTube says pre-roll and display ads turn on automatically when monetization is enabled. YouTube’s ad system determines which eligible viewers receive an ad; some viewers may go straight to the stream. Creators cannot specify a particular ad or substitute their own uploaded clip.
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For the current explanation, see YouTube Help’s Tips on how ads work – Live.
Mid-roll ads are different
Mid-rolls are ad breaks during a live stream. YouTube supports automatic, scheduled, and manual approaches in Live Control Room, and its guidance recommends automatic mid-rolls. Scheduled options let creators choose intervals; manual insertion means choosing when to place breaks. Because a mid-roll interrupts the live viewing experience, it is not an opening trailer and does not guarantee an ad impression.
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See YouTube’s live monetization guidance for available controls. YouTube also mentions an optional Stream Deck plugin for inserting ads; a control device does not add a custom uploaded pre-roll trailer.
Common problems and fixes
- No Trailer option appears: Confirm you are editing a scheduled live stream under Go Live → Manage → Edit → Customize. Check that the channel has more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guideline strikes.
- The video cannot be selected: Confirm it has finished uploading and is an eligible, supported video between 15 seconds and 3 minutes long.
- The trailer does not play before an active stream: The trailer is for a scheduled stream’s watch page before the event starts; it is not a clip injected into a live broadcast already underway.
- Viewers do not all see an ad: YouTube does not guarantee a pre-roll for every viewer. The creator cannot force an ad or replace it with a personal video.
- You want an ad break during the broadcast: Use the mid-roll controls in Live Control Room instead of the trailer setting.
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