To go live on Instagram, swipe right from Feed, choose Live and tap Go live. Instagram allows it only for public accounts with at least 1,000 followers, and it is off by default for Teen Accounts. You can invite up to three guests, assign one moderator, schedule a live from 1 hour to 90 days ahead, stream from a computer with Live Producer, and share the replay as a reel or find it in your Live archive for 30 days.
To go live on Instagram, swipe right anywhere in Feed, scroll to Live at the bottom, add a title and tap Go live. Instagram only lets a public account with 1,000 followers or more start a live video, and the feature is off by default for Teen Accounts.
Every rule on this page was read in the Instagram Help Center on 13 October 2026, starting with Start a live video on Instagram and the Live section. Words in double quotes are Instagram's own. The earlier version of this page described ranking boosts, viewer multipliers and sponsorship rates that had no source, and they have been removed.
Quick answer
- You need a public account with at least 1,000 followers. Private accounts cannot go live.
- On a phone: swipe right in Feed, scroll to Live, add a title, tap Go live.
- On a computer: Create, then Live video, then connect streaming software to Live Producer.
- Up to three guests can join, and one moderator can manage comments.
- You can schedule a live from 1 hour to 90 days ahead.
- Afterwards, share the replay as a reel or find it in your Live archive for 30 days.
Who can go live on Instagram?
This is where most people get stuck. Instagram's Help Center puts a follower minimum on Live, and it repeats the sentence on its pages about starting, scheduling and channel live videos.
| Requirement | What Instagram says |
|---|---|
| Public account | Required. "Only Instagram users who have a public account with 1,000 followers or more will be able to start a Live video." |
| 1,000 followers | Required for starting, scheduling and going live in a channel. Personal and professional accounts both qualify. |
| Age | Live is "off by default for Teen Accounts". Under 16 needs a parent or guardian to allow it. Ages 16 and 17 can turn it on themselves. |
| Account standing | You "may not be able to start a live video" if something you posted was removed under the Community Standards. |
| Account age | "Newly created accounts may not be able to go Live." Instagram gives no number of days. |
Sources: Start a live video on Instagram and About Instagram Teen Accounts, read 13 October 2026. The account type is not part of the rule. Instagram's page on Live insights says you need "a public (personal or professional) account with at least 1,000 followers to use Instagram Live".
If you are under the number, the work is audience first and Live second. Our guides on getting your first 1,000 followers and growing an Instagram account from zero cover that stage.
How to go live on Instagram from your phone
These are the steps the Help Center gives for the Instagram app on iPhone. It keeps the Android steps on a separate tab of the same page.
- 1Open the camera
Swipe right anywhere in Feed, then scroll to Live at the bottom of the screen.
- 2Add a title
Tap Add a title, type what the live is about and tap Done. A title is optional.
- 3Tap Go live
The number of viewers appears at the top of the screen and comments appear at the bottom.
- 4Talk to the room
Tap Comment to add your own comment. Tap any comment and choose Pin comment so viewers who join late can see it.
- 5End the live
Tap Close in the top right, then End Now to confirm. From the next screen you can share the video to your profile.
While you are live, the Options button gives you two controls. Turn off commenting stops comments, and any keyword filters you already use apply to live comments too. Turn off requests to go live stops viewers asking to join you. On an iPhone you can also tap Add from camera roll to show a photo or video from your phone, except in a live room with guests.
How to go live on Instagram from a computer
Instagram.com can host a live video, but the picture and sound come from streaming software on your computer. Instagram calls the page that connects the two Live Producer.
- Open Instagram.com and click Create, then Live video.
- Enter a title and select your audience. Instagram says "Practice will not start the live for anyone and Public will take you live to your followers."
- Copy the URL and stream key shown on the next screen. The key refreshes each time you use Live Producer.
- In your streaming software, choose Custom RTMP in the stream settings and paste both values.
- Start the stream in the software, wait for the preview to appear in Live Producer, then click Go live.
- To finish, click End live video in Live Producer first, then stop the software.
How to go live with someone else
Instagram's page on inviting guests says you "can invite up to three guests to join your Live using Live Rooms", which makes four people on screen. Guests must follow you before you can invite them. Start a live video, tap the invite icon, choose the followers you want and tap Invite. A guest who accepts appears in the room, and you will see if they decline. To remove a guest, tap the X at the top right of their frame.
A viewer can also ask to join by tapping the request button and then Send Request. If you do not want requests, turn them off under Options. For comment control, Instagram lets you assign one moderator. Tap Options, then Add Moderator, pick an account that is watching and tap Confirm. The moderator has to accept, and it cannot be one of your co-hosts.
- Appears on screen with you
- Must follow your account to be invited
- Up to three at a time
- Can be removed with the X on their frame
- Stays off screen and manages the comments
- Can report a comment or remove a viewer from the live
- Can turn off commenting for one account
- One per live, and you can review their actions afterwards
After the broadcast, tap Review moderator actions to see what was done. From there you can block a viewer, remove them as a follower or hide your future live videos from them.
How to schedule an Instagram Live
Instagram says you can schedule a live video "anywhere from 1 hour in advance to up to 90 days in advance". Tap Create, then Live, then Schedule on the left. Enter a title, pick the start time, tap Done and then Schedule live video.
- Up to 90 days beforeSchedule and share
Share the scheduled live to a post or story. It shows the title and start time, with an option for viewers to set a reminder.
- Until it startsIt sits on your profile
Your soonest scheduled live appears below your profile picture. Tap it to share, edit or cancel.
- 24 hours beforeYour first reminder
Instagram notifies you that the live is coming up.
- 45 minutes beforeLast chance to move it
You can change the start time up to this point.
- 15 minutes beforeYour second reminder
Open the app, check your connection and go live at the time you promised.
Choosing the hour is its own question. Our guide to the best time to post on Instagram shows how to read your followers' most active times in Insights, which is the right starting point for a live as well. Instagram's own tips for Live suggest promoting ahead with Stories and the countdown sticker, adding a title, and pinning a comment that introduces you, because followers tune in at different times.
Instagram Live limits in one table
| Feature | Limit or rule |
|---|---|
| Guests | Up to three guests in a Live Room, four people in total. Guests must follow you. |
| Moderators | One per live video. It cannot be a co-host and must be watching when assigned. |
| Scheduling | From 1 hour to 90 days ahead. The start time can change until 45 minutes before. |
| Live archive | Live videos are archived for 30 days, unless you turn archiving off. |
| Live insights | Available for up to 30 days after the broadcast ends. |
| Badges | Sold to viewers at $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99, up to $250 per viewer per live video. |
| Brand partner tags | Added under Details before you go live. Tagging is not available once you are live. |
| External link | One link per live video, in a limited number of markets including the United States. |
| Maximum length | Not stated in the Help Center. Four hours was the last limit Instagram announced, in October 2020. |
Sources, all read 13 October 2026: guests, moderators, scheduling, archive length, insights, badge prices and the $250 cap, brand partner tags and external links. On length, the Help Center pages name no maximum. TechCrunch reported on 27 October 2020 that Instagram raised the limit from 60 minutes to four hours for accounts in good standing, and that is the last figure Instagram announced.
What to do after your live ends
You have three ways to keep the video. On the end screen, tap Share as reel to open the reels publish screen, where you can write a caption and tag people. Tap Download to save it to your camera roll. Or leave it: live videos are saved to your Live archive, which you reach from your profile menu under Archive, and Instagram says they are archived for 30 days.
Instagram lists three limits on a replay. It "won't include any likes or comments from your original live video", the viewer count restarts once you share it, and you cannot edit or trim it first. If you would rather keep nothing, you can turn off Save Live to Archive in the camera settings. The replay is posted as a reel, so the advice in how to post a reel on Instagram on captions and covers applies.
Then read the numbers. Live insights stay available for up to 30 days and show viewers, peak concurrent viewers, comments, shares and accounts engaged. Peak concurrent viewers tells you how many people you held at once, which is the figure to compare between lives. The Instagram analytics hub explains how these sit beside your post and reel metrics.
Can you earn money from Instagram Live?
Instagram's own tool for Live is badges. Viewers buy a badge during the broadcast at one of three levels, and Instagram lists the prices as $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99. A viewer can spend up to $250 on badges in one live video, and you can see a list of supporters for up to 90 days. On eligibility, Instagram's creator page for badges says the feature is available to eligible creators in the United States who are 18 or older, have at least 10,000 followers and follow its monetization policies, and that access in ten other countries is by invitation. Instagram does not publish, on the pages read for this guide, what share of a badge reaches the creator.
Two rules apply when a brand is involved. Instagram requires the paid partnership label on branded content in Live, and you add the brand under Details before you start, because tagging is not available once you are live. In the United States, the FTC's Disclosures 101 says a disclosure in a live stream "should be repeated periodically so viewers who only see part of the stream" still get it. Our guides on Instagram monetization requirements and getting brand deals on Instagram cover the other tools, and Instagram Ignited, our Instagram program, covers building the audience a live needs.
You can also pay to widen the room. Instagram lets you boost a live video as an ad, which runs only while you are streaming, and it recommends scheduling the ad at least two hours ahead.
Why can't I go live on Instagram?
Work through the causes Instagram documents before you reinstall anything.
- Fewer than 1,000 followers. The Live option is not offered below that number.
- A private account. The rule names public accounts. Switching to public is the only fix.
- A Teen Account. Live is off by default, and under 16 a parent or guardian has to allow it.
- Removed content. Open Account Status from your profile menu to see whether a feature is limited and to request a review.
- A new account. Instagram says newly created accounts may not be able to go live, and gives no waiting period.
Repeated violations have a cost here. Instagram's ranking explainer says that if content keeps breaking the Community Standards, "we may prevent you from using certain sharing features, such as streaming on Instagram Live". Our guide to an Instagram account restricted notice explains the review process, and the Instagram Reach Drop Diagnoser helps if the problem is views, not access. More guides are in the Instagram growth library.
Going live on Instagram: FAQ
How do you go live on Instagram?
In the Instagram app, swipe right anywhere in Feed, scroll to Live at the bottom, tap Add a title if you want one, then tap Go live. The viewer count appears at the top and comments at the bottom. To finish, tap Close in the top right and then End Now. Your account must be public and have at least 1,000 followers.
How many followers do you need to go live on Instagram?
One thousand. The Instagram Help Center says "Only Instagram users who have a public account with 1,000 followers or more will be able to start a Live video." The account type does not matter: a personal or professional account qualifies as long as it is public. Scheduling a live video and going live inside a channel carry the same requirement.
Why can't I go live on Instagram?
Instagram documents five causes. The account has fewer than 1,000 followers, the account is private, it is a Teen Account (live is off by default), it previously posted something removed under the Community Standards, or it was created recently. Check Account Status in your settings to see whether a feature has been limited, then update the app.
How long can an Instagram Live be?
Instagram's Help Center does not state a maximum length on the pages read on 13 October 2026. The last figure Instagram announced was four hours, reported by TechCrunch on 27 October 2020 when the limit rose from 60 minutes for accounts in good standing. Plan for four hours at most and expect the broadcast to end there.
Can you go live on Instagram from a computer?
Yes, with streaming software. On Instagram.com click Create, then Live video, enter a title and choose Practice or Public. Instagram shows a URL and a stream key to paste into your software as a custom RTMP destination. Start the stream there, check the preview in Live Producer and click Go live.
Can you schedule an Instagram Live in advance?
Yes, from 1 hour to 90 days ahead. Tap Create, then Live, then Schedule, enter a title and start time and tap Schedule live video. You can share the scheduled live to a post or story with a reminder button, and you can change the start time until 45 minutes before it begins.
Can you save an Instagram Live after it ends?
Yes. Tap Share as reel on the end screen to post a replay, or Download to save the video to your camera roll. Live videos are also kept in your Live archive for 30 days. A replay does not include the likes or comments from the broadcast, and you cannot trim it before sharing.