StreamLive Pro

OBS says "Failed to connect to server

OBS shows "Failed to connect to server" when streaming to StreamLive Pro: the usual causes in order, a symptom table, the checks to run, and what to send to support.

Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read

When OBS cannot connect to StreamLive Pro, the most likely cause is the address or the key: a character lost when pasting, the key of a different broadcast, or the address and the key swapped between the two fields. The next most likely is the network: plain RTMP uses port 1935, which many office, school and venue networks block, while RTMPS uses port 443 and almost always gets through. A third cause is specific to StreamLive Pro: after you stop a broadcast, its address is switched off on purpose, so an encoder that is still pushing, or a key that leaked, cannot put it back on air.

Symptom table

Steps

1. Check the account first. If the Encoder card shows that RTMP and OBS are on paid plans, the account is in the trial: encoders are not available until you choose a plan (pricing page).
2. Copy again, from the right broadcast. Open the broadcast you are about to stream on the Live stream page. Copy the address and the key with their copy buttons, not by selecting text. A key from yesterday's broadcast does not open today's.
3. Check the OBS fields. In OBS, Settings, Stream: Service must be Custom, the address goes in Server, the key in Stream Key. Do not paste the address and key joined together into Server and the key again into Stream Key.
4. Switch to RTMPS. If you used the RTMP tab, copy the address from the RTMPS tab instead. The key is the same on both tabs. RTMPS runs on port 443, the port every secure web page uses (RTMP vs RTMPS vs SRT: which one to use and when).
5. Restart a broadcast you stopped. When you press Stop stream, StreamLive Pro switches that broadcast's address off, and it stays off until you start the broadcast again from StreamLive Pro or its schedule fires. Start it again, or create a new broadcast with New stream and Stream from software like OBS (RTMP / SRT) and use its key.
6. Rule out the network. Try another connection, for example a phone hotspot, for one minute. If OBS connects there, the first network blocks the port or the protocol. A VPN or a strict firewall can do the same.
7. For SRT, check the passphrase. A push without the right passphrase is refused. Field by field: Stream with SRT from OBS, vMix or a hardware encoder.

If OBS connects but StreamLive Pro shows no picture, that is a different problem: see My encoder says it is streaming, but there is no picture.

When to contact support

If OBS still fails after the steps above on two different networks, write to [email protected]. Send:

• the broadcast title, and the date and time you tried, with your time zone;
• the OBS version and your operating system;
• the protocol tab you used (RTMP, RTMPS or SRT);
• a screenshot of OBS Settings, Stream with the key hidden;
• the exact OBS message, and whether a phone hotspot made a difference.

Never send the stream key itself.

Frequently asked questions

Why does OBS say "Failed to connect to server" with StreamLive Pro?

Usually the address or key was copied wrong, the key belongs to another broadcast, or the network blocks port 1935. Copy both again from the open broadcast and try the RTMPS tab.

Should I use RTMP or RTMPS in OBS?

RTMPS. It is encrypted and runs on port 443, which networks rarely block. The key is the same on both tabs.

OBS worked yesterday with the same settings. What changed?

If you stopped that broadcast, its address was switched off on purpose. Start the broadcast again from StreamLive Pro, or create a new broadcast and use its key.

Can I stream from OBS during the trial?

No. The 7-day trial streams from the browser studio only, and the Encoder card shows no address.

Does a firewall or VPN cause this?

It can. Test once on a phone hotspot; if OBS connects there, the network or the VPN is blocking the stream.

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