How to Upload 4K Videos to YouTube Successfully?

Uploading 4K to YouTube without quality loss, you have to make sure that the video is in the best position for uploading, which means, you have to set the video parameters by YouTube’s recommendations. The following section is the official recommended encoding settings for YouTube 4K video uploading:

Container

MP4

Video Codec

H.264
Progressive scan (no interlacing, see how to deinterlace)
Variable bitrate

Audio Codec

AAC-LC
Channels: Stereo or Stereo + 5.1
Sample rate: 96khz or 48khz

Frame Rate

Keep the original frame rate as it was recorded when uploading

Aspect Ratio

16 : 9

Video Bitrates for SDR Uploads
2160p (4K)

Video Bitrate, Standard Frame Rate (24, 25, 30): 35-45 Mbps
Video Bitrate, High Frame Rate (48, 50, 60): 53-68 Mbps

Video Bitrates for HDR Uploads
2160p (4K)

Video Bitrate, Standard Frame Rate (24, 25, 30): 44-56 Mbps
Video Bitrate, High Frame Rate (48, 50, 60): 66-85 Mbps

Audio Bitrates for Uploads

Mono: 128 kbps
Stereo: 384 kbps
5.1: 512 kbps

Note: To view new 4K uploads in 4K, use a browser or device that supports VP9.

For more information, please refer to: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en