How to broadcast games with Beam on Windows 10

Microsoft's Beam on Windows 10 lets anyone stream gameplay online — Here's how to set it up to start broadcasting your favorite games.

Beam broadcast on Windows 10

On the Creators Update, Windows 10 now integrates Beam, which is a live streaming service from Microsoft, similar to Twitch and YouTube Gaming, that gives you the ability to stream or watch someone else play your favorite games in real-time.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to start broadcasting your favorite games using Beam on Windows 10. (You can use this guide to configure and use Beam on Xbox One.)

How to Beam broadcast on Windows 10

  1. Use the Windows key + G keyboard shortcut to open the GameBar.

  2. Click the Beam stream icon on GameBar.

    Windows 10 GameBar with Beam
    Windows 10 GameBar with Beam
  3. Choose to enable the camera, microphone, and where the broadcast overlay appears.

  4. Click Start broadcast to complete the task.

    Start Beam broadcast
    Start Beam broadcast

Once you completed the steps, you will be instantly streaming your favorite game live on Beam.

How to access Beam broadcasting settings on Windows 10

You can access even more settings, doing the following:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on Gaming.

  3. Click on Broadcasting.

    Beam broadcasting setting on Windows 10
    Beam broadcasting setting on Windows 10

In the section, you can change audio settings and quality. You can choose to have your microphone enabled and use echo cancellation, and there are controls to set the mic and system volume while broadcasting.

This page also allows you to enable camera or capture mouse course during a broadcast.

If you can’t find Beam on Windows 10, it’s probably because you’re not running the Windows 10 Creators Update. If you’re an Insider, you can use this feature starting build 15031 and later.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.