Sometimes—but OBS documentation does not guarantee that a stream will keep rendering on every Windows PC after you lock it. OBS can play and loop a local video, and YouTube accepts encoder-based streams. A locked screen is not the same as sleep, signing out, or switching Windows users, and results can depend on the PC’s session, power settings, and graphics behavior. Test your own setup before relying on it unattended.
What locking the PC does—and does not—mean
Locking Windows normally leaves the current user session in place, with the sign-in screen covering the desktop. Sleep or hibernation suspends the computer; signing out ends the session; switching users changes which session is active. These states can affect OBS differently, so a report about one is not proof of what will happen in another.
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The OBS Project documents adding local media to a scene, but does not promise that OBS will keep rendering under every Windows lock-screen, graphics-driver, or power configuration. An OBS community thread opened in 2021 reports freezing after switching Windows users; a separate discussion opened in 2019 concerns screen locking and sleep behavior. Those reports illustrate possible failure modes, not a universal rule for all locked PCs. OBS forum: switching Windows users · OBS forum: screen sleep
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Set up a prerecorded video in OBS
- Add the file: In your OBS scene, add a Media Source and select the local video. OBS documents support for common formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, and WebM. Check that the file path points to a file available on this PC. See the OBS Media Sources guide.
- Choose playback behavior: Enable Loop if the video should repeat after it ends. Review the other Media Source options—such as restarting playback when the source becomes active and what to display at the end—so playback behaves as intended.
- Connect OBS to YouTube: Start an encoder-based live stream using YouTube’s current setup flow and the stream key for the intended broadcast. Keep the OBS session signed in to the Windows account that owns the running encoder. YouTube’s encoder live-streaming guide describes its encoder workflow.
- Confirm the feed before locking: In YouTube Studio, verify that the incoming feed is moving and that the expected audio is present. Starting OBS alone does not confirm that YouTube is receiving the intended picture and sound.
Test whether your stream survives a lock
- Keep the PC plugged into power and connected to the network. Adjust Windows power settings so sleep or hibernation will not begin during the planned stream.
- While the stream is active, lock the workstation without signing out or switching users.
- From another device, check the YouTube Studio feed or the live stream. Confirm that the picture continues moving and audio remains as expected.
- If the feed freezes, unlock the PC and investigate sleep or hibernation, a Windows user-session change, graphics or driver behavior, and the OBS media source. Change one factor at a time and repeat the check before leaving the PC unattended.
This is a verification procedure, not a guarantee: YouTube’s encoder guide and OBS’s media documentation do not establish that every locked Windows computer will keep rendering. The PC also needs uninterrupted power and network access for as long as it is responsible for encoding and sending the stream.
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If the PC cannot be part of the streaming dependency
YouTube’s encoder guide names standalone encoder hardware as an option for scheduling prerecorded media without a computer, including the AJA HELO Plus and PlayToStream. A dedicated device has its own setup and scheduling workflow, and requires a separate hardware purchase; current prices and availability are not established here. Check the manufacturer and YouTube’s current instructions before choosing a device.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Or let it run in the cloud
StreamNeo is a cloud service for keeping a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos. Upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live; the cloud handles the looping, so nothing has to stay on at home. It streams uploaded videos to YouTube, not a live camera feed.
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