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If OBS says a showroom clip or other media file cannot be found, open that Media Source’s properties and check its Local File selection. Relink it if the file was moved or renamed; restore it if it was deleted. Then confirm the source is visible in the right scene, not covered by another source, and working in the live composition before you start.
1. Find the affected Media Source
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In OBS, select the scene where the missing video or audio should appear—for example, your pre-stream, break, or after-stream scene.
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In the Sources list, find the expected Media Source. OBS uses Media Sources to add media files to scenes. Its supported examples include video formats such as MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, and WebM, and audio formats such as MP3, AAC, OGG, and WAV. See the OBS Media Sources guide.
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If the expected source is not listed in the selected scene, check the other scenes before adding a replacement. A source in a different scene will not appear in the one currently selected.
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2. Check and repair the file path
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Right-click the affected Media Source and open Properties.
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Inspect the Local File selection. Compare the selected location and filename with the asset’s current location and name.
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If you moved or renamed the file, use the file selection control to point the source to its current location. If you deleted it, restore the intended asset and select the restored file. The correct fix depends on what happened to the original file.
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Apply the change and check whether the media appears in the OBS preview. Do not change bitrate, encoder, or YouTube stream settings to fix a missing local file: the message concerns OBS’s selected media file and does not by itself show that the stream connection or media codec is at fault.
OBS documents the Local File setting in its Media Sources guide; relinking a moved or renamed file, or restoring a deleted one, follows from that local-file setup.
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3. If you moved OBS or copied the setup to another computer
Portable mode can carry OBS configuration, but it does not automatically carry the media files used by a scene collection. If the setup moved to another folder or device, OBS may still be looking at the old file location.
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Open the affected Media Source’s properties and update its Local File selection to the file’s location on this computer.
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If you will use the scene collection on multiple devices, either update the paths on each device or arrange for the asset to use a generic path that exists on all of them.
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Test the scene on the device that will run the stream. A configuration that opens successfully does not prove its media files are available there.
See OBS’s explanation of portable mode for the limitation on files used within a scene collection.
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4. Confirm the source is visible and unobstructed
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Check the eye/visibility control beside the source in the Sources list. If it is disabled, enable it.
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Check the source order. In OBS, a source higher in the list appears above sources below it and can obscure them. Move the media source above an overlapping source if needed.
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Confirm the source belongs to the scene you intend to show. A correctly configured source in another scene will not appear in the current scene.
OBS describes source visibility and stacking in its Sources guide.
5. Check playback options and preflight the scene
In the Media Source properties, check playback options such as Loop and restarting playback when the source becomes active. Set them according to the showroom use: a clip intended to play once should not be set to loop, while a clip that should repeat needs looping enabled.
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Select each scene the stream will use and verify that its intended media appears and behaves correctly.
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If you use Studio Mode, stage changes in the preview/edit area and transition them to the live scene only when ready.
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Test the full scene sequence before going on air. OBS recommends testing scenes and settings before a live stream; its Quick Start Guide covers setup and testing.
6. When a VLC Video source is relevant
OBS also provides a VLC Video source for playlists and extended media support, but it requires VLC to be installed. It is an alternative workflow, not a required repair for one missing local file. First restore or relink the file in the existing Media Source unless you specifically need playlist handling or VLC-supported media behavior. Details are in the OBS Media Sources guide.
Common symptoms and fixes
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| OBS cannot find the file after you reorganized folders or changed its name | The Local File selection still points to the previous location or filename | Open the Media Source properties and select the file at its current location. |
| The file was removed | The selected asset is no longer available | Restore the intended asset, then select it in the Media Source properties. |
| The scene collection opens on a different computer, but media is missing | Scene media files are not automatically carried by portable mode | Make the files available on that computer and update the source paths, or use a generic path shared by the devices. |
| The source is listed, but the media is not visible | The source may be hidden, obscured by a source above it, or in another scene | Enable its visibility, check the Sources order, and select the intended scene. |
What this error does—and does not—tell you
A file-not-found message means OBS cannot use the file at the source’s configured selection. On its own, it does not establish that the codec is unsupported or that YouTube’s stream connection is broken. Check the local file and scene first. OBS’s documented Media Source settings support that distinction, but the diagnosis depends on your setup and the message alone does not identify why the path stopped working.
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