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How to Fix OBS Media Source Not Looping in a YouTube 24/7 Stream

Turn on Loop for a single OBS Media Source or use VLC Video with Loop Playlist for multiple clips. Learn which playback settings matter and how to test a YouTube 24/7 stream.
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If one video stops instead of repeating, select its OBS Media Source, open Properties, and turn on Loop. For several videos, use a VLC Video source and enable Loop Playlist. These are separate controls: Restart playback when source becomes active concerns visibility, not what happens when a file reaches its end.

Choose the looping control for your source

One video: Media Source

  1. In your scene’s Sources list, select the Media Source that contains the video.
  2. Open its Properties.
  3. Enable Loop, then apply or confirm the change.
  4. Test the source through the end of the clip and check that it starts again.

OBS Project’s Media Sources documentation describes Loop as replaying a file when playback completes; the documented default is Off. If your interface labels differ, check the controls in your installed OBS version.

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Several videos: VLC Video

  1. Add a VLC Video source to the scene.
  2. Open its Properties and add the files to the playlist.
  3. Enable Loop Playlist so playback restarts after the playlist runs out.
  4. Choose whether to play in listed order or enable Shuffle Playlist; shuffling controls order, not whether the playlist repeats.
  5. Test the playlist through its end and confirm that it begins again.

VLC Video uses VLC libraries for extended media support, so VLC must be installed. OBS says 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. If VLC Video is missing from the source menu, check that dependency and match the application architecture. OBS lists playlist behavior and visibility options in its Media Sources documentation.

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Do not confuse looping with visibility settings

  • Loop repeats a single Media Source file at end of playback.
  • Restart playback when source becomes active determines what happens when the source becomes visible or active. It is not a replacement for Loop. OBS documents this option as On by default.
  • Show nothing when playback ends affects what the source displays after playback ends; it does not enable looping.
  • Close file when inactive unloads media while the source is hidden. Reopening it when shown can cause a short reload delay.
  • For VLC Video, Loop Playlist controls repeating the playlist, while Shuffle Playlist controls its order. VLC Video also has visibility behavior choices, such as stopping or restarting playback, pausing or unpausing, or always playing.

These controls are described by OBS Project in its Media Sources reference. A historical 2017 OBS forum thread records a similar question about looping videos for a YouTube stream, but its VLC advice is community guidance from that time, not current compatibility documentation: “Looping sources infinitely?”.

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Test the loop before relying on a long broadcast

A loop setting addresses source playback inside OBS. It does not make the whole broadcast immune to an OBS crash, computer sleep, network failure, or YouTube ingest interruption. Test the media behavior separately from stream continuity.

  1. Start the scene and confirm the source is visible and the local file loads.
  2. Let playback reach the actual end of the clip, then verify it begins again. For a playlist, let the final entry finish and confirm the playlist restarts.
  3. If the source fails to repeat, record your OBS version, operating system, file container and codec, source properties, and OBS log. Those details are needed to narrow down a case-specific problem.
  4. If the source loops but the live broadcast disconnects, troubleshoot the connection, OBS stability, and YouTube ingest separately; changing the source’s loop control will not repair those failures.
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