First, check whether the black screen also appears in OBS’s live preview. If it does, troubleshoot the OBS scene or video source; if the preview looks correct and only YouTube is black, the problem is downstream of OBS, and the OBS settings below are not a confirmed fix for it.
Start by locating where the picture disappears
Watch OBS’s live preview while the gap occurs, then compare it with the YouTube stream. This simple check separates an OBS scene or source issue from a problem that appears only in the viewer-facing stream.
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- OBS preview is black: Follow the source-specific checks below, beginning with Media Source playback settings and scene visibility.
- OBS preview is correct, but YouTube is black: The OBS documentation cited here does not establish a cause for this YouTube-only symptom. Do not assume that changing Media Source settings will fix it.
OBS’s help pages were published in 2021 and 2022; labels or layouts can differ in later versions. Check the labels in your installed OBS version.
The Tool Desk
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For video files added as Media Sources, check what OBS is set to do when playback ends and when the source becomes inactive. OBS documents Loop, Show nothing when playback ends, and Close file when inactive as relevant controls. OBS Media Sources documentation
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- In the Sources dock, select the clip’s Media Source and open its properties.
- Check Loop. Enable it if that file should repeat after it finishes; leave it off if it should end or be replaced by another item.
- Check Show nothing when playback ends. If enabled, OBS can hide the source when the file finishes. That may be appropriate when a scene or another source should take over, but not when you expect a still image or continuous picture.
- Check Close file when inactive if the source is hidden or its scene is inactive. OBS says this unloads the file to free memory; when returning to a scene that uses it, the source may take a short time to reload and appear.
Choose settings for the intended transition. A single clip meant to repeat needs different end behavior from a playlist that changes scenes or files. These controls are relevant when OBS itself goes black at a clip boundary; they do not prove the cause of a black screen that occurs only on YouTube.
Check whether another source is hiding the video
OBS draws sources in layers: items higher in the Sources list appear above items lower down. A visible source above the video can cover it, and a hidden video source will not appear. OBS Sources Guide
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- During the black interval, look at the Sources dock and confirm the intended video source’s eye icon is enabled.
- Inspect sources higher in the list. If an image, color source, browser source, or other layer is covering the video, hide it temporarily or move the video above it to test.
- If the problem follows a scene switch, check visibility and stacking in the scene that becomes active, not only the scene that was playing before the switch.
Use the controls for the source type you actually added
OBS has different source types for local audio/video files, playlist playback, and captured displays, windows, games, or devices. Identify the source in the Sources dock before changing settings; a fix for one type does not necessarily apply to another. OBS Sources Guide
For a VLC playlist
If the videos are played through OBS’s VLC Video source, inspect that source’s playlist controls, including Loop Playlist and Visibility Behaviour, rather than treating it as a single Media Source. VLC must be installed. OBS specifies that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. See OBS Media Sources documentation.
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For display, window, or device capture
For a captured screen, application window, or video device, verify that the capture source is the one intended for the active scene and that it remains visible. Media Source end-of-playback controls do not govern these capture sources.
For Game Capture
Use Game Capture troubleshooting only when the black content is captured gameplay. OBS recommends checking the source setup, conflicting software, and multi-GPU configuration. If the captured image is the wrong size or its transform is stuck, OBS recommends Reset Transform and Fit to Screen. These steps do not establish a fix for gaps between local video files. See OBS Game Capture Troubleshooting.
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Consider rendering performance only when OBS shows strain
OBS uses GPU resources to render and composite scenes, and complex or resource-heavy sources can contribute to performance trouble. Treat this as a secondary path if the preview drops frames or shows other signs of rendering strain, not as the default explanation for every black gap. OBS’s performance guidance suggests testing a simpler scene and reducing demanding sources: OBS Encoding Performance Troubleshooting.
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- Disable resource-heavy sources one at a time to see whether preview behavior changes.
- If the preview remains clean and only YouTube is black, a simpler scene is not evidence that the YouTube-only cause has been identified.
Quick diagnosis by symptom
| What you observe | First area to inspect | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| OBS preview turns black at a clip boundary | Media Source end-of-playback and reload settings; source visibility and layer order | OBS documents these playback and stacking behaviors. Media Sources; Sources Guide |
| OBS preview turns black after a scene switch | Source visibility and order; whether Close file when inactive is enabled | A hidden source may need time to reload when its scene becomes active again. Media Sources; Sources Guide |
| OBS preview is black for captured gameplay | Game Capture setup, conflicting software, GPU selection, and transform | These are OBS’s documented checks for Game Capture. Game Capture Troubleshooting |
| OBS preview looks right, but YouTube is black | The issue remains downstream of the visible OBS preview | The OBS sources cited here do not identify the YouTube-specific cause. |
Or let it run in the cloud
If you are broadcasting uploaded videos as a continuous YouTube stream, StreamNeo is an alternative to keeping an OBS computer running. Upload your video or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live; StreamNeo loops the uploaded videos from the cloud. See StreamNeo.
Quick Recap
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
