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How to Loop a Sleep Video in OBS and Restart It When Playback Ends

Turn on Loop in an OBS Media Source to replay a sleep video at the end. Learn how restart-on-active and end-of-playback display settings differ.
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To keep one sleep video playing in OBS, add it as a Media Source, open its Properties, and enable Loop. If you also want it to start at the beginning whenever the source becomes active, enable Restart playback when source becomes active. Those settings do different jobs: Loop repeats the file at the end; restart-on-active resets it when the source activates.

Loop one sleep video in OBS

  1. In your OBS scene, add the video as a Media Source.
  2. Open the Media Source’s Properties.
  3. Enable Loop. OBS will replay the file when playback reaches its end.
  4. Optionally enable Restart playback when source becomes active if you want playback to begin at the start each time that source becomes active.
  5. Choose whether to enable Show nothing when playback ends. This controls what appears after playback ends; it does not turn looping on or off.

The Media Source is documented for Windows, macOS, and Linux. OBS lists MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM as supported video formats, but the extension alone does not guarantee that every codec or damaged file will play correctly. See OBS’s Media Sources guide.

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What the three playback settings do

Setting What it changes Use it for
Loop Replays a file when playback reaches its end. Continuous repetition of one video.
Restart playback when source becomes active Resets playback when the source becomes active. Starting from the beginning after making the source active.
Show nothing when playback ends Hides the source after the file ends rather than leaving its final frame displayed. Choosing the display after playback ends; it does not make the file repeat.

Loop a playlist instead of one file

For a playlist, add a VLC Video source rather than a Media Source. OBS documents the Loop Playlist setting for restarting when the source runs out of media files; the guide lists it as enabled by default. VLC must be installed for VLC Video to be available in OBS. For repeating a single sleep video, the built-in Media Source and its Loop setting are the simpler option. OBS Media Sources guide.

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Goal OBS source Relevant setting Requirement
Repeat one video Media Source Loop No additional playlist setup described by OBS.
Cycle a list of videos VLC Video Loop Playlist VLC installed.

Troubleshoot playback that stops or disappears

  • The video plays once and stops: open Properties for the actual Media Source and check Loop. Restart-on-active is not a substitute; it only resets playback when the source becomes active.
  • The scene goes blank or holds on the last frame: check Show nothing when playback ends. It controls the end-of-playback display, not replay.
  • A file will not play: check the file and codec, not just the filename extension. OBS’s listed formats do not ensure every file or codec will work.
  • An automated hide-and-show action misbehaves: OBS issue #11040 describes a timing edge case when automation quickly hides and re-shows a Media Source after a playback-ended event. In that reported scenario, the discussion recommends waiting at least 60 frames after the event before changing source visibility. This is a workaround for that automation case, not a requirement for ordinary looping. Read the OBS issue discussion.

Or let it run in the cloud

If the goal is a YouTube channel that keeps playing uploaded videos around the clock, StreamNeo is a cloud alternative to running OBS on your own computer. Upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. StreamNeo loops the uploaded video from the cloud; it does not stream from a camera or to platforms other than YouTube.

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