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To loop a video in OBS, open the Media Source’s Properties and enable Loop. OBS will replay the file when it reaches the end. That is separate from Restart playback when source becomes active, which controls whether playback starts over when the source becomes visible in the current scene.
Set up a looping video in OBS
- Add or select the source: In the OBS scene where the video should appear, add a Media Source or select the existing one, then open its Properties.
- Choose the file: Select a local video or audio file. OBS documents video formats including .mp4, .ts, .mov, .flv, .mkv, .avi, .gif and .webm, and audio formats including .mp3, .aac, .ogg and .wav.
- Enable Loop: Turn on Loop to play the file again after it finishes. It is Off by default in the OBS documentation.
- Choose activation behavior: Leave Restart playback when source becomes active enabled if the clip should start from the beginning whenever its source becomes visible in the current scene. This option is On by default in the documentation.
- Check the preview: Confirm the video and audio behave as intended in the OBS preview before connecting to YouTube Live.
The OBS Knowledge Base page describing these settings is dated 2022-01-11. Labels and defaults can differ in later OBS versions, so check the installed build if a control is not where expected. OBS Media Sources documentation.
What the playback settings do
| Setting | What it controls | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Loop | Repeats the file after playback reaches the end. | Enable for a continuous background video or audio file. |
| Restart playback when source becomes active | Restarts playback when the source is in the current scene and becomes visible. | Keep enabled when each appearance should begin at the start. Turn it off if restarting on activation is not wanted; OBS documents the restart behavior but does not promise every resume case. |
| Show nothing when playback ends | Hides the ended source instead of leaving its final frame visible. | Useful for a one-time clip that should disappear when finished. The documented default is On. |
| Close file when inactive | Unloads the file while its source is hidden or off the current scene. | Consider it when a hidden file should use fewer resources. Reloading after the source becomes visible may take a short time; the documented default is Off. |
Other documented Media Source properties include hardware decoding (Off by default), speed (100% by default, adjustable from 1% to 200%) and YUV Color Range (Partial). These are separate from the loop and activation controls. OBS Media Sources documentation.
Choose settings for the clip’s job
Continuous background video or music
- Enable Loop so playback repeats at the end.
- Keep Restart playback when source becomes active on if returning to the scene should start the file over. If it is off, do not assume every OBS version or situation will resume exactly where playback stopped.
- Decide whether the file should remain loaded while hidden. Close file when inactive unloads it, but may cause a short reload delay when shown again.
Intro, alert or other one-time clip
- Leave Loop off.
- Enable Restart playback when source becomes active if every appearance should play from the beginning.
- Enable Show nothing when playback ends if the final frame should not remain on screen.
Playlist of clips
For a playlist rather than one file, consider OBS’s VLC Video source. It requires VLC to be installed; 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. The documented Loop Playlist default is On. Its Visibility Behaviour default is “Stop when not visible, restart when visible,” which governs the playlist’s behavior when hidden rather than the single-file Media Source’s Loop setting. OBS Media Sources documentation.
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Connect OBS playback to YouTube Live
The Media Source controls what OBS plays into its encoder output; it does not configure YouTube’s ingest connection. YouTube’s encoder workflow uses a stream URL and stream key, then asks you to start the encoder and check the Live Control Room preview.
- In YouTube’s live setup, retrieve the stream URL and stream key and enter them in the encoder connection settings in OBS.
- Start streaming from OBS and wait for the YouTube Live Control Room preview.
- Check the picture, motion and audio using a representative test before the event.
- During the stream, monitor stream health and audio/video quality in the Live Control Room.
YouTube’s current encoder guidance, crawled in 2026, recommends a 2-second keyframe frequency and says not to exceed 4 seconds; it lists 128 Kbps for stereo audio. The same guidance covers RTMP/RTMPS, H.264/H.265/AV1, up to 60 fps and CBR. These are encoder recommendations, not Media Source loop settings, and YouTube’s guidance can change. Check the current YouTube encoder settings when configuring a stream. YouTube also advises testing and monitoring the stream; see its encoder streaming setup.
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Troubleshoot playback that does not loop or restart
The clip stops at the end
Reopen the Media Source’s Properties and confirm Loop is enabled. Loop is Off by default; the restart-on-activation option does not replace it.
The clip starts over after switching scenes
Check Restart playback when source becomes active. When enabled, a source becoming visible in the current scene can restart playback. If you want to avoid that behavior, turn it off, but do not rely on undocumented resume behavior.
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The final frame remains visible
For a one-time clip, enable Show nothing when playback ends. Looping clips ordinarily do not reach a lasting end frame because playback repeats.
A hidden source reloads slowly
If Close file when inactive is enabled, OBS unloads the file while hidden or off the current scene. A short delay while it reloads after becoming visible is possible. Turn the option off if that delay is disruptive.
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Restart fails after an immediate hide-and-show
A narrow OBS issue report describes restart not taking effect if visibility is toggled extremely quickly just after playback ends, before the graphics thread processes the change. Avoid relying on an immediate visibility toggle in that circumstance; explicitly restart playback or allow the visibility state time to process. This report is a specific timing edge case, not evidence that ordinary scene switching fails. OBS issue 11040.
The OBS preview looks right but the YouTube stream does not
Check the YouTube Live Control Room preview and stream health, and test with audio and motion representative of the actual event. The source checkbox only governs playback inside OBS; YouTube’s preview and encoder checks diagnose the outgoing stream.
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