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How to Loop an OBS Video Playlist Continuously—and Control Hidden-Source Playback

Enable Loop Playlist on an OBS VLC Video Source, then set Visibility Behaviour separately to control playback when the source is hidden.
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To make a video playlist repeat in OBS, add a VLC Video Source, load the videos into its playlist, and enable Loop Playlist. Set Visibility Behaviour separately: OBS documents the default as stopping playback when the source is hidden and restarting it when shown. If you need a YouTube stream to keep running after you turn off your computer, OBS on your own machine is not the only option; see the cloud alternative below.

Set up a repeating video playlist in OBS

  1. Install VLC. The VLC Video Source requires VLC to be installed. If you use 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC as well. See the OBS Project’s Media Sources guide.
  2. Add the playlist source. In the OBS Sources dock, select +, choose VLC Video Source, and create or select a source. Add the video files you want to play to its playlist in the source properties. The exact dialog wording may vary by OBS version.
  3. Enable Loop Playlist. Turn on Loop Playlist in the VLC Video Source properties. OBS describes this control as restarting the source after it has run out of media files; its documented default is On.
  4. Choose Visibility Behaviour. Decide whether playback should continue, pause, or stop when the source is not visible. The documented default is Stop when not visible, restart when visible.
  5. Preview both transitions. Let the playlist reach its last item and confirm it returns to the first. Then hide the source and show it again to confirm the selected visibility behavior. Do these checks in your installed OBS version before relying on the playlist during a live broadcast.

The OBS setting descriptions cited here are from a guide dated January 11, 2022. Labels or behavior can differ in later releases, so check the Properties panel in your build rather than assuming every version is identical.

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Understand looping versus visibility

Loop Playlist controls the end of the list

This setting determines what happens after the VLC playlist has played through its files. It does not decide whether the playlist advances while its source is hidden.

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Visibility Behaviour controls a hidden source

Hiding a source with the eye icon, or switching to a scene where it is absent, makes it not visible. Visibility Behaviour determines whether it continues, pauses, or stops then restarts. With the documented default, hiding the source stops playback and showing it again restarts it.

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The official setting description identifies these continue, pause, and stop choices, but does not quantify resource use or guarantee precisely how playlist position is handled in every version. If you need a particular hide/show result, preview it in your own build.

When to use another OBS source type

One video file: Media Source

For a single local video rather than a multi-file playlist, OBS’s built-in Media Source has its own file-level Loop control and a separate Restart playback when source becomes active setting. Do not look for VLC’s Loop Playlist control in this source’s properties.

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A sequence of still images: Image Slide Show

Use Image Slide Show for still-image sequences. It has separate Loop and Visibility Behaviour settings; its documented defaults should not be assumed to match those of VLC Video Source.

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A plugin alternative

The community Media Playlist Source plugin describes playlist editing without restarting playback, saving the current-file state across OBS restarts, and shuffle. Its listing includes playback and visibility fixes, but compatibility depends on the OBS version and operating system. Check the listing and its release notes before installing or relying on it: Media Playlist Source.

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Troubleshoot common playlist problems

  • The playlist stops at the last file: confirm that Loop Playlist is enabled on the VLC Video Source. A single-file Media Source’s Loop checkbox is a different control.
  • The playlist starts over when you show it: that matches the documented default Visibility Behaviour. Select a continue or pause option if offered in your version and if that better suits the scene.
  • VLC Video Source is missing from Add Source: install VLC; for 64-bit OBS, use 64-bit VLC.
  • The source is enabled but absent from the preview: check the eye icon in the Sources dock and the source’s stacking order. A source can be enabled yet obscured by another source above it.
  • You are working with still images: use Image Slide Show and check its own Loop and Visibility Behaviour properties rather than applying video-playlist assumptions.
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OBS is the do-it-yourself route when you want to build and run the playlist on your own computer. If the goal is a YouTube channel that keeps playing uploaded videos while your computer is off, StreamNeo runs the stream from the cloud: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live.

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