To include a video file already on your computer in a screen recording, add it to your scene as an OBS Studio Media Source. You can position it alongside other scene elements and choose whether it loops, restarts when active, or disappears when playback ends. OBS documents Media Source for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Play a local video in an OBS screen recording
OBS treats a local clip as a source in a scene, rather than requiring you to play it in a separate window and capture that window. This is the documented route to compose a recording with a video and other visual sources.
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- Open or create the scene. In OBS Studio, select the scene you intend to record, or create one for the recording.
- Add the clip. In the Sources area, select the add control and choose Media Source. Create a new source, give it a recognizable name, and select the local video file in its properties.
- Choose playback behavior. Enable looping if the clip should repeat. Set it to restart when the source becomes active if it should begin from the start when shown. If it should play only once and then be removed from view, enable the option to hide the source when playback ends. Choose the behavior that matches the recording; these settings are not interchangeable.
- Arrange the scene. Position and resize the video source in the preview. Place it relative to your other sources so the recording shows the intended composition.
- Record the scene. Start recording in OBS and confirm the clip appears as expected in the resulting recording.
OBS lists MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM among the video formats supported by Media Source. That list does not guarantee that every file, codec combination, or playback behavior will work identically on every system. OBS describes the feature as: “Media source adds different types of media files to your scenes.” OBS Project: Media Sources.
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If the file needs different media support
OBS also documents a VLC Video source for extended media support and playlists. VLC must be installed for this source to appear. OBS notes that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. Consult the OBS media-source documentation for the current source options and settings.
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Use VLC to record playback or the desktop
VLC has documented recording capabilities, but its playback-recording and desktop-recording instructions are separate workflows. VideoLAN explains recording content being played with the Record button and separately documents making a video recording of watched content or the desktop. Its cited instructions do not describe a composited scene in which a local clip is layered with screen and camera sources; use OBS when that scene composition is the goal.
- VideoLAN: Recording describes recording content being played.
- VideoLAN: Screen recording describes saving a desktop recording locally.
Choose the right workflow
| Need | Best fit from the documented options | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Put a local clip into a composed recording with other visual sources | OBS Media Source | The clip is a source within an OBS scene, with loop, restart, and hide-after-playback options documented by OBS. |
| Record content playing in VLC | VLC playback recording | VideoLAN documents recording playback; this is not the same as adding a clip to a layered OBS-style scene. |
| Save a recording of the desktop using VLC | VLC screen recording | VideoLAN documents this separately from recording playback. |
Audio, DRM, and other limits to check
The documented OBS workflow establishes how to add a local video file to a scene; it does not guarantee audio routing, DRM playback, or compatibility with every codec combination. Confirm that the clip’s picture and any audio you need are present in the finished recording before relying on the setup. The cited sources also do not establish how built-in recorders or system-audio capture behave across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, so this guide does not assume those behaviors.
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Or let it run in the cloud
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