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How to Schedule OBS to Start a YouTube Loop Stream Automatically

YouTube schedules the broadcast; OBS supplies the looping video and encoder. Learn the setup, auto-start limits, and how to end the stream cleanly.
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Short answer: YouTube Studio can schedule the broadcast, and OBS can loop a video and send it to YouTube—but scheduling a broadcast does not launch OBS on your computer. YouTube’s documented scheduled-stream workflow has you start OBS, wait for the preview, and click Go live. You can enable YouTube’s auto-start option to go live when OBS begins sending video, but you still need a separate computer-side method to start OBS at a chosen time.

What “schedule OBS” actually involves

There are two separate jobs: YouTube Studio creates and schedules the broadcast, while OBS runs the encoder that sends the video. A scheduled broadcast lets you promote the event and viewers can receive reminders; it does not, by itself, open OBS or start its stream.

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For a hands-on scheduled stream, YouTube’s documented flow is to start the encoder, wait for the incoming preview in Live Control Room, then click Go live. YouTube also exposes an auto-start setting: when enabled for a scheduled broadcast, the broadcast can start automatically once video arrives on its bound stream. That setting changes what happens after OBS sends data; it does not start OBS at the scheduled time.

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Set up a video or playlist to loop in OBS

Loop one video with Media Source

  1. In OBS, add a Media Source to the scene you intend to stream.
  2. Select the local video file.
  3. Enable Loop. OBS will replay the file when playback completes.

Loop multiple videos with VLC Video

  1. Install VLC before configuring the source. OBS’s VLC Video source requires VLC; if you use 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC.
  2. Add a VLC Video source to the scene and add the files to its playlist.
  3. Leave Loop Playlist enabled so playback returns to the start of the playlist when it reaches the end.

Use Media Source for a single repeating file and VLC Video for a playlist. Both methods loop media locally; neither schedules OBS to launch.

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Schedule the YouTube broadcast and connect OBS

  1. Create the scheduled event: In YouTube Studio, select Create → Go Live, open Manage, and choose Schedule Stream. Reuse settings or create a new stream, then set the event details and schedule.
  2. Connect the encoder: In OBS, configure the YouTube service if available, or enter YouTube’s live server URL and stream key in the streaming settings. Use the stream key associated with the scheduled broadcast.
  3. Start OBS at airtime: Start streaming in OBS. Confirm that the video preview appears in YouTube Live Control Room.
  4. Make the broadcast public: In YouTube’s documented workflow, click Go live in Live Control Room after the preview appears.

YouTube’s Live Streaming API defines enableAutoStart as starting a broadcast automatically when video begins arriving on its bound live stream. If you enable auto-start for the scheduled broadcast, OBS starting to send video can remove the separate Go live click. Check the broadcast’s settings rather than assuming all scheduled streams use auto-start.

Can OBS start at a set time without you?

Not through YouTube’s broadcast schedule alone. To make the computer-side part unattended, you need a separate launcher—such as an operating-system task scheduler or another computer-side automation—to open OBS and start streaming at the desired time. The exact configuration depends on the operating system and OBS setup; YouTube’s scheduling feature does not supply it.

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That automation also depends on the computer being available and able to run OBS and send the stream. Do not treat a scheduled event or YouTube auto-start as proof that the encoder will be running. If you require a fully unattended launch, test the complete path—including the launcher, OBS, and the broadcast settings—before relying on it.

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How to end the stream cleanly

Stopping the encoder feed and ending the YouTube broadcast are related, but they are separate controls. The Live Streaming API describes auto-stop as occurring around one minute after the owner stops sending video. With auto-stop disabled, OBS guidance says a scheduled broadcast can be ended through Live Control Room; if you end it there, stop OBS as well.

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YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. Treat that as YouTube’s stated behavior, not a guarantee for every configuration or a promise that an interrupted stream will be archived as expected.

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Troubleshooting

  • The scheduled event exists, but OBS is not running: Scheduling created the YouTube broadcast, not a computer-side launch. Start OBS yourself or configure and test a separate launcher.
  • OBS is streaming, but the broadcast has not gone live: Wait for the preview in Live Control Room and use Go live for YouTube’s documented manual workflow. If you expect automatic start, verify that auto-start is enabled for the scheduled broadcast and that OBS is sending to its bound stream.
  • You do not see the video preview: Check that OBS is streaming, that it is using the correct YouTube server URL and stream key, and that the expected scene and looping source are active.
  • The playlist source is unavailable: Confirm VLC is installed and that its architecture matches OBS—64-bit VLC for 64-bit OBS.
  • The stream ended but the YouTube event remains open, or vice versa: Check auto-stop behavior. If you end the event in Live Control Room, stop the OBS stream too.

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