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Windows Task Scheduler can open OBS at a set time and start streaming with OBS’s --startstreaming launch parameter. That schedules a launch, not a full stop-and-restart: if OBS or a stream is already running, you must plan and test that separate stop action. You also need the right YouTube broadcast settings and an interactive Windows session for the desktop OBS setup.
What Task Scheduler can—and cannot—do
OBS documents --startstreaming to start streaming when OBS launches. It also supports launch-time selection of a profile, scene collection, and scene. For scheduled tasks on Windows, OBS says to set the task’s working directory to the folder containing obs64.exe. See the OBS Project’s Launch Parameters.
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This starts OBS and its stream output at the scheduled time. The launch parameter does not document stopping an existing stream or closing an OBS process first. If your overnight routine requires ending a still-running session and then starting another, design and test the stop/close step separately; do not treat a second launch as a clean restart. OBS’s --multi option suppresses a multiple-instance warning, but it is not a restart command.
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Prepare OBS and the YouTube broadcast
Check the OBS scene and stream configuration
Before scheduling anything, start the loop manually. Confirm the intended profile, scene collection, scene, media source, and YouTube stream configuration work together. If the loop relies on a media source, check that it reaches the end and behaves as intended before depending on an overnight run.
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OBS can select configured items at launch with --profile, --collection, and --scene. Use the exact names shown in your OBS setup; the names and installation path vary by computer.
Check the YouTube encoder and broadcast settings
YouTube’s live stream settings provide the stream URL and key used by an encoder such as OBS. Keep the key private. If you are using a scheduled YouTube broadcast, OBS’s YouTube streaming guide describes selecting the existing broadcast before starting.
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In YouTube Studio, check whether auto-start and auto-stop are enabled for the broadcast. With auto-start on, beginning encoder output can take the broadcast live; with it off, you may need to press Go Live in YouTube. The OBS guide notes that auto-stop ends the broadcast when the encoder stops, removing the possibility of reconnecting to that same broadcast. Choose settings based on whether you want to reconnect to the same broadcast or end it, then start a different one. Verify the current controls in YouTube Studio before relying on them.
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Create the scheduled task
- Choose the trigger. In Task Scheduler, create a task with a daily time trigger for the overnight start time. A daily clock-time trigger fits a recurring nightly schedule; a startup or logon trigger is for a different event. Microsoft documents these trigger types in Task Triggers and the schtasks create reference.
- Set the action to launch OBS. For Program/script, browse to the full path of
obs64.exe. A typical installation may place it under Program Files, but use the actual path on your computer. - Add launch arguments. In Add arguments, enter the flags you need. For example:
--profile "Streaming" --collection "Loop" --scene "Overnight" --startstreaming. Replace those example names with your configured profile, collection, and scene. Keep quotation marks around names that contain spaces. - Set the working directory. In Start in, enter the folder that contains
obs64.exe, without adding the executable name. OBS explicitly calls for this working directory when using a scheduled task. - Choose the run context. Configure the task to run under the Windows account that owns the OBS configuration and use the interactive-only option so OBS runs in that user’s desktop session. Microsoft notes that interactive-only tasks require the configured user to be logged on. A task configured to run without an interactive desktop may not operate the intended OBS session.
- Save and test it while logged in. Use Task Scheduler’s Run action. Check that the correct OBS profile and scene open, OBS begins sending data, and the intended YouTube broadcast becomes live. If auto-start is off, confirm whether a manual Go Live action is still required.
Action fields at a glance
| Task field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Program/script | Full path to the installed obs64.exe |
| Add arguments | --profile "Streaming" --collection "Loop" --scene "Overnight" --startstreaming, adjusted to match your OBS names |
| Start in | The directory containing obs64.exe |
| Trigger | A daily time and recurrence that match the intended overnight start |
| Run as | The Windows account that owns the OBS setup; interactive-only requires that account to be logged on |
Microsoft’s command reference documents schedule types and the interactive-only run-as-user option in schtasks create. The exact Task Scheduler labels can differ by Windows version.
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Make the schedule behave as intended overnight
- The computer must be available. A task cannot launch OBS while the computer is off. Since OBS is a desktop application, plan for the intended Windows account to be logged in for an interactive task.
- Decide what should happen to an existing broadcast. Starting OBS with
--startstreamingis a launch action. If an earlier session may still be live, separately determine whether it should continue, reconnect, or be ended before a new broadcast starts. - Match YouTube’s auto-start and auto-stop choices to that plan. Auto-start affects whether encoder output takes a broadcast live; auto-stop affects whether stopping encoder output ends the broadcast. Do not assume a scheduled OBS launch alone chooses or resets the YouTube broadcast state.
- Use a real test run. Confirm the task’s result in OBS and YouTube, not just that Task Scheduler reports the action started. This catches wrong executable paths, mismatched profile or scene names, and a broadcast that still needs a manual Go Live action.
Troubleshoot a scheduled launch
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| OBS does not open | Incorrect executable path or task run context | Verify Program/script points to the installed obs64.exe and that the task runs under the Windows account with the OBS setup. |
| OBS opens, but not with the intended scene | Launch arguments do not match configured names | Check spelling and quotation marks for the profile, collection, and scene; test the same arguments in a task run. |
| OBS opens but streaming does not start | Missing or incorrect --startstreaming, or stream configuration problem |
Check the arguments and verify the stream configuration by starting OBS manually. |
| OBS starts sending data but YouTube is not live | Auto-start may be off, or the intended broadcast may not be selected | Check the broadcast in YouTube Studio, select the correct scheduled broadcast if applicable, and determine whether Go Live must be pressed manually. |
| The task does nothing while nobody is signed in | The task uses interactive-only mode | That mode requires the configured user to be logged on. Plan the session accordingly; the documented behavior does not make OBS a background service. |
| A second scheduled launch does not produce a clean restart | --startstreaming starts streaming but does not stop an existing OBS process or stream |
Design and test a separate stop/close action if the workflow requires one. Do not use --multi as a substitute; it only suppresses the multiple-instance warning. |
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