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To shuffle multiple videos in OBS, add a VLC Video source, add your files to its playlist, and turn on Shuffle Playlist. Turn on Loop Playlist separately if you want playback to restart after the last file. OBS’s documented multi-file playlist controls are in VLC Video, not the standard Media Source.
Set up a shuffled playlist in OBS
- Install VLC with the same architecture as OBS. OBS’s Media Sources guide says 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. VLC is required for the VLC Video source. OBS Project’s Media Sources guide (dated January 11, 2022) documents this dependency.
- Add a VLC Video source. In the scene you intend to broadcast, use the add-source menu and choose VLC Video. Create a new source or select an existing one.
- Add the video files. Open the source properties and add the files you want in the playlist. VLC Video supports multiple files, unlike the ordinary Media Source workflow documented for an individual media file.
- Enable Shuffle Playlist. This setting randomizes the media files rather than playing them in the listed order. Shuffle is off by default in the OBS implementation.
- Choose whether to enable Loop Playlist. Loop is a separate control: it restarts playback when the source runs out of files. It is on by default in the OBS implementation. Enable it for ongoing repeats; disable it if the playlist should stop after its final file.
- Place the source in the broadcast scene. Check that the intended scene is active and that the source is visible and positioned as needed before you start the YouTube broadcast.
What shuffle does—and what it does not promise
OBS’s VLC source implementation builds a shuffled media-file array when shuffle is enabled and the playlist contains more than one file. That supports saying the list order is randomized; it does not establish that OBS selects an independently random clip after every video.
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The consulted OBS documentation and implementation do not specify a guaranteed reshuffle schedule for each repeat cycle or scene activation. If a particular order or guaranteed fresh shuffle on every loop matters, do not rely on that behavior without verifying it in your own setup.
If VLC Video is missing
- Confirm VLC is installed.
- Match architectures: for 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC.
- Restart OBS after installing VLC, then check the add-source menu again.
The first two checks follow the OBS guide’s documented VLC dependency and architecture requirement. If the source remains unavailable, confirm the installed OBS and VLC versions and consult current OBS support documentation.
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Plugin alternative: Media Playlist Source
OBS’s forum resource listing includes a third-party plugin called Media Playlist Source, whose listed features include shuffling. The listing gives OBS Studio 30.0.0 as its minimum version and says it supports editing without restarting playback and saving the current file for an OBS restart. Those are plugin-author claims, not independent test results.
Check the current OBS resource listing for the plugin’s supported OBS version and operating-system compatibility before installing it. Compare its playlist editing and playback-resume behavior with the built-in VLC Video source, and verify that its shuffle behavior meets your needs.
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Before using the playlist on YouTube Live
These steps configure an OBS source; they do not establish whether a particular YouTube account is eligible to livestream or whether a particular collection of videos is cleared for broadcast. Check YouTube’s current livestream requirements and the relevant rights or licenses for every video and audio track before going live. Do not assume that owning a file, or finding it online, grants permission to rebroadcast it.
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