Streamlabs Desktop’s Selective Recording lets you choose which sources appear in your live stream, your local recording, or both. To keep alerts out of a clean gameplay recording, enable the feature in the Sources panel and route the alert source to the stream only. Check the output views and make a short test recording before relying on the setup.
What Selective Recording does
Selective Recording routes each listed source separately for the live stream and the local recording. Sources default to both outputs, according to Streamlabs’ support article. You can remove an element from one output or include a source only in the recording.
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For example, route an alert box to the stream but not the recording to capture gameplay without alerts for later editing. You can also add a recording-only element while leaving it out of what viewers see live.
How to enable Selective Recording and route sources
- Open Sources. In the Streamlabs Desktop editor, open the Sources panel. Streamlabs’ recording guide describes it as the Sources window in the Studio tab.
- Enable Selective Recording. Click the Selective Recording icon in the Sources panel.
- Choose destinations. Output icons appear beside the sources. For each source you want to route differently, click its icon or right-click the source and choose the intended destination: stream, recording, or both.
- Check each view. Right-click a source and open the relevant Projector view to inspect the stream or recording output.
- Test the finished recording. Record a short sample, then play back the file to confirm that the intended sources appear or are absent.
The controls and Projector checks are described in the Selective Recording support article and Streamlabs’ recording functionality guide.
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Which output should each source use?
| Goal | Source destination | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Show the source live and in the recording | Both outputs | Gameplay you want in the archived video |
| Show it live, but keep it out of the recording | Stream only | An alert box when making a clean gameplay recording |
| Keep it in the recording, but not in the live stream | Recording only | A recording-only source for later editing |
These choices control source visibility in the two outputs; they are not a substitute for separate audio-track recording.
Limitations and related recording settings
Horizontal and vertical output
Streamlabs’ Selective Recording support article says the feature works only with horizontal sources and disables the vertical output scene. It also says Dual Output cannot be displayed while Selective Recording is active. These interface details may change with Streamlabs Desktop updates, so check the current controls if your layout differs.
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Audio tracks are a separate feature
Selective Recording controls which sources go to the stream or recording. For separate audio tracks, Streamlabs’ recording guide says the software supports up to six tracks. It says multiple tracks require MP4 or MKV because the default FLV format does not support them. These audio-format requirements are not prerequisites for routing sources with Selective Recording.
Troubleshooting: when the recording does not look right
- An alert or overlay appears in the recording. Reopen the Sources panel, inspect that source’s destination icon or context-menu choice, and set it to stream only if it should be absent from the recording. Make another short test.
- A source is missing from the recording or stream. Check that its destination is set to the output where you expect it, then inspect the corresponding Projector view and test recording.
- The vertical scene or Dual Output is unavailable. Streamlabs documents these as limitations while Selective Recording is active: vertical output is disabled, and Dual Output cannot be displayed.
- A program or screen element is not captured as expected. This is not necessarily a Selective Recording routing issue. Streamlabs’ Selective Recording guidance recommends checking with a short recording; its separate PC recording guide notes that some programs may need special screen-recording permissions or may prevent elements from being captured.
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Quick Recap
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