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OBS Playlist Loop Skips the First Video on YouTube Live: How to Fix It

Troubleshoot an OBS playlist that skips its first video: identify the source, check loop and shuffle settings, verify plugin compatibility, and compare OBS output with YouTube playback.
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Start by identifying the OBS source and checking whether the first video is missing in OBS itself or only in YouTube playback. For a single file, enable Loop in Media Source; for a playlist in VLC Video, enable Loop Playlist and verify its order and shuffle setting. If you use the Media Playlist Source plugin, check its version-specific fixes for transitions and repeated file paths.

First, identify what “skips the first video” means

OBS has more than one source that can play video files, and their controls are not interchangeable. In the scene’s Sources list, find the source that owns the video and note whether it is Media Source, VLC Video, or the third-party Media Playlist Source plugin.

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Then observe when the skip occurs. Is the first item omitted as playback starts, skipped after another item or a scene transition, or skipped only when the playlist loops back around? These are distinct symptoms; the available documentation does not establish one cause shared by all of them.

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Fix the loop setting for the source you use

For one video in Media Source

Open the source’s properties and check Loop. Media Source is for playing an individual file; enable this option if you want that file to start over when it finishes. It is not the playlist source described in OBS’s documentation.

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For a playlist in VLC Video

Open the VLC Video source’s properties and check Loop Playlist. OBS defines this setting as whether the source “should restart when it has run out of media files.” Also check the displayed playlist order and Shuffle Playlist: shuffle is a separate option and can make the sequence look as if an expected item was skipped.

VLC Video requires VLC to be installed. If you use 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC. Confirm the installation and architecture if VLC Video is missing or behaving unexpectedly.

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If you use the Media Playlist Source plugin

Check the installed plugin version against its published update notes. Media Playlist Source version 0.1.3, released April 13, 2025, lists fixes for continuing playback after a transition and for continuing when the next file path is unchanged, including the single-file looping case. Those fixes are relevant if your skip matches either situation, but do not prove that every first-item skip has the same cause.

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The plugin resource page lists a minimum OBS version of 30.0.0, while the version-specific notes say plugin versions from 0.1.0 require OBS 31 and that the relevant change was merged in OBS 31. Treat the version-specific compatibility notes as important: the broad minimum listing does not override them. Check the notes for the exact plugin version you have before updating or changing OBS.

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Test locally before blaming YouTube Live

  1. Use the same scene and playlist that produce the problem, and watch the OBS preview or make a short local recording.
  2. Check whether the item is absent from the local output too. If it is, focus on the source type, loop or shuffle settings, playlist order, transitions, and relevant OBS or plugin version.
  3. If OBS preview and recording show the correct sequence but YouTube playback appears to skip, investigate the stream or viewer playback separately. A YouTube player loop setting concerns replay in the YouTube player; it does not diagnose an OBS playlist source.
  4. Change one relevant setting or version at a time, then repeat the same sequence so you can tell which change mattered.

When asking for help, record the source type, OBS version, plugin version if applicable, item order, whether file paths repeat, and whether the skip appears in OBS preview or recording, YouTube playback, or both. That information narrows the problem without assuming an unverified YouTube Live defect.

Choose the playlist method that fits your setup

Option Best fit What to check
Media Source One local video file Enable Loop in its properties.
VLC Video A playlist using OBS’s documented VLC source Install VLC with the matching architecture; check Loop Playlist, order, and shuffle.
Media Playlist Source plugin A setup that uses this third-party playlist source Check the plugin’s version-specific fixes and OBS compatibility notes, especially for transitions or repeated paths.

The documentation describes these settings and compatibility details, not controlled reliability or performance comparisons. Choose based on whether you want to install VLC or a plugin and on the behavior you need around hidden sources, transitions, and playlist wraparound.

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