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OBS Video Source Freezes After a Playlist Item Ends: How to Fix It

When OBS playback stops at a playlist item’s end, identify whether you use VLC Video, Media Source, or a plugin, then check the matching loop and compatibility settings.

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If OBS stops advancing or leaves the last frame on screen when a playlist item ends, first identify the source type. For OBS’s built-in VLC Video playlist, enable Loop Playlist to restart the playlist after its final file. For a single-file Media Source, enable Loop to replay that file. These are different controls, and neither is a universal fix for every playback problem.

Identify which OBS source is freezing

In OBS, open the source’s properties and check its type before changing settings. The similar names refer to different sources with different playback controls.

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  • VLC Video: OBS’s built-in source for playing a playlist of media files.
  • Media Source: OBS’s built-in source typically used for an individual media file.
  • Media Playlist Source: a separate third-party plugin, not the same thing as VLC Video.

OBS’s Media Sources documentation, dated January 11, 2022, describes the built-in source settings and the VLC requirement.

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Set the correct end-of-playback behavior

For a VLC Video playlist: enable Loop Playlist

  1. In OBS, select the VLC Video source and open its properties.
  2. Enable Loop Playlist if the playlist should start over after its final item finishes.
  3. Apply the change and test by letting the playlist reach its end.

OBS describes this setting as specifying whether the source should restart after it has run out of media files. It loops the playlist; it is not the same as repeating just one file.

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For a single Media Source: enable Loop

  1. Open the single-file Media Source properties.
  2. Enable Loop if the same file should play again when it finishes.
  3. Apply the change and observe the next playback cycle.

A single Media Source does not become a multi-file playlist just because looping is enabled: it repeats its own media file.

If the last frame stays visible: check Show nothing when playback ends

On a single-file Media Source, Show nothing when playback ends hides the source after the file completes, rather than leaving its last frame visible. It does not restart the file or turn on playlist looping. Choose it when the desired result is for the completed source to disappear.

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Check VLC installation for VLC Video

The built-in VLC Video source requires VLC to be installed. OBS specifies that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. If VLC Video is missing or does not behave as expected, verify both that VLC is installed and that its bitness matches OBS before troubleshooting playlist settings further.

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If you use the Media Playlist Source plugin

Do not apply VLC Video instructions to the plugin without checking its own version and compatibility. The plugin’s OBS forum resource describes it as an alternative to VLC Video and lists its requirements. Versions from 0.1.0 onward require OBS 31 or newer.

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The plugin’s update history records fixes for playback not continuing after a transition and for a repeated identical file path. Those are specific changelog claims, not a guarantee that updating fixes every freeze. Check the notes against your actual symptom, update only to a version compatible with your OBS installation, and retest the sequence that failed.

Consider visibility automation only if it matches the failure

If a scene automation hides and immediately shows the source at the moment playback ends, test the playlist without that immediate hide/show action. A report for OBS 30.2.0 describes a restart failure in that narrow situation. The OBS issue report is marked closed as not planned; it does not establish a general playlist-end bug or explain unrelated freezes.

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Collect useful details if it still freezes

The documented settings do not identify one universal cause. If the appropriate loop and source checks do not resolve the problem, gather details that distinguish a configuration mismatch from a playback or transition issue:

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  • OBS version and operating system.
  • Exact source type: Media Source, VLC Video, or Media Playlist Source, including plugin version if applicable.
  • Whether the media is local or network-based.
  • What happens at the end: the next item starts, the playlist stops, or the last frame remains visible.
  • Whether a scene or visibility automation runs at the same time.
  • An OBS log covering a reproduction of the problem.

These specifics make it possible to investigate the behavior rather than assuming that every symptom has the same root cause.

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