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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →To repeat a video file in OBS, open the Media Source’s Properties and enable Loop. Keep Restart playback when source becomes active enabled if you also want the file to start from the beginning when the source becomes visible. These are separate controls: Loop repeats at the end of playback; restart-on-activation acts when the source becomes active.
Set a Media Source to loop
- In OBS, open the scene that should contain the video. Add a Media Source, or select the existing one, then open its Properties.
- Choose the local video file. OBS’s Media Source documentation lists video formats including
.mp4,.ts,.mov,.flv,.mkv,.avi,.gifand.webm; audio formats include.mp3,.aac,.oggand.wav. See the OBS Media Sources documentation. - Enable Loop to play the file again after it reaches the end. OBS documents this option as off by default.
- Leave Restart playback when source becomes active enabled if each time the source becomes visible in the current scene should start playback from the beginning. OBS documents it as on by default.
- Confirm the result in the OBS preview. Then check the YouTube Live Control Room preview and make a representative test with audio and motion before the event.
OBS’s documented defaults may differ in later releases, so check the labels in your installed version. The OBS Media Sources page is dated January 11, 2022.
Choose the right playback behavior
Continuous background video
Enable Loop to repeat a single file. With restart-on-activation enabled, returning to the scene with the source visible starts it over. Turn restart-on-activation off if you do not want the source to restart simply because it becomes active; OBS documents what the restart option does, but does not promise every resume behavior.
Intro, alert or other one-time clip
Leave Loop off. Enable restart-on-activation if each appearance should begin at the start. For a clip that should disappear rather than leave its last frame on screen, enable Show nothing when playback ends; OBS documents that option as on by default.
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Use fewer resources while a source is hidden
Close file when inactive unloads the file while the source is hidden or off the current scene. OBS notes that it may take a short time to reload when the source becomes visible again. The documented default is off.
Playlist of clips
For a playlist, consider OBS’s VLC Video source rather than configuring separate single-file Media Sources. VLC must be installed, and 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. OBS documents Loop Playlist as on by default. Its default Visibility Behaviour is “Stop when not visible, restart when visible.” These playlist controls are distinct from the single-file Media Source’s Loop setting. See the OBS documentation.
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What the other Media Source controls do
- Loop: repeats the file after playback completes; it does not mean “restart whenever shown.”
- Restart playback when source becomes active: restarts the file when the source is in the current scene and visible.
- Show nothing when playback ends: prevents a one-time clip from remaining visible on its final frame.
- Close file when inactive: unloads the file while hidden or off-scene, with a possible reload delay when it becomes visible.
- Speed: documented range is 1% to 200%; the default is 100%.
- Hardware decoding: documented default is off. YUV Color Range is documented as Partial.
These defaults and labels come from the OBS Knowledge Base and may vary in later versions.
Connect the OBS playback to YouTube Live
The Media Source controls what OBS plays into its encoder output; they do not configure YouTube’s ingest. YouTube’s encoder setup uses a stream URL and stream key, then asks you to start the encoder and check the Live Control Room preview. Test with audio and motion representative of the planned stream, and monitor stream health and audio/video quality while live. Follow YouTube’s current encoder setup guidance.
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If you are configuring the encoder as well as the loop, YouTube Help’s encoder guidance, as crawled in 2026, recommends a 2-second keyframe frequency and says not to exceed 4 seconds; it lists 128 Kbps for stereo audio. It also lists RTMP/RTMPS, H.264/H.265/AV1, up to 60 fps and CBR among its encoder guidance. These are stream-level recommendations, not Media Source loop settings, and YouTube may update them. Check the current YouTube encoder settings for the configuration you use.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot looping and scene changes
The video stops at the end
Open the Media Source Properties and confirm Loop is enabled. Restart-on-activation alone does not repeat a file at its end.
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The clip starts over after changing scenes
That is the expected effect of Restart playback when source becomes active when the source becomes visible again. Turn it off if that restart is not wanted. Do not assume this guarantees a particular pause-and-resume result.
A one-time clip leaves a frozen final frame
For a clip that should vanish when playback ends, enable Show nothing when playback ends. If you want the final frame to remain visible, leave that behavior disabled.
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Playback does not restart after a very rapid hide/show
A narrowly reported OBS issue concerns toggling visibility immediately after playback ends, before the graphics thread processes the change. If restart fails in that timing-sensitive case, avoid an immediate visibility toggle; allow the visibility change to process or explicitly restart playback. The report does not establish that ordinary scene switching fails. See the OBS issue report.
The source takes a moment to appear after being hidden
If Close file when inactive is enabled, OBS unloads the file while hidden; a short delay on becoming visible again is possible. Turn the option off if keeping the file loaded better suits the scene.
The OBS preview looks right, but the YouTube feed needs checking
Check the Live Control Room preview and stream health rather than relying only on the local scene preview. YouTube recommends a test using representative audio and motion, and monitoring the stream during the event.
Copyright and continuous playback
A looping setting only controls playback; it does not grant rights to the video or audio in the file. Before streaming, make sure you have permission to use the material and understand YouTube’s applicable copyright rules. A continuous stream also does not, by itself, establish compliance with YouTube’s monetization or reused-content policies. Review the content and rights for the specific material you plan to broadcast.
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