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OBS Studio

How to Keep an OBS Store Promotion Playlist Running After a Windows Update

Fix a store-promotion playlist in OBS by checking media paths, loop settings, scene visibility, and launch automation after a Windows update.

By VGSources Team 6 min read
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To keep a store-promotion playlist running in OBS after a Windows update, check that its media files are still available, set the right source to loop, and confirm OBS starts correctly after a reboot. Use Media Source for one clip or VLC Video for a playlist of several clips. Looping controls what happens when playback ends; it does not by itself make OBS launch after Windows restarts.

First, identify what stopped working

A Windows update does not, by itself, prove that OBS settings were erased. The OBS Project Help Portal says settings should remain intact after an OBS update, while noting that security software or other system changes may interfere with the update process. That statement concerns OBS updates; it is not a guarantee about every Windows update.

Check these separately before rebuilding your setup:

  • The media source: Is the intended file or playlist still selected, and can OBS find the files?
  • Playback behavior: Is looping enabled for the individual clip or the playlist?
  • Scene visibility: Is the source visible in the active scene, and does its visibility behavior match what you want?
  • Startup: Does OBS open after the computer restarts, or do you need to launch it manually?

If only one part has failed, fix that part rather than assuming the entire OBS configuration has been lost.

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Choose a source that matches your promotion

OBS source Best for Looping and order Dependency
Media Source One local promotional clip Enable Loop to replay the file when it ends. No VLC dependency for this built-in source.
VLC Video Several local clips in a playlist Enable Loop Playlist to repeat the list; enable Shuffle Playlist if you want randomized ordering. VLC must be installed. The OBS Project guide says 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.

These are different workflows: Media Source plays one file, while VLC Video manages a list. If you want the same promotions in a predictable sequence, leave shuffle off. OBS documents these controls in its Media Sources guide.

Set up looping and visibility behavior

For one clip: Media Source

  1. In OBS, select the scene that should show the promotion.
  2. In the Sources dock, add a Media Source, or select the existing source and open its properties.
  3. Choose the intended local video file and enable Loop.
  4. Decide whether to enable Restart playback when source becomes active. OBS describes this as restarting the file once the source is in the current scene and visible. It is distinct from Loop: Loop repeats at the end of the file, while restart-on-activation resets playback when the source becomes active.
  5. Apply the properties and preview the scene long enough to confirm the clip plays and reaches its end. Check that it starts over as intended.

For several clips: VLC Video

  1. Install VLC if the VLC Video source is unavailable. Match the installation to OBS’s bitness: for 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC.
  2. Add a VLC Video source to the promotion scene, open its properties, and add the required media files to the playlist.
  3. Enable Loop Playlist to repeat the list after the last item. Enable Shuffle Playlist only if randomized playback is wanted.
  4. Review Visibility Behaviour. The documented default is to stop playback while the source is not visible and restart it when visible. Choose the behavior that suits your scene switching.
  5. Apply the settings and preview the playlist through a complete pass, including the transition from its last item back to the next playback.

Looping governs what happens at the end of playback; visibility behavior governs what happens when a source becomes hidden or visible. They solve different problems.

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Check files and paths after the update

OBS needs access to the local media referenced by the source or playlist. An update or a cleanup may coincide with a file being moved, renamed, deleted, or stored on a drive that is not currently available; that is a troubleshooting possibility, not evidence that Windows updates routinely move media.

  • Confirm each promotion file still exists in its expected folder and that the drive is accessible.
  • Open the source properties and verify that the selected file or playlist entries point to the intended media.
  • If a file has moved, select its new location in the source or update the playlist entry, then preview playback.
  • If the media is on removable or network storage, make sure it is available when OBS starts.

Make OBS launch after Windows restarts

Loop settings are stored in the source configuration; they do not start OBS after a reboot. If your promotion should resume unattended, configure a separate startup method, such as a scheduled task, and test it after a restart.

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  1. Set up the scheduled task to launch OBS using the appropriate OBS executable and any needed launch parameters. OBS documents parameters for selecting a scene, profile, or scene collection in its Launch Parameters guide.
  2. For a scheduled task, set its Start in working directory to the folder containing obs64.exe, as the OBS documentation advises.
  3. Keep playback looping configured in the Media Source or VLC Video properties. OBS’s documented launch parameters do not include a parameter that starts a media playlist directly.
  4. Restart Windows and check that OBS launches, the correct scene appears, and the promotion plays and loops. A task that opens OBS is not proof that the media source itself is working.

OBS’s Windows Installation guide also describes installation options and notes a permissions caveat for ZIP installations. If OBS cannot write or access files, review how it was installed and whether the account running OBS has the necessary access.

If OBS behaves differently after an update

Check security software when OBS is blocked

The OBS Project Help Portal says security products may scrutinize OBS after updates. If your security product reports or blocks OBS, check its allowlist for the OBS folder and refresh executable allowlist entries if changed executables are treated as new. This is a targeted check when there is evidence of blocking, not a claim that antivirus is always responsible.

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Investigate plugins only if your setup uses one

The built-in Media Source and VLC Video steps above apply to those OBS sources. If the playlist workflow depends on a third-party plugin, check that plugin’s compatibility guidance for your installed OBS version before treating it as a built-in source problem. OBS Studio 33.0 introduced plugin-location changes and flags plugins in old locations as legacy; its release notes also record a Windows plugin-loading fix. See the OBS Project’s Legacy Plugin Locations guidance and OBS Studio Releases.

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Troubleshoot common failures

Symptom Likely check What to do
The source is missing or shows no video. File path, drive access, or missing media. Open source properties, confirm the file still exists, and select its current location if needed.
A clip plays once and stops. Loop is off, or the wrong source is being used. For one clip, enable Loop in Media Source. For several files, use VLC Video and enable Loop Playlist.
The playlist does not appear as a source option. VLC is absent or its bitness does not match OBS. Install VLC; the OBS guide specifies 64-bit VLC for 64-bit OBS.
Playback restarts when switching scenes. Restart-on-activation or visibility behavior. Review Media Source’s Restart playback when source becomes active, or VLC Video’s Visibility Behaviour. Choose whether playback should restart or stop when hidden.
OBS no longer starts after reboot. Startup or scheduled-task configuration. Check the task’s executable and set Start in to the folder containing obs64.exe; then test a restart.
OBS opens but will not behave as before. Security software or a plugin-dependent workflow. If OBS is blocked, review security allowlists. If a plugin supplies the workflow, check its guidance for the installed OBS version.

Or let it run in the cloud

If the goal is an always-on YouTube stream of prerecorded promotions rather than playback inside a local OBS scene, StreamNeo is a cloud option. Upload your recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live; StreamNeo loops uploaded videos from the cloud, so your computer and home connection do not have to stay on.

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