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First find where the picture freezes: in the OBS preview, in a local recording, or only on YouTube. A freeze in OBS or the recording points toward local playback, rendering, or encoding; if both are healthy but YouTube is not, check stream health and the outbound connection. Then verify the Media Source’s loop and inactivity settings before changing performance or network settings.
1. Check the Media Source loop settings
- Select the source: In OBS, select the local video under Sources and open its properties.
- Enable Loop: Turn on Loop if the file should restart when playback reaches its end. This is the setting that repeats a single Media Source file. The OBS Project’s Media Sources documentation describes the control.
- Check activation separately: Restart playback when source becomes active controls whether playback starts over when the source becomes active in a visible scene. It is not the same as Loop.
- Review end and inactivity behavior: Show nothing when playback ends changes what appears after playback ends; it does not make the file loop. Close file when inactive unloads the file when the source is hidden or off the current scene. If the freeze follows a scene change or the source becoming hidden, test this setting deliberately.
Change one setting at a time, note its original state, and test outside a critical broadcast. If the clip stops mid-file rather than at its end, Loop alone is unlikely to explain the symptom.
2. Determine whether local playback or OBS performance is responsible
Compare preview and recording
Watch the OBS preview and, if available, make a local recording of the same output. A freeze in both suggests the problem occurs before YouTube receives the stream. A healthy preview and recording, paired with a bad YouTube stream, points to a different branch of diagnosis. This comparison is useful evidence, not a guarantee about every setup.
Test hardware decoding as an A/B check
In the Media Source properties, hardware decoding is a separate optional setting and is off by default in the documented properties. If the file still hangs, test with it on and off, changing nothing else between tests. Keep the state that is stable on your system; the OBS documentation does not claim that enabling hardware decoding universally fixes freezes.
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OBS supports a range of video-file extensions, but its documentation does not prescribe one universal codec or conversion that fixes every stalled file. A VLC Video Source can also be used for media files and playlists if VLC is installed. Treat it as a controlled comparison, not a guaranteed cure.
Look for rendering or encoding strain
OBS must use GPU resources to composite and render scenes. If OBS reports overload or other evidence suggests performance strain, simplify the scene and reduce expensive sources. Use media sized appropriately for the stream output rather than needlessly oversized source video, and close other GPU-intensive applications that are safe to close. OBS’s Encoding Performance Troubleshooting guide covers these remedies. On Windows, OBS also suggests trying Run as administrator as a quick check for GPU overload. These steps address possible resource bottlenecks; they are not guaranteed fixes for a file-decoder problem.
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3. If OBS looks healthy, inspect YouTube stream health
When the OBS preview and local recording are healthy but the YouTube playback freezes or degrades, check the encoder output and YouTube’s view of the incoming stream before changing the Media Source again.
- Inspect the encoder output: YouTube advises checking the stream directly in the encoder. If the picture or audio is already poor there, look at the sources routed into the encoder.
- Check local evidence: Review encoder errors, CPU load, and the local archive. These can help distinguish an encoder or source problem from a transmission problem.
- Open Live Control Room: Inspect stream-health status and any error messages. YouTube’s live-stream troubleshooting guide and metrics guidance explain the available checks.
- Test the outbound connection if local output is healthy: YouTube recommends checking the outbound internet connection when encoder output and archive look healthy. Do this after establishing that the source itself is advancing; faster internet will not unfreeze a file already stalled in OBS.
4. Check bitrate and connection only when evidence calls for it
Do not begin by changing bitrate if the video is frozen in OBS or the local recording. If the source advances locally but YouTube reports connection or ingest problems, check that the encoder settings fit YouTube’s current guidance and that the connection has upload headroom.
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- YouTube’s reviewed encoder-settings table lists 10 Mbps recommended for 1080p at 30 fps with AV1 or H.265 and 14 Mbps recommended for 1080p at 30 fps with H.264. These are YouTube ingest recommendations for the stated codec, resolution, and frame rate—not remedies for a locally frozen source. Check the current YouTube encoder settings guidance before applying them, since platform recommendations can change.
- YouTube’s streaming tips advise leaving 20% upload headroom. That figure is YouTube’s advice on the reviewed page; no publication year is stated there. It is relevant to available upload capacity, not proof that a Media Source freeze is caused by the connection.
For preflight, use representative video motion and audio, inspect the Live Control Room preview before going live, and monitor stream health during the event. YouTube’s encoder guidance and streaming tips describe these checks.
5. Match the symptom to the likely branch
| What you observe | What to check next |
|---|---|
| Video stops when the file reaches its end | Confirm Loop is enabled in the Media Source properties. |
| Video stops after a scene change or the source is hidden | Review Restart playback when source becomes active and Close file when inactive; test one change at a time. |
| OBS preview and local recording both freeze | Investigate the local source and OBS rendering or encoding performance. Test hardware decoding as an A/B check and look for overload evidence. |
| OBS and local recording are healthy, but YouTube is not | Check Live Control Room stream health, encoder errors, and then the outbound connection. |
| Only browser playback captured through Window or Display Capture freezes after a resize or focus change | This differs from a local Media Source freeze. An OBS GitHub report from June 2026 describes such a case on a particular Windows 11 system; its workarounds are specific to that report, not universal Media Source fixes: OBS issue #13553. |
An older OBS GitHub issue reports looped Media Sources unloading after inactivity in a configuration where the source is hidden or disabled and Close file when inactive is active. It is a scoped user report, not confirmation of a current general bug. See OBS issue #3192; prioritize reproducing the symptom and checking the documented source properties.
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