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How to Prevent Duplicate Videos in a Nonstop YouTube Playlist Stream

A video repeating is not always a duplicate entry. Check the playlist itself and the repeat or shuffle settings separately, then apply the fix for YouTube, OBS/VLC, or an embedded player.

By VGSources Team 4 min read

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First find out whether the video is listed twice or is simply being replayed. Remove extra entries from the playlist itself; use loop and shuffle controls only to choose what happens during playback. Those are separate problems with separate fixes.

Identify where the repetition comes from

A video returning during nonstop playback does not necessarily mean your playlist contains a duplicate. Check the list and the playback mode independently:

  • Duplicate entry: The same video or file appears more than once in the playlist or source list. Remove the unwanted entry.
  • Playlist repeat: Playback returns to the start after reaching the end of the list. This is expected when looping is enabled.
  • Single-video repeat: The current video plays again rather than moving through the list. YouTube has a separate control for repeating the current video.
  • Shuffle: The order changes, but entries remain in the list. Shuffle does not remove duplicates.

Make this distinction before changing settings: disabling looping may stop a list from restarting, but it will not fix repeated entries within that list.

If you are watching a YouTube playlist

Check whether YouTube is repeating the playlist or one video

YouTube Help distinguishes looping a playlist from repeating only the currently playing video. On desktop, use the Loop control in the playlist control box. On Android, tapping Loop a second time enables repeat of the current video, indicated by a “1.” YouTube’s instructions for TVs and game consoles likewise distinguish “Repeat • Playlist” from “Repeat • Currently playing.” Check which mode is selected if playback returns to a video unexpectedly. See YouTube Help: Loop videos or playlists on YouTube.

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Remove an unwanted repeated entry

If the same video appears more than once in the playlist, edit the playlist and remove the extra entry. The YouTube Help page above explains playback-repeat controls, not current YouTube Studio steps for deleting duplicate entries, so check the labels in your current YouTube interface rather than relying on an assumed click-by-click path. Removing an entry changes the playlist contents; changing Loop does not.

If the playlist is playing through OBS and VLC

Inspect the source list first

OBS’s VLC Video Source can play a playlist and requires VLC to be installed. Review the files or URLs in the source list and remove any repeated item. The source’s shuffle and loop settings change playback behavior; neither deduplicates the list.

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Set loop and shuffle for the behavior you want

Open the VLC Video Source properties and check Loop Playlist and Shuffle Playlist. OBS documentation lists Loop Playlist as on and Shuffle Playlist as off by default. Loop Playlist restarts the source after it runs out of media files; Shuffle Playlist randomizes file order. Turn looping off if the list should stop at the end, or leave it on for repeat playback. Enable shuffle only if you want a randomized order. The settings and their meaning are documented by the OBS Project’s Media Sources guide.

If you control an embedded YouTube player

The YouTube IFrame Player API provides setLoop and setShuffle for playlist playback. Looping sends playback back to the beginning after the final video. Shuffle changes the order, not the playlist’s membership: the API documentation says that shuffling after playback has started reorders the list while the current video continues, and shuffling an already shuffled list shuffles it again. These methods are playback controls, not duplicate-removal tools. See the YouTube IFrame Player API Reference.

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Choose the fix that matches the symptom

What you observe Likely cause What to do
A video is visibly listed more than once Duplicate playlist or source-list entry Remove the unwanted entry from the list.
The list starts over after its last item Playlist looping Turn off playlist repeat if playback should stop at the end.
One video plays repeatedly Current-video repeat Change the repeat mode to playlist or off, as appropriate.
Videos play in a different order, with a repeated title appearing again Shuffle, possibly alongside a duplicate entry Inspect the list for duplicates; shuffle changes order but does not remove items.

Troubleshooting

The same YouTube video keeps returning

Check both the playlist contents and YouTube’s repeat mode. If the item appears more than once in the list, remove the extra entry. If the list contains it once, check whether the player is repeating the current video or looping the playlist.

Turning off loop did not stop a video from appearing twice

Loop controls what happens after the list reaches its end. It does not remove repeated items that occur before the end. Inspect the playlist or VLC source list and delete unwanted repeats.

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Shuffle seems to keep choosing the same video

Shuffle changes order; it does not guarantee that each title appears only once across playback, and it does not clean up duplicate entries. Inspect the underlying list. For an embedded player, note that the IFrame API can shuffle an already shuffled list again.

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Keeping a YouTube stream running continuously

Playlist cleanup and playback settings address repetition, but they do not by themselves keep a live broadcast running. If you are setting up a continuous pre-recorded YouTube stream, also make sure the videos and audio are material you have the rights to use and follow YouTube’s applicable copyright and reused-content rules. The supplied official sources document playback controls, not a broader copyright determination for a particular playlist.

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