Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
To save a YouTube gaming broadcast as a VOD, stream from OBS to YouTube Live and let YouTube archive the broadcast; for a dependable backup, record locally in OBS as well. YouTube can automatically archive streams shorter than 12 hours, but streams longer than 12 hours may not be captured at all. OBS’s Replay Buffer is for saving recent gameplay clips, not for replaying or archiving a YouTube broadcast.
Choose what “rerun” means for your gaming stream
A YouTube VOD is the saved archive of a completed live broadcast. YouTube can automatically archive a stream shorter than 12 hours; a broadcast that exceeds 12 hours may not be captured at all. YouTube recommends keeping a local archive as a backup. YouTube’s archive guidance explains the limit and archive controls.
OBS local recording gives you a file on your computer, independent of whether the YouTube archive is available. The Replay Buffer is different again: it saves a recent segment when you press its configured hotkey. Use it for short clips, not as a VOD rerun feature. OBS overview covers recording and Replay Buffer options.
Install OBS and confirm Linux can capture the game
OBS’s Linux installation guidance recommends Flathub for non-Ubuntu distributions. For Ubuntu 18.04 or newer, it documents installation using the OBS Project PPA and apt. The installation page was published in 2021, so check current packaging guidance for your distribution before installing: OBS Linux installation instructions.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors#1 Best Overall
- Spacious Design: Measuring 21.1" wide and 14.1" deep, our lap desk comfortably fits most laptops up to 15.6". Extra room for accessories ensures convenience.
- Enhanced Functionality: Packed with handy features, including a 5x9" precision tracking mouse pad and a built-in phone slot for seamless work or video calls. Plus, enjoy ergonomic support with the integrated cushioned wrist rest.
- Cool Comfort: Enjoy a stable surface with our lap desk's dual bolster cushion, designed for comfort and airflow, keeping your lap cool during extended use.
- Durable Surface: Work with confidence on our lap desk's solid surface, featuring a sleek black carbon color, ensuring optimal air circulation to prevent your laptop from overheating.
- On-the-Go Convenience: With an integrated handle and lightweight design (2.8 lbs), our lap desk is portable for travel or moving around the house, offering flexibility in any space.
OBS lists an OpenGL 3.3-compatible GPU and an X window system or Wayland among its basic Linux/Unix requirements. Meeting those baseline requirements does not guarantee smooth streaming: encoder choice, resolution, frame rate, and scene complexity all affect performance. OBS system requirements.
Pick a capture source and verify it in the preview
Create a scene in OBS, then add the Linux capture source that shows the game correctly:
Rank #2
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
- Display Capture: captures the display. Use it when the game is not reliably available as a separate window, bearing in mind it can include other visible desktop content.
- Window Capture: targets a selected window, if the game appears and behaves correctly in the source preview.
OBS’s Quick Start documents Display Capture and Window Capture for Linux and identifies Game Capture as Windows-only. Compatibility can vary with the game and desktop session, so test the actual scene rather than assuming a source will work. OBS Quick Start Guide.
Check that gameplay is visible and that the audio mixer meters move when the game plays and when you speak into your microphone. If a meter stays still, add or select the relevant desktop-audio or microphone source in OBS and test again before broadcasting.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #3
- Note: Not suitable for MacBooks released after 2023 or devices with a protruding front camera; Not applicable to full-screen or notch-style tempered glass screen protectors; Do not use on the rear camera of the phone.
- 💻 Why Do You Need a Webcam Cover Slide? — Safeguard your privacy by covering your webcam with our reliable webcam cover when not in use. Don't let anyone secretly watch you. Stay protected!
- ✅ Thin & Stylish — Enhance your laptop's functionality and aesthetics with our 0.027" ultra-thin webcam covers. Seamlessly close your laptop while adding a touch of sophistication.
- ✅ Fits Most Devices — Compatible with laptops, phones, tablets, desktops! Keep your privacy intact on Ap/ple, Mac/Book, iPh/one, iP/ad, H/P, L/novo, De/ll, Ac/er, As/us, Sa/msung devices.
- ✅ 365 Days Protection — Our upgraded 3.0 adhesive ensures a strong hold that won't damage your equipment. Experience reliable, long-term privacy protection day in and day out.
Decide whether to record the full session or save short clips
For a full-session local backup
In OBS, open Settings → Output and configure recording, then choose a save location under Settings → Output or the recording options available in your version. Make a short test recording and confirm the file opens and grows while recording. Leave enough free disk space for the session; file size depends on your chosen recording settings and duration.
For recent gameplay clips
Enable Replay Buffer in OBS’s output settings, set a buffer duration that fits your available memory, and assign a save hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys. Start the buffer before play and use the hotkey to save the recent segment. A buffer only retains a recent window of gameplay; it does not create or restart a YouTube VOD.
Rank #4
- Anti-Slip Surface - Transform your laptop into a mobile workstation with the AboveTEK portable laptop lap desk. The anti-slip surface provides a strong grip for laptops up to 15.6 inches(Diagonal), while the double rubber strip on the bottom ensures a stable display or typing experience on your lap, couch, or bed.
- Retractable Mouse Pad - Retractable laptop mouse pad extends on both directions for the left/right handed with elevation along the edges for stopping mouse from falling off. The size of laptop tray is 14" X 9.7" and the size of mouse pad is 7.4" X 6.1".
- Effective Heat Shield - The effective heat shield made of sturdy and thick material protects your laptop from overheating. Prioritizes your comfort and safety, an ideal lap pad or board for working anywhere.
- EASY to Carry and Store - With an ergonomic and simplistic design, the lap desk is portable to store in a backpack. Only 15" in size, 2.2 lb of weight and with slim 0.6 inch thickness, it is ready to be easily carried around.
- Widely Applicable - The smooth platform accommodates laptops and tablets up to 15.6 inches(Diagonal), making it a versatile accessory and one of the best gifts for mom, dad, students and professionals. Perfect for use as a laptop bed tray or tablet holder anywhere at home, library, or park.
Connect OBS to YouTube Live
YouTube requires a verified channel and no live-stream restriction during the preceding 90 days. Check eligibility and current Live Control Room labels in YouTube’s live-streaming eligibility guidance.
- Open YouTube Studio and enter Create → Go live to open Live Control Room. Create or schedule an encoder stream.
- In the stream settings, copy the server URL and stream key. YouTube describes the key as the credential that lets an encoder send your feed; treat it like a password. Do not share it, and reset it if it is exposed.
- In OBS, open Settings → Stream, select YouTube as the service if available, and enter the stream key. If your setup requires manual configuration, use the server URL and key provided by YouTube. Do not substitute a URL or key from another stream.
- Start streaming from OBS and check the Live Control Room preview and stream health before making the broadcast public or beginning gameplay. YouTube recommends setting up the encoder ahead of time and checking the preview.
For current encoder connection and key instructions, see YouTube’s encoder setup guide.
Best Value
- Spacious Design: Measuring 21.1" wide and 12" deep, our lap desk comfortably fits most laptops up to 15.6". Extra room for accessories ensures convenience.
- Enhanced Functionality: Packed with handy features, including a 5x9" precision tracking mouse pad and a built-in phone slot for seamless work or video calls. Plus, enjoy laptop support with the integrated device ledge.
- Cool Comfort: Enjoy a stable surface with our lap desk's dual bolster cushion, designed for comfort and airflow, keeping your lap cool during extended use.
- Durable Surface: Work with confidence on our lap desk's solid surface, featuring a blush pink color, ensuring optimal air circulation to prevent your laptop from overheating.
- On-the-Go Convenience: With an integrated handle and lightweight design (2.14 lbs), our lap desk is portable for travel or moving around the house, offering flexibility in any space.
Set stream quality for stable gameplay, not just the highest number
YouTube’s general encoder guidance calls for RTMP or RTMPS, constant bitrate (CBR), and a two-second keyframe interval; do not exceed four seconds. Resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and ingestion codec should be chosen together. A higher-quality signal can look better, but it also asks more of your upload connection and computer. Use YouTube’s current recommendations for your selected resolution and frame rate rather than treating a single bitrate as universal.
In OBS, set the output mode and encoder in Settings → Output, video dimensions and frame rate in Settings → Video, and keyframe interval and bitrate in the streaming encoder options. Label placement can differ between OBS versions and output modes. Compare your chosen quality against your reliable upload capacity, then test with gameplay that has similar movement and audio to the real session. Watch OBS’s dropped frames and YouTube’s stream health during the test and broadcast. YouTube’s detailed, changeable recommendations are in Live encoder settings.
End the broadcast and find its YouTube archive
- Stop the stream in OBS when the broadcast is finished, then confirm the stream has ended in Live Control Room.
- In YouTube Studio, open Content → Live to find past broadcasts and their archive status.
- Open the relevant archive to change its visibility or delete it if needed. Keep the OBS local recording when you need a separate copy or when the broadcast approaches YouTube’s 12-hour archive limit.
Troubleshoot the common setup failures
- The preview is black or the game is missing: try Display Capture or Window Capture, then verify the correct display or window is selected. OBS documents Game Capture as Windows-only, so do not depend on it in Linux.
- There is no game or microphone audio: check the correct devices and sources in OBS’s audio settings and mixer. Test the meters and a short recording before going live.
- YouTube does not receive the stream: confirm that the channel is verified and eligible, and that OBS has the current server URL and stream key from the intended Live Control Room stream. Reset the key if it may have been disclosed.
- The stream buffers or drops frames: lower resolution, frame rate, or bitrate and test again. Check both OBS’s connection indicators and YouTube stream health; the sustainable setting depends on the connection and system load.
- The VOD is missing after a long broadcast: YouTube may not capture streams exceeding 12 hours. Use a local OBS recording for sessions where a complete archive matters.
- The recording is missing or unusable: check OBS’s configured save location, available disk space, and whether the file grows during recording. Test playback before relying on the file as your only copy.
Or let it run in the cloud
For a pre-recorded gaming video that should keep looping as a YouTube live stream, StreamNeo runs the stream from the cloud. Upload your recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home; it plays uploaded videos rather than broadcasting a live camera.
- Any uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps streams as made, at one flat price per slot, with no re-encode or quality tiers.
- It can recover automatically if YouTube drops the stream.
- The first day is free with no card, one free day per account.
- The monthly option is $9.99 per month.
See StreamNeo for service details, or start the free first day.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
