If an OBS Media Source plays once and then stops during your YouTube livestream, open its Properties and check that Loop is enabled. Loop repeats a single file after it finishes; Restart playback when source becomes active is a separate visibility setting and does not make the file repeat.
If the source disappears at the end, also inspect Show nothing when playback ends. These are OBS playback controls, so check them before changing YouTube settings: a local source ending or hiding is not, by itself, evidence of a YouTube problem.
Confirm the source type
Start by selecting the source in the OBS Sources list and opening Properties. Confirm that it is a Media Source, rather than a VLC Video source, browser source, capture device or scene. The names can look similar in a busy scene, but their playback controls differ.
For one local video file, the built-in Media Source is usually the direct place to begin. Check the displayed file path and make sure it points to the clip you expect. A renamed, moved or replaced file can leave you testing a different file from the one you intended. If the source is meant to play a set of clips, identify that now: a playlist needs different handling from repeating one file.
OBS documents Media Source properties and their playback behaviour in its Media Sources reference. Its format list includes common video formats such as MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM, as well as audio formats. A file extension alone does not establish that the media is readable: a damaged file, an inaccessible path or an unsupported codec may still prevent expected playback. If in doubt, test the same file in a normal media player and note whether it reaches its end cleanly.
Keep the first test simple. Avoid changing YouTube stream settings, replacing encoders or adding plugins while you have not yet established whether OBS can play and repeat the local file in a preview. Changing several parts at once makes it difficult to tell which setting mattered.
Turn on Loop for one file
In the Media Source Properties, enable Loop. OBS describes this setting as specifying whether the file plays again once playback has completed; its documentation lists the default as off. In practical terms, a video that reaches its final frame will start again only when this control is on.
Click OK or otherwise apply the property change, then watch the source in the preview long enough to see what happens at the end. For a short test clip, the end arrives quickly. For a longer devotional recording or ambience video, use a copy or shorter test clip rather than waiting through the full programme each time. Avoid changing the source file itself while a test is running, as that introduces another possible cause.
If Loop was already on, verify that the property change was applied to the source you are actually viewing. A scene may contain similarly named sources, and a source in one scene is not necessarily the one visible in another. The selected source's Properties window is the reliable place to confirm its current setting.
A useful test is to observe three points: the file starts, it reaches the end, and playback begins again. A still image at the end does not necessarily mean the source stopped; the video may end on a still frame, or the preview may simply not make the restart obvious. Look for motion or a distinctive opening frame after the file's duration has elapsed.
For a single file, do not treat a playlist source as the first repair. The built-in Media Source has the Loop control intended for this job. If you actually need several files to cycle in order, that is a different source choice, covered below.
Loop is not restart-on-active
Restart playback when source becomes active controls what happens when the source becomes active: OBS documents this as restarting the file once the source is in the current scene and visible. It is not a loop switch. A source can restart when you return to a scene yet still stop at the end of its file if Loop is off.
This distinction explains a common confusion. Imagine a clip in a scene that you hide while another scene is live. With restart-on-active enabled, returning to the scene and making the source visible can start the clip from the beginning. If you leave it visible and let it reach the end, continuous repetition still depends on Loop. The two controls address different events: visibility and file completion.
You can leave restart-on-active enabled if you want the clip to begin from its opening whenever it becomes visible. Turn it off if you prefer playback to resume from where it was when the source became inactive, subject to the source's other settings. Neither choice replaces enabling Loop for repeated playback.
If your actual requirement is “start from the beginning each time this scene appears”, test that behaviour separately from looping. Hide or switch away from the source, return to the scene, and confirm whether it starts at the beginning. Then perform a second test with the source continuously visible and wait for the file end. Keeping those tests separate makes the result much easier to interpret.
For a longer explanation of the choices involved in keeping recorded material on air, see this guide to sending a playlist to YouTube Live with OBS. A playlist and a looping single file are not interchangeable, so choose based on whether you need one clip to repeat or several clips to play in sequence.
Check what happens when playback ends
If playback does not restart and the source appears to vanish, inspect Show nothing when playback ends. OBS describes this option as automatically hiding the source after completion and lists it as on by default. That can make an ended file look like it has disappeared, especially if the scene underneath is black or visually similar to the final frame.
For diagnosis, note whether the source remains visible on its last frame, disappears, or returns to its opening content. These are different symptoms. An end frame remaining visible suggests the source may still be shown even though playback has ended. A blank area can indicate that the source has been hidden. A repeated opening frame indicates the file has restarted. Change one setting at a time and check the same point in the file again.
If you want to keep a final frame on screen when a file ends, the hide-on-completion behaviour may not match your intended presentation. If you need continuous playback, however, Loop is the setting to correct; changing the end-of-playback display alone will not make the video repeat. Consider what viewers should see during any transition, especially if the scene also contains a logo, text or background image.
Write down the exact property states before making changes. In a long-running channel, an end frame, an empty source area and a genuine restart can be easy to confuse when observed casually. A short screen recording of the preview, alongside the Properties settings, can make it easier to compare behaviour after a change or explain it to someone helping with the channel.
Verify scene visibility and playback
A source can behave differently when it is hidden, removed from the current scene or made visible again. Confirm that the scene you are watching is the scene containing the selected source, and that the source is enabled in the Sources list. If you use nested scenes, check the visibility of the containing scene and the source inside it. A source may be present in one place but not actually contribute to the current programme output.
The Close file when inactive option is relevant when a source is hidden or off-scene. OBS says it unloads the file to free memory and notes that reloading after a scene change can cause a short period when the source is not showing. If the issue occurs only after switching away for a while, test with this option off and observe whether the behaviour changes. This is a diagnostic step, not a claim that unloading is always harmful; it trades resource use against keeping the file ready.
First reproduce the problem in the OBS preview with the source visible. Then test one scene change at a time. If it fails only after being inactive, record whether the source was hidden, whether its scene was active, and whether the file had been unloaded. That information narrows the problem more usefully than a general report that the loop “stopped”.
If a macro, websocket control or manual scene sequence hides and re-shows a source right at the end of playback, test with a deliberate pause between the actions. A community report described a specific timing case in which a brief wait allowed a restart, but that report concerned one version and sequence, not a universal OBS defect. Do not assume that every hide/show action has this problem. First see whether the failure is repeatable with the same timing.
If it fails only after a long period inactive, note your OBS version and operating system and reproduce it after reopening Properties and selecting the same file again. A historical Windows report described that as a workaround for a particular older version and configuration. It is not evidence that current OBS releases share the same defect. Keeping the version and exact settings with your notes makes a support request more actionable.
Test the source again, then choose the right source
Run a controlled test in OBS before putting the change into a live channel. Use a known local file, keep the relevant scene visible, enable Loop, and observe the end of playback. Next, test hiding and re-showing the source, if that is part of your normal use. Do not change YouTube settings during these checks; the purpose is to establish whether the local source itself repeats and how it behaves when visibility changes.
If the test still fails, record the file format, path, OBS version, operating system and the exact states of Loop, restart-on-active, Show nothing when playback ends, and Close file when inactive. Also write down when the failure happens: at file completion, after a scene switch, or after a long inactive period. Try the file in another player to check that it plays through, but remember this does not prove that OBS can decode it in the same way.
For a playlist, OBS's VLC Video source is a relevant alternative. It has a separate Loop Playlist property and visibility-related options. OBS says VLC must be installed, and 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. This adds a prerequisite, so it is not a mandatory repair for a single clip. Use the built-in Media Source when one file is all you need; consider VLC Video when you need a sequence of files managed as a playlist.
If repeated testing points to a timing or inactive-source issue, search or post on the OBS forum thread about a source not restarting when active with your reproduction details. The forum is community discussion, not official confirmation of a current bug. Similarly, historical reports about inactive sources or rapid visibility changes should be treated as clues to test, not diagnoses. The OBS Studio project issue tracker includes a specific historical report about an inactive media source; its version and circumstances matter.
This is also where it helps to separate a local playback failure from a live output problem. If the source repeats normally in the OBS preview but viewers report a different picture, investigate what OBS is sending and what the live stream displays as separate questions. A guide to resolving a stream health warning for recorded video covers a different layer of the setup; a health warning does not establish why a local Media Source stopped.
Keep the overnight test simple
Before relying on a change for an overnight broadcast, let the source pass through the end of its file under the conditions you intend to use. If your channel changes scenes, test that schedule too. Keep a note of the time and observed result rather than assuming a successful preview at the start proves the end-of-file behaviour.
A practical checklist is to confirm the intended file path, enable Loop, decide whether visibility should restart playback, decide what should appear at completion, and test hidden/off-scene behaviour if it occurs in normal use. Avoid introducing a new plugin, changing the YouTube stream key or adjusting the encoder as a response to a source-level playback symptom without evidence connecting those settings to it.
If your content is a single recorded programme and the computer should not have to remain on for the broadcast, StreamNeo removes the specific burden of leaving OBS running to replay that file; it does not change how OBS's Media Source settings work. For OBS-based operation, this guide to a nonstop YouTube stream for church bhajan and prayer recordings discusses the broader operating choice. Choose the workflow that suits your need to control scenes live, rather than changing tools just to avoid checking Loop.
A stream can be healthy at the platform level while a scene element has ended, and a scene element can loop correctly while a separate output issue remains. Keeping those checks separate saves time and avoids changing a working YouTube configuration to address an OBS playback property.
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FAQ
Does Restart playback when source becomes active make a file loop?
No. OBS documents it as restarting playback when the source is in the current scene and visible. Enable Loop to repeat a single file after it completes.
Why does my source disappear at the end of the video?
Check Show nothing when playback ends, which can hide the source after completion. Also confirm whether Loop is enabled; hiding at the end and repeating the file are separate behaviours.
Should I change YouTube settings when an OBS file stops?
Not as the first step. Check the Media Source properties and reproduce the issue in OBS first; the symptom alone does not show that YouTube caused it.
When should I use VLC Video instead of Media Source?
Use Media Source for a single local file that you want to repeat. VLC Video is worth considering for a playlist, but it requires VLC to be installed and the appropriate architecture to match OBS.