If an OBS Media Source file reaches its end, turn on Loop when you want that file to repeat. But the file ending does not, by itself, prove that your YouTube livestream ended: first check whether OBS is still sending output and what YouTube Live Control Room reports.
A looping setting controls playback of that source, not the status of the broadcast. The reliable approach is to check the source, the OBS output, and YouTube’s stream health as separate things, then test the scene transition you intend to use.
First separate the clip from the broadcast
A Media Source is one item in an OBS scene. Its playback can finish while the scene and the encoder output continue. For example, a short welcome clip may stop, leaving a background or another source visible. Conversely, if that clip is the only visible item, its completion may leave the programme looking blank even though OBS is still sending a signal to YouTube.
Those are different problems. A blank or changed picture is not necessarily a disconnected livestream. A source reaching its last frame is not proof that YouTube has stopped receiving the encoder. Before changing settings, note what you actually observed: did the video go blank, did OBS show that streaming had stopped, or did Live Control Room report that the stream ended or encountered an error?
If you are not at the streaming computer, ask someone who can see both OBS and Live Control Room to check them at roughly the same time. A viewer’s report that playback stopped is useful, but it does not tell you whether the cause was the media source, OBS output, the connection, or YouTube’s ingest. Record the time and the visible symptoms rather than treating the suspected cause as established.
This distinction matters especially for a 24/7 channel. A devotional programme might use one long bhajan video as its only scene source; a study channel might show a single ambience loop. If the picture disappears at the end, viewers have a real problem even if the broadcast remains connected. If OBS itself stopped output, enabling Loop may not address the underlying interruption.
Confirm whether OBS stopped sending output
At the time of an incident, check OBS’s streaming status and whether its output is still active. Look at the preview or programme view too: is the intended scene present, has the media item disappeared, or is the picture frozen? These observations help separate a playback event from a streaming event. If possible, compare them with the time at which a viewer noticed the problem.
Then inspect YouTube Live Control Room. YouTube provides stream health information and may show specific errors; those signals are more useful for diagnosing delivery than the fact that a source completed. YouTube’s guidance on creating a live stream with an encoder describes ending a stream in relation to stopping content from the encoder. Its live stream metrics guidance explains where to review the stream’s status and metrics.
If OBS remains connected and Live Control Room still shows an active stream, investigate what is being sent in the scene. If OBS stopped streaming or YouTube reports an ingest problem, troubleshoot that connection separately. Avoid changing a stream key just because a clip ended; YouTube’s live stream troubleshooting guidance is a better starting point when the encoder itself cannot start or maintain its connection.
For a more complete diagnosis, compare the incident time with the OBS log and the error or health information in Live Control Room. The OBS log can help establish whether output stopped or a source changed state; YouTube’s view can indicate what reached its service. Neither observation alone necessarily explains the other, but together they narrow the question. If the interruption is over, note what you can still verify and avoid presenting a guess as a confirmed root cause.
Turn on Loop when the file should repeat
In OBS, open the properties for the affected Media Source and look for Loop. Enable it when the intended behaviour is to play that file again after it completes. OBS documents Loop as the control that makes a media file play again after playback finishes; it is off by default in the documented Media Source settings. See the OBS Project’s Media Sources reference for the setting and the other playback options.
The exact route to the properties depends on how you set up the scene, but the key is to edit the Media Source itself, not assume a broadcast setting will repeat a file. Select the source in the scene, open its properties, confirm you have selected the correct file, then enable Loop and apply the change. If there are several clips or scenes, check each source that is supposed to repeat; changing one item does not configure another.
Loop makes sense for a single continuous ambience bed, a visual holding scene, or a self-contained video intended to run repeatedly. It may be wrong for a one-time intro, an announcement, or a clip that should hand off to a different scene. In those cases, decide what should appear after the clip: a separate scene, a static background, or the next scheduled item. Looping an intro indefinitely can be just as disruptive as letting a core programme disappear.
A useful way to think about it is that Loop addresses what the file does after its last frame. It does not validate your encoder connection, ensure that the scene contains something visible, or guarantee that the stream stays uninterrupted. If the broadcast stopped for a different reason, you will need to diagnose that reason on its own evidence. For broader options for keeping a prerecorded programme online, see how to stream prerecorded videos to YouTube 24/7 from a cloud service.
Loop is not the same as hiding the source
OBS has another option called Show nothing when playback ends. It controls whether the source is hidden after its playback completes. That is not the repeat-playback control: enabling it does not make the file start over. If you want the media to repeat, use Loop. If you want a one-time clip to disappear at its end, the hiding behaviour may be appropriate, provided another intended visual remains in the scene.
Consider a starting screen with a countdown over a background. When the countdown completes, you may want it hidden while the background continues. If the countdown is the only visible item, hiding it may leave a blank-looking output. That can look like a stream interruption to a viewer, although it does not establish that the encoder stopped. Decide what should remain visible and check the scene composition as well as the media properties.
For a channel with a planned sequence, test the transition at the source level and the scene level. Ask: should this clip restart, vanish, or hand off to another scene? Then verify that the source’s end behaviour and the scene’s remaining content match that decision. A countdown and holding screen for a 24/7 church stream is one example where the end of a short element should not be confused with the status of the outgoing programme.
What “Close file when inactive” changes
Close file when inactive is separate again. OBS describes it as closing or unloading the media file when the source is hidden or is not on the current scene. When the source becomes active again, it has to load again. Depending on the file and the system, that reload can introduce a delay before playback appears.
This option is about how OBS handles a source while it is inactive, not what should happen when its playback reaches the end. It is not a substitute for Loop. If a source is repeatedly hidden and shown during a scene rotation, closing it while inactive may mean it needs to reopen each time. That behaviour can be useful for managing inactive media, but it is worth testing with the actual file and transition rather than assuming it will be seamless.
To isolate a problem, temporarily keep the relevant source visible in a test scene and observe what happens at the end of playback. Then test the intended scene change separately. This helps you avoid blaming the inactive-file setting for an end-of-playback event—or overlooking a reload delay when a hidden source returns. Do not alter several source properties at once: change one, test, and note the result.
If your setup uses multiple scenes, make a short checklist of which sources should loop, which should disappear, and which should unload when inactive. This is particularly useful when someone else operates the channel overnight. A clear note such as “main ambience loops; intro hides; background remains visible” is more actionable than “keep stream alive”, because the latter mixes source playback and encoder status.
Read OBS output and YouTube stream health together
When a suspected interruption occurs, collect evidence from both ends. In OBS, check whether streaming is active, whether the intended scene is selected, and whether the source is still present or has completed. In Live Control Room, check stream health and any displayed error. YouTube recommends previewing the encoder stream and monitoring its audio and video; its live streaming tips are useful when planning that check.
Use a small incident record: approximate time, the OBS status, what appeared in the preview, what Live Control Room showed, and whether a viewer saw a blank screen, a frozen picture, or playback ending. Avoid relying only on a message after the fact, since the viewer may not know whether the stream itself ended or their own playback stopped. A timestamp lets you compare the symptoms with the OBS log and any YouTube error information.
If the OBS output is still active but the picture is wrong, inspect the scene and source settings. If OBS reports that output stopped, check the encoder’s connection and the relevant OBS log entries. If Live Control Room shows health problems, follow the error-specific guidance there instead of assuming the media file caused them. YouTube’s setup guidance also covers starting with an encoder and checking stream configuration; only investigate a stream key if there is evidence pointing to a key or startup problem.
This approach avoids two costly false fixes. Replacing a stream key does not make a finished file repeat, and enabling Loop cannot repair a dropped connection. A guide to troubleshooting live streaming issues with health metrics can help you think through the health signals without treating every visible change as the same failure.
Test the source and broadcast behaviour before relying on it
Make a test that reproduces the intended use, not just a quick check that the source loads. Open the scene, confirm the chosen media file and its properties, then observe playback through its end. If it should repeat, verify that it starts again. If it should disappear or hand off, confirm what remains visible and whether the transition is the one you expect.
Also check the stream path. Preview the encoder output in Live Control Room and confirm that the picture and audio you intend to send are arriving. OBS’s preview is not the same as a viewer receiving the broadcast, so checking both the local scene and YouTube’s preview helps catch an issue at either stage. For a live event, YouTube recommends testing the planned setup and monitoring quality; do so before the audience depends on it.
For an unattended channel, include the moments most likely to be missed: clip completion, scene changes, returning to a hidden source, and a restart of OBS if that is part of your recovery plan. Do not infer reliability from a short preview alone. The goal is to see whether your planned behaviour works and to know which screen or log you would check if it does not.
If the video is meant to play continuously but your computer must remain available to keep OBS running, you may also need to choose an operating arrangement that fits your schedule. StreamNeo addresses the specific burden of leaving your own computer on by taking an uploaded video and running it as a YouTube live stream, so you do not have to keep that machine switched on. It does not change the fact that you should verify the file, channel, and intended broadcast behaviour before relying on a setup.
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FAQ
Does an OBS media file ending automatically end my YouTube livestream?
No. A source completing and the encoder stopping are not interchangeable events. Check whether OBS is still sending output and inspect Live Control Room before deciding that the broadcast ended because the file reached its last frame.
Which OBS setting repeats a Media Source file?
Enable Loop in that Media Source’s properties if the file is meant to repeat after playback completes. It controls that source’s playback; it does not guarantee the broadcast itself will remain uninterrupted.
What is the difference between Loop and “Show nothing when playback ends”?
Loop starts the file again after it completes. “Show nothing when playback ends” hides the source after completion, so use it only when that is the intended visual behaviour and another source or scene should remain on screen.
Should I change my YouTube stream key if the picture disappeared?
Not without evidence that the key is involved. First establish whether OBS output stopped, what Live Control Room reports, and whether the source simply ended or disappeared; investigate the key only if the encoder error points that way.