To build a YouTube Live loop playlist in OBS, first decide whether you need one video to repeat or a list of separate videos. A Media Source with Loop handles one file; VLC Video handles a multi-file playlist, while Advanced Scene Switcher is for automating scene changes rather than basic playlist playback.
The OBS source controls playback inside your scene. You still need to configure and start a YouTube encoder stream separately, and neither a loop setting nor a scene-switch macro guarantees that a public broadcast will remain uninterrupted. The steps below follow documented OBS and YouTube behaviour; check the labels in your installed versions if they differ.
Choose one repeating file or a playlist
Start with the viewing experience you want. If a single long recording should repeat from the beginning, use a Media Source and enable Loop. If viewers should see several clips in a fixed order, use a VLC Video source with those files arranged as a playlist. If clips need different layouts, overlays or audio mixes, put them in separate scenes and consider automating transitions between those scenes.
| What you want | OBS option | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat one video | Media Source with Loop | Straightforward and does not require VLC, but plays one file. |
| Repeat a list of videos | VLC Video with Loop Playlist | Supports a multi-file list, but depends on VLC being installed. |
| Change among distinct scene layouts | Advanced Scene Switcher macros | Allows conditional automation, but takes extra configuration and compatibility checking. |
For example, a devotional channel with one continuous recording can keep it in a single Media Source. A study channel that alternates recorded focus sessions and breaks may prefer a VLC playlist if the same layout and order apply to every clip. A local news loop with a title card or different layout for each segment may be better represented by separate scenes, but that is a different job from simply repeating a list of files.
OBS Project distinguishes the playlist source from Media Source in its Media Sources documentation: “Unlike Media Source, you can create a playlist of items, similar to an Image Slideshow.” That distinction matters. Do not install a scene-switching plugin just to find a basic loop control, and do not assume a scene automation plugin is itself a playlist manager.
Consider how the material is organised before you add anything. A single source is easier to inspect and has fewer moving parts. A playlist avoids manually replacing clips, but its order and shuffle settings need checking. Separate scenes give you different compositions, yet add transition rules to maintain. For a series where order matters, this guide to keeping episodes in order in a continuous stream is a useful reminder to check the actual playback sequence rather than relying on the playlist name.
Prepare compatible local media
Put the files you intend to use in a known local folder and make a short inventory of their names and intended order. Use filenames that make the sequence easy to recognise, such as 01-introduction, 02-session and 03-break. This is a practical way to reduce selection mistakes; OBS does not require this naming scheme.
OBS documents Media Source support for video formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF and WebM, and audio formats including MP3, AAC, OGG and WAV. The reference lists supported formats, but that does not mean every file with a matching extension will behave identically: codecs, file damage or unusual encoding can still affect playback. If a clip does not display or play as expected, try a known-good export in a documented format and check the file outside the scene before changing automation settings.
For VLC Video, OBS relies on the VLC libraries. The OBS documentation says VLC must be installed, and that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. If VLC Video is missing from the source menu, check that dependency and architecture before rebuilding the scene. If you are making a long-form set from existing recordings, the practical considerations in streaming a recorded church service without a camera also apply: plan the recordings and their presentation before you go live.
Keep the final media files in a stable location. Moving or renaming them after configuring a source can leave OBS pointing at a path that no longer exists. If you routinely edit on one computer and stream from another, confirm that the streaming computer can access the same files; a path on your editing machine is not automatically available elsewhere.
Listen to the audio as well as checking the picture. A video that appears correct in a source preview can still have unexpected silence, a loud intro, or audio that clashes with another source in the scene. Check each clip at the intended output level, and decide whether any separate OBS audio sources should be muted while the playlist plays.
Add a Media Source or VLC Video source
Choose the scene that should contain the loop, then go to the Sources dock and use its + control to add the appropriate source. OBS describes scenes as collections of sources that make up the output; its Sources Guide covers this relationship. If you are new to arranging sources, add the video to a simple scene first, then place overlays or other elements around it.
For one file, choose Media Source, give it a recognisable name, and select the local file in its properties. Keep the source visible in the scene and check that it is positioned and sized as intended. If you are using a background, logo or text overlay, arrange the layers deliberately: source order affects what is visible above or below the video.
For a list, choose VLC Video. Add the media files to the playlist in the order you want them to play, then inspect the list before closing the properties. OBS documents separate controls for Loop Playlist and Shuffle Playlist. If order is important, leave shuffle off. The playlist is not a substitute for separate scenes; it plays media through a source within the scene you have built.
The names and placement of controls can vary between OBS releases. OBS’s Media Sources reference is dated 2022, so use the documented behaviour as a guide and check the source properties in your installed version if a label has moved. For an aarti or devotional setup, the black-screen checks for a 24/7 aarti stream are relevant when diagnosing a blank output, but first distinguish a source that is not playing from a scene or stream that is not being sent.
Enable the appropriate loop setting
For a single file, open the Media Source properties and enable Loop. OBS documents this option as repeating the file after playback completes. If the source is hidden and later becomes visible, the separate Restart playback when source becomes active control determines whether playback starts again when the source becomes active in the current scene. That setting is not the same as Loop: one concerns repeating completed playback, the other concerns what happens on activation.
For a multi-file source, use Loop Playlist in the VLC Video properties. Decide separately whether to enable Shuffle Playlist. With shuffle off, the intended list order is retained; with shuffle on, the source may play items in a different order. If the channel depends on a predictable programme, check both controls rather than treating “loop” as one universal setting.
Neither setting establishes that file hand-offs are gapless. The documented controls describe repetition and playlist behaviour, not a promise about uninterrupted transitions or YouTube broadcast continuity. Listen and watch the sequence in a local preview so you know how the materials sound and look together. Avoid describing a local loop test as proof that the public stream will never stop.
If the sequence is time-sensitive, include that in the design. A playlist may repeat in a different place in the day than a schedule that resets at a particular hour. Advanced Scene Switcher can help automate scene actions, but it does not make a playlist’s timing equivalent to a broadcast schedule by itself. Check what your scene rules do when OBS is started, a source is hidden, or playback behaves differently from the assumed duration.
Understand what Advanced Scene Switcher automates
Advanced Scene Switcher is an OBS plugin for automating tasks through macros made up of conditions and actions. It becomes relevant when you want OBS to do something conditionally, such as switch from one composed scene to another after a configured condition. It is not needed for the built-in Media Source Loop control or for the basic VLC Video playlist controls.
A conceptual three-scene sequence might be: a condition for Scene A triggers a switch to Scene B; a condition for B triggers a switch to C; and a condition for C returns to A. Each scene can contain a different source, title treatment or layout. This describes the kind of pattern a macro can express, not a claim that a particular duration rule detects the end of any video automatically. Define the conditions and actions according to the current plugin interface and verify their behaviour in your own scene setup.
The Advanced Scene Switcher resource listing describes the plugin and its compatibility information. As listed there on 7 August 2026, the resource showed version 1.36.1, minimum OBS Studio 31.1.1, and Windows, macOS and Linux support. These are version-specific listing details, not a promise that the same requirements will remain current. Check the resource page against your OBS release before installing or updating.
If the plugin is appropriate, open Tools → Advanced Scene Switcher in OBS and create a macro for each intended transition. Configure the condition that should trigger the action, then choose the scene-switch action. Exact interface steps can change between plugin versions, so use the maintained plugin resource and its wiki for current details. A third-party walkthrough can illustrate a scene-cycle idea, but it should not outrank the plugin’s own current documentation.
Keep the macro logic simple enough to reason about. Write down each scene, what condition should move you onward, and the action that follows. Avoid overlapping rules that could compete to select different scenes. Most importantly, distinguish “switch scenes after a condition” from “control every item in a playlist”: the plugin’s general macro model does not establish that every playlist event is automatically exposed as a trigger.
If all you need is a fixed list of clips in one scene, VLC Video is the more direct tool. If you need an opening slate, a programme scene and a closing card to cycle under different conditions, the plugin may be worth the added setup. For creators who find that keeping a personal computer running is itself the difficult part of a continuous prerecorded broadcast, StreamNeo removes that specific burden by letting you upload a video and run its YouTube broadcast without leaving your computer on.
Connect OBS to YouTube Live
A working loop in OBS is not yet a YouTube live stream. YouTube must have a live event configured, and OBS must be connected to it as an encoder. Follow YouTube Help’s encoder setup instructions for the current route through YouTube Live and the information OBS needs. The source loop and the YouTube live configuration are separate layers.
In broad terms, prepare the live event in YouTube Studio, then enter the required stream connection details in OBS and start the encoder when you are ready. Follow the current instructions shown in your account: YouTube’s interface and eligibility requirements can change, and channel-specific restrictions may apply. If you have not checked whether a channel can stream, use this guide to check YouTube live-streaming restrictions and confirm the current status through YouTube itself.
Treat the stream key as private. Do not place it in screenshots, public notes or a shared document. If you believe it has been exposed, use YouTube Studio’s current controls to replace or reset it, then update OBS. A key connects encoder output to your channel; it does not change the playback behaviour configured on the OBS source.
Before starting publicly, check the event’s visibility, title and intended destination. If you plan to schedule a broadcast, follow YouTube’s current workflow and check the live event’s state rather than assuming that OBS’s encoder start has also scheduled or published it. The official setup documentation explains the encoder path, but it does not make a local loop control a YouTube scheduling tool.
Preview and test the complete scene
Before going live, preview the complete scene locally. Confirm that the correct source appears, the picture fills the intended area, overlays are legible, and any background or branding is in the right layer. For a VLC playlist, inspect the list order and shuffle state. For a single file, check that Loop is enabled and that the source points to the expected file.
Watch enough of the playback to establish that the opening, sound and any scene transitions behave as intended. If you use macros, test each transition in the scene sequence and confirm that the expected action follows its condition. This is a prudent local check, not evidence of hands-on testing in this article and not a guarantee about a live broadcast. Check what happens after OBS is closed and reopened if that is part of your normal operating routine.
Use a written handover note if another person will run the channel. Include which source to edit, where the files are stored, the intended order, whether shuffle is on, and what each macro is meant to do. Keep credentials out of that note. A clear checklist is more useful at an overnight handover than relying on someone to remember why a particular box was ticked.
It is also worth deciding what you will do if playback or the connection needs attention. A looping source does not diagnose a missing file, a frozen application, an encoder disconnect or a YouTube event that has stopped. Know how you will check OBS and YouTube Studio, and do not promise viewers uninterrupted service unless you can actually maintain it. If upload capacity is part of your setup planning, the guide to calculating upload bandwidth for a church stream covers a separate issue from local media looping.
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FAQ
Do I need Advanced Scene Switcher to loop one video in OBS?
No. Add a Media Source and enable Loop to repeat a single file. Advanced Scene Switcher is for conditional automation, such as changing scenes, not a prerequisite for the source’s loop control.
How do I loop several videos in OBS?
Use VLC Video, add the files in the order you want, and enable Loop Playlist. Leave Shuffle Playlist off if the sequence should remain ordered, and check that VLC is installed with the architecture OBS requires.
Can Advanced Scene Switcher automatically control every playlist item?
Do not assume that it can. The plugin uses macro conditions and actions, and the current documentation should guide which events and actions are available in your version. For a simple recurring list, use VLC Video’s playlist controls; use macros when you have a defined scene or conditional automation need.
Does a looping OBS scene keep a YouTube live stream running indefinitely?
No such guarantee follows from the loop setting. Looping controls source playback in OBS, while YouTube’s encoder connection and live event are separate; check both when preparing and monitoring a broadcast.