To restart a multi-file media playlist in an OBS YouTube live stream, add the files to an OBS VLC Video source and enable Loop Playlist in that source’s properties. YouTube’s stream key connects OBS to the live event; it does not control whether the playlist repeats.
VLC must be installed for VLC Video to be available in OBS, and OBS’s documentation specifies matching 64-bit VLC with 64-bit OBS. The steps below keep the local playback setup distinct from the YouTube connection, so you can check the right side when something stops.
What VLC Video does in OBS
OBS has two playback sources that can seem interchangeable until you need a playlist. Media Source is suited to a single local file and has a Loop setting for repeating that file. VLC Video accepts a playlist of media files and has a separate Loop Playlist control. For a set of devotional tracks, study videos, or ambience clips that should play in order and begin again at the end, VLC Video is the relevant source. OBS describes these source options in its Media Sources guide.
Loop Playlist addresses one specific point in playback: what the VLC Video source does after it has run out of media files. With the setting enabled, the playlist starts again after the final item. It is not a control to restart one individual file, to recover an OBS connection, or to keep YouTube broadcasting if OBS itself closes. If your content is a single long video, use Media Source and its Loop option instead.
This distinction also helps with troubleshooting. If the live preview is still arriving in YouTube but the last clip has ended and the scene is blank, look at the VLC Video playlist and its loop setting. If playback is continuing in OBS but YouTube says it is not receiving a signal, look at the encoder connection and the stream state in Live Control Room.
Install VLC that matches OBS
VLC Video depends on VLC being installed on the computer running OBS. If VLC is missing, the source may not appear in OBS’s Add Source menu. Install VLC first, then restart OBS if needed and check whether the source is available. The OBS documentation notes that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC; make sure the architectures match rather than assuming any VLC installation will work.
On a Windows computer, check which OBS installer you are using and install the corresponding VLC build. Do not install 32-bit VLC for 64-bit OBS. On another operating system, follow the VLC and OBS installation guidance for that system, and verify that VLC is present before configuring the source. If OBS was already open during installation, close and reopen it so it can discover the VLC library.
Keep the media files in a location OBS can access while it runs. A folder on an external drive that is disconnected overnight, or a file moved after you built the playlist, can leave an item unavailable. For a long-running channel, a stable local folder is usually easier to maintain than paths scattered across removable media. If you are preparing several files for a channel, this guide to uploading a playlist of stream files from a Mac covers a related file-preparation task, though the OBS playlist itself is configured locally.
Add VLC Video to the scene
Open the OBS scene that should show the playlist. In the Sources box, select the add button, choose VLC Video, and give the source a useful name such as “Night playlist” or “Bhajan rotation”. A descriptive name matters when a scene has several sources: it makes it easier to identify which playback item you need to edit later.
In the source properties, add the files to the playlist in the order you want them to play. Use the file picker or the playlist controls shown by your OBS version, and check that each intended item appears. If the order matters—for example, an opening devotional track before a longer recording—arrange the list before starting the stream. The playlist is a sequence of media files, not a collection that YouTube will reorder.
Then check the source in the preview. Make sure the video is positioned and scaled as intended, and that audio is present in the OBS mixer. If your source is smaller than the canvas, resize it or use the appropriate transform so it fills the intended area. For content prepared at a different resolution, this article on downscaling 4K videos for a YouTube playlist stream discusses a separate preparation step; it does not change how Loop Playlist works.
Load files and enable Loop Playlist
Open the VLC Video source properties and look for its playlist and playback controls. Confirm the list contains multiple files if your intention is to loop a playlist, and enable Loop Playlist. OBS lists this setting as on by default, but check it rather than relying on the default: an existing scene or a changed source may not have the setting you expect. The official property description defines it as controlling whether the source restarts when it has run out of media files.
Loop Playlist applies to the playlist as a whole. The source plays the items in their listed order, reaches the end of the final item, and then starts the list again when looping is enabled. It does not make a single file repeat; the built-in Media Source’s Loop control is the appropriate control for that case. Nor does the playlist setting force YouTube to remain live if OBS loses its connection or the encoder stops.
OBS also has Visibility Behaviour controls for what happens when the source is not visible in the scene. Depending on the selected behaviour, playback can stop and restart when visible, pause and resume, or continue playing. Those controls address visibility, not the end of a playlist. For instance, if you switch to a scene without the playlist source and then return, playback may have advanced or restarted according to visibility behaviour; changing Loop Playlist will not decide what happens while the source is hidden.
A practical setup is to choose the visibility behaviour deliberately and then test it by switching scenes before relying on the channel overnight. If the playlist should continue from where it was while temporarily hidden, select a pause/resume behaviour. If it should keep advancing even when another scene is shown, use an always-play behaviour. These choices have different consequences, especially if you have a standby scene or rotate through multiple scenes.
Connect OBS to YouTube Live Control Room
The YouTube connection is separate from the playlist. In YouTube Studio, create or open the live stream in Live Control Room and choose the encoder workflow. YouTube provides a stream URL and stream key for the event; enter those values in OBS’s stream settings. YouTube’s encoder setup instructions describe connecting an encoder and managing the event from Live Control Room.
Treat the stream key as a credential. Do not include it in a screenshot, public chat, or a document shared with people who do not need it. If you think it has been exposed, use YouTube Studio’s current controls to replace it and update OBS with the new value. The stream URL and key establish where OBS sends the encoded feed; they do not change the VLC source’s playlist order or loop setting.
Start streaming in OBS and wait for YouTube’s preview or incoming signal in Live Control Room. Check the picture and audio there before using YouTube’s control to go live. YouTube’s live streaming tips recommend checking the preview and monitoring audio and video quality. Follow the current prompts in Studio, since the controls and labels can change.
Live Control Room also has settings for the stream, including latency and DVR. DVR lets viewers pause and resume the live stream; it does not make OBS restart a media playlist. YouTube’s live stream settings help explains those platform-side options. Keeping the two sets of controls separate makes diagnosis clearer: a viewer-facing stream setting is not a replacement for configuring the local VLC Video source.
Test completion and restart behaviour
Before leaving a channel unattended, test the playlist from beginning to end in a controlled session. A short test playlist makes it easier to see whether OBS moves through each file in the intended order and returns to the first item after the final file. Confirm that Loop Playlist is enabled, observe the transition at the end, and listen for the audio to resume. Do not infer completion behaviour just because the first file starts successfully.
Also check the YouTube preview independently. Confirm that YouTube receives the feed while the playlist plays and after it begins again. OBS can repeat media locally while the encoder connection has a separate problem, so look at both the OBS preview/mixer and the Live Control Room status. If the YouTube preview freezes, compare what OBS is showing with what YouTube reports; this will help establish whether the issue is playback or delivery.
Test any scene changes you expect to use. Hide the playlist source, switch back, and observe whether playback stops, pauses, or continues according to Visibility Behaviour. That test is useful because a source can behave differently when it is hidden even though its playlist is correctly set to loop. If you plan to keep a continuous channel on a Windows PC, this guide to running an always-on YouTube stream from a Windows PC in India covers broader operating considerations beyond playlist configuration.
Finally, leave enough time to catch a real playlist boundary in your test rather than ending as soon as the stream starts. You are checking several separate things: the file sequence, the loop at the end, source visibility behaviour, and the YouTube encoder connection. Write down which one failed if it does, so a later change addresses the actual control rather than disturbing working parts of the setup.
Troubleshoot VLC source and playback issues
If VLC Video is missing from Add Source, check that VLC is installed and matches the OBS architecture. For 64-bit OBS, use 64-bit VLC. Restart OBS after installing VLC and check the source menu again. If it still does not appear, consult the current OBS and VLC installation guidance for your operating system before changing unrelated YouTube settings.
If a playlist appears but a file does not play, verify that the path still points to an accessible file and that the file can be opened by VLC on that computer. Check whether an external drive or network location is available, and remove or replace entries that refer to moved files. A broken item may interrupt the expected sequence, so test the playlist again after correcting it.
If the playlist reaches its last item and does not return to the first, open the VLC Video properties and check Loop Playlist. Do not look for a YouTube loop setting: YouTube’s controls manage the live event and viewer-facing settings, while the source property governs playlist completion in OBS. If there is only one file, change to a Media Source and use its Loop setting instead of expecting Loop Playlist to repeat that file.
If playback stops after changing scenes, inspect Visibility Behaviour. It controls what happens while the source is not visible, so a stop, pause, or continuing playback may be expected under the selected behaviour. Set the behaviour that matches the scene design and test again. This is also a useful distinction when a standby graphic is shown while the playlist source is hidden.
If OBS plays correctly but YouTube has no preview or signal, return to OBS’s stream settings and verify the stream URL and key, then check the event status in Live Control Room. Conversely, if YouTube receives a signal but the video is blank or silent, inspect the scene, source visibility, playlist entries, and OBS audio mixer. For audio that drifts relative to pre-recorded video, the dedicated OBS audio sync troubleshooting guide is more relevant than changing the stream key.
OBS is useful when you want direct control of scenes, overlays, and local playback, but that control depends on the computer and OBS session remaining available. If your specific problem is that a home computer must stay on and the broadcast must be watched for drops, StreamNeo can remove that computer-management burden by taking an uploaded video and running it as a YouTube live stream; it does not configure OBS’s VLC playlist. Decide whether you need OBS’s scene control or a cloud-run file stream before choosing a workflow.
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FAQ
Does Loop Playlist restart one video?
No. Loop Playlist controls what happens after a VLC Video source runs out of media files, so it is intended for a playlist. To repeat one local file, use OBS’s Media Source and its Loop setting.
Do I need VLC installed for VLC Video?
Yes. OBS requires VLC for the VLC Video source to be available. Match the architecture: the OBS guide says 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.
Does YouTube Live Control Room control the playlist repeat?
No. The stream URL and key connect OBS to the live event, while Loop Playlist is an OBS source property. YouTube’s DVR and latency settings affect the live stream experience, not the order or repetition of files in OBS.
Why does playback change when I switch scenes?
The source’s Visibility Behaviour determines what happens while it is hidden: it can stop, pause, or continue playing. That is separate from Loop Playlist, which applies when the playlist runs out of media files. Check both settings if the source behaves differently after a scene change.