To interact with a Browser Source in OBS Studio, select it in the Sources dock and choose Interact from the source toolbar. You can also right-click the source and choose Interact. OBS opens a separate window where you can send mouse and keyboard input to the embedded page.
That window is for operating the page loaded by the selected source; it is not the same as editing the source’s URL, local file, or viewport. What works depends on the page and how it behaves inside OBS, so check the result in the scene before relying on it.
What Browser Source interaction is
A Browser Source places a web page inside an OBS scene. It is commonly used for elements such as alert overlays and chat boxes, but it can also show a page you need to operate while producing a scene. The page appears as a source in the scene, and its dimensions and loading behaviour are set in that source’s properties. The OBS Sources Guide explains the role of sources in a scene.
The Interact command opens a control window for the selected Browser Source. It lets you direct ordinary input to the embedded page: click, move the pointer, scroll, focus an area, and enter keyboard input where the page accepts it. OBS’s source API reference documents interaction events including mouse clicks, movement, wheel input, focus, and key presses. You do not need a special mouse or other peripheral for this; a standard mouse and keyboard are enough.
Keep the distinction between operating and configuring clear. Interact sends input to the page currently loaded in that source. To change which page is loaded, switch between a URL and a local file, or resize the page’s viewport, open Properties instead. Interacting with a form or control does not edit the Browser Source’s configured address or dimensions.
A page inside OBS is not guaranteed to behave exactly as it does in a regular browser. Some controls may work, some may not, and a page can behave differently depending on its own scripts or login state. Treat the interaction window as a practical way to test and operate the embedded page, not as a promise that every website input will work.
Select the Browser Source
Start in the scene where the page is meant to appear. In the Sources dock, find the Browser Source by its name and select it. If the dock is crowded, select the scene first and look for the source listed beneath it; a similarly named source in another scene is a different item.
Confirm that the selected source is the one you intend to control. OBS applies Interact to the selected source, not automatically to the page that happens to be visible in another scene or window. If the source is hidden, locked, or covered by another item, that may affect how the scene looks, but it does not change which source you selected in the dock.
If you have not added the page yet, create a Browser Source from the Sources dock and then configure it. The Browser Source guide covers the source’s URL or local-file options and its other properties. Give sources descriptive names such as “Donation page” or “Chat overlay” rather than leaving several identical labels; that makes it easier to select the right one during a live session.
Before opening Interact, look at the scene preview and check that the intended page is visible in the expected place. This is a quick way to catch a wrong scene or a source that has not loaded. If the selected item is actually a Window Capture or another source type, it will not have the same Browser Source properties or interaction workflow.
Open the Interact window
With the Browser Source selected, click Interact in the source toolbar. Depending on your OBS layout, the toolbar appears when the source is selected. Alternatively, right-click the Browser Source in the Sources dock and choose Interact from its context menu. Both routes open an interaction window for that source.
If you cannot see the toolbar command, first check that the Browser Source itself is selected rather than the scene name. The right-click route is useful when the toolbar is not readily visible. If Interact is still unavailable, verify that you are working with a Browser Source and that the source is available in your OBS installation. The OBS Project’s obs-browser documentation describes the Browser Source component and its availability in official packages.
The interaction window is separate from the scene preview. Move it somewhere convenient and keep the preview visible if you need to see how the page appears in the composition. A click in the interaction window operates the page; a click in the main OBS interface may instead select or manipulate sources. This distinction matters when you are trying to position a page element and accidentally send a click to the wrong place.
When finished, close the interaction window or return to the OBS interface. Closing the window ends that interaction session; it does not remove the Browser Source from the scene. Reopen it from the selected source whenever you need to operate the page again.
Use mouse and keyboard input
Click in the interaction window where you want to place the page’s focus. Then use the mouse to click buttons, move across controls, and scroll. Keyboard input goes to the page when an appropriate field or control has focus. For example, you might click a text field in a web-based dashboard, type a value, and then click its page button to submit it.
The interaction API identifies the types of input OBS can send, but it does not make every page control compatible. A page may require a pop-up, browser extension, login flow, or other behaviour that does not work in the embedded view. A site can also change how its controls work over time. If a control does nothing, try clicking the field first, check whether the page has finished loading, and test the same task in an ordinary browser to see whether the issue is specific to the embedded page.
Scrolling can be useful for a page whose important controls sit below the visible area. The interaction window and the scene viewport are related to the same loaded page, but they serve different purposes: the interaction window is where you send input, while the viewport dimensions determine the page area represented by the source. A page may therefore have additional content to scroll through even if the part visible in the scene is tightly cropped.
If your goal is to operate a site in the browser you already use, a different workflow is to capture that browser window in OBS. The OBS forum discussion on showing a website describes this as an alternative. In that setup, you interact in the normal browser and capture its window, rather than embedding the page as a Browser Source and using its Interact window. The choice depends on the task: embedded pages suit scene elements you want loaded as a source, while window capture may suit a page whose normal browser session you need to use.
Check audio separately if the page plays sound. The forum guidance notes that website audio may depend on the Browser Source’s audio settings or, with a captured browser window, a separate Audio Output Capture. Test your actual setup in OBS; do not assume that sound from a page will be captured merely because its picture appears.
Check source properties and viewport
Open the Browser Source’s Properties when the wrong page loads, the content is cropped, or the scene needs a different layout. Confirm whether the source is configured to load a URL or a Local file. A URL is appropriate for a page hosted on a website. A local file is appropriate when the page content is stored on the computer running OBS; check that the selected file is present and that the path points to the intended file.
Properties also include the viewport width and height. The OBS Browser Source guide documents defaults of 800 by 600 pixels. Those are starting dimensions, not a recommendation for every scene. A wide alert panel, a tall mobile-style page, and a full-screen dashboard need different shapes. Set the viewport to match the content you want the browser page to render, then arrange or scale the source in the scene to fit the final composition.
Changing the scene size and changing the viewport are not the same operation. Transforming the source in the preview changes how it is placed or scaled in the scene. The viewport dimensions define the browser page’s drawing area. If a page looks like it has the wrong layout, adjust the viewport in Properties rather than only stretching the source until it fits. Conversely, if the page layout is correct but its box is in the wrong place, use the scene transform to position it.
For a URL source, check the address carefully: a typo, an incomplete address, or an unavailable page can leave you with a blank or stale display. For a local-file source, verify the file path and that the file is accessible to the computer running OBS. If the content has changed but the displayed page has not, use Refresh cache of current page in the Browser Source properties. OBS also provides options for unloading a page when the source is hidden and refreshing it when its scene becomes active; choose those according to whether the page should retain its state or reload when you return to the scene.
Custom CSS and other Browser Source properties can affect how a page appears, but they are configuration choices rather than interaction controls. If a page element is missing, first verify the source address and viewport, then consider whether custom styling or page behaviour is responsible. Change one thing at a time so you can tell whether the adjustment fixed the display.
Troubleshoot interaction problems
If Interact does not open, confirm that a Browser Source is selected in the Sources dock. Try its right-click context menu if the toolbar command is hard to find. If the selected source is a different type, select or create the Browser Source that actually contains the page. Also check that you have not selected a source in a different scene from the one you are testing.
If the window opens but clicks appear to do nothing, check the page in the scene first. A blank page, a loading screen, or a sign-in prompt is not an interaction failure by itself. Verify the configured URL or local file, allow the page to load, and click directly inside the relevant control. Some pages do not support a given action in OBS’s embedded browser, so try the same task in an ordinary browser before concluding that OBS is at fault.
If the page is visible but poorly fitted, inspect viewport width and height in Properties. A viewport that is too small can lead to a layout intended for a narrow area; a viewport with an unsuitable shape can leave content outside the visible composition. Set dimensions to suit the source’s intended scene role, then check both the scene preview and the interaction window. If you alter dimensions, revisit positioning and scaling in the scene.
If the page seems out of date, refresh the current page from Properties. For a source that is hidden and later shown, review the unload and refresh-on-activation settings. These options involve a trade-off: retaining a loaded page can preserve its current state, while refreshing can make updated content appear when you return but may reset what the page was doing. Test the behaviour before using it in a scene you depend on.
If normal-browser behaviour is essential, consider whether capturing the browser window is a better fit than an embedded Browser Source. Window capture changes where you interact and may require separate audio capture, so check both picture and sound in a test recording. For a 24/7 channel whose main content is a prepared video, OBS page interaction is a production-control task rather than a way to keep that video broadcasting after your computer is switched off. StreamNeo removes that particular always-on computer burden by running an uploaded video as a YouTube live stream, but it does not replace OBS when you need to operate a Browser Source in a desktop scene.
For a channel built around a repeating video rather than a web page, you may find the format considerations for 24/7 YouTube live video more relevant. If your workflow depends on playlists, see how to schedule a YouTube playlist in upload-date order. These are separate questions from operating a Browser Source, but they help clarify whether the thing you need to control is a web page or the broadcast content itself.
Choose the workflow that fits the page
Use the Interact window when the page is already embedded as a Browser Source and you need to operate it within the OBS scene workflow. It keeps the page as a source in the composition and avoids switching to a separately captured browser window. This is convenient for testing an overlay or changing a control on a page that is already part of the scene.
Use an ordinary browser with window capture when the task relies on behaviour that works in your normal browser but is unreliable or unavailable in the embedded page. The page remains in the browser session you operate directly, while OBS captures that window. This can be easier for a task involving a browser-specific login or navigation flow, but it creates a separate capture source and can require attention to window selection and audio routing.
| Consideration | Browser Source with Interact | Browser window with capture |
|---|---|---|
| Where you operate the page | OBS’s Interact window | The ordinary browser window |
| How it enters the scene | The page is the Browser Source | OBS captures a browser window |
| Page setup | Configure URL or local file and viewport in source properties | Open the page in the browser and choose the window to capture |
| Audio check | Review Browser Source audio controls if the page plays sound | Check whether a separate Audio Output Capture is needed |
| Useful when | The page is intended to be embedded in the scene | You need the ordinary browser session for the task |
Neither workflow is universally better. Test the exact page, control, and audio you need before using it live. Keep a fallback that does not depend on a last-minute discovery that a particular button, login prompt, or page script behaves differently inside OBS.
If your larger project involves a site for your channel rather than an embedded control, the guide to building a website for live streaming covers that separate job. For a channel that needs its own continuous broadcast from a prepared file, you can also compare approaches to keeping a 24/7 YouTube stream running before choosing a workflow.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Where is Interact in OBS Studio?
Select the Browser Source in the Sources dock, then click Interact in the source toolbar. You can also right-click the source and choose Interact from its context menu. The command applies to the selected source.
Can I change the page URL in the Interact window?
No. Interact is for sending input to the page that the source has loaded. To change between a URL and a local file, or to adjust viewport dimensions, open the Browser Source’s Properties.
Why can I click some controls but not others?
A page inside OBS may not behave exactly as it does in an ordinary browser, and not every page input is guaranteed to work. Confirm the page has loaded, try focusing the control first, and test the same task in a normal browser if needed.
Does changing the viewport resize the source in the scene?
Viewport dimensions set the browser page’s drawing area; scene transforms control how the source is placed or scaled in the composition. Adjust the setting that matches the problem, then check the page in the preview so its layout and position are both right.