To loop a video in OBS without restarting your YouTube broadcast, add it as a Media Source, select the local file and turn on Loop. For several clips, use VLC Video Source with Loop Playlist enabled; in either case, keep OBS sending the live stream to YouTube.
The loop setting controls playback inside an OBS scene, not the broadcast connection. You do not need to stop and start the YouTube stream just to replay a file, and stopping the stream is a separate action with different consequences.
Add a Media Source to your scene
In OBS, a scene is a composition of sources: video, audio, images, text and other material that OBS sends towards the stream. A Media Source is the source intended for a local media file. OBS's Sources Guide explains adding sources to a scene; the key practical point is to add the looping file to the scene that is actually on air, rather than a scene you are not using.
Look at the Scenes and Sources docks before changing anything. If you have more than one scene, select the one currently being broadcast. In the Sources dock, click + and choose Media Source. Give the source a descriptive name, such as “Main bhajan video” or “Night ambience file”, so you can identify it later. Source names are for your own organisation and do not change what viewers see.
OBS may offer to create a new source or add an existing one. Choose a new source if this file has not yet been added to the scene. If you select an existing source, you will be editing that source's settings; check that it is the intended file before changing it. A scene can contain multiple sources, so confirm which source is visible and positioned above or below others in the list. A source hidden behind an opaque image or another video will not be the picture viewers expect, even if its playback is looping correctly.
The guide to preparing video files for a 24/7 loop stream is useful before this stage: a correctly configured loop cannot fix a file that has the wrong aspect ratio, an unintended black tail, or audio that ends abruptly. Start with a finished local file you have checked from beginning to end.
Select the local video
In the Media Source properties, use the file selector to choose the video stored on the computer running OBS. Once selected, OBS can play that file as part of the scene. The setting you need is Loop; OBS documents Media Source playback and its loop behaviour in its Media Sources reference.
If the file is on an external drive, network location or removable storage, keep in mind that OBS needs continued access to it while it is playing. For an unattended run, a stable local path is easier to reason about than a drive that might be unplugged or assigned a different letter after a restart. If you move or rename the file later, return to the source properties and select its new location. A missing file can leave the source unable to provide the intended picture, even though the broadcast connection itself has not been deliberately stopped.
After selecting the file, check the preview. If it does not fill the canvas as expected, use the source's transform options to fit it to the canvas, and inspect the result for cropping or empty space. A vertical phone video, for example, may leave unused space at the sides on a landscape canvas; stretching it can distort people and objects. Choose a presentation that suits the material rather than assuming the loop control also handles framing.
Listen to the first moments as well as watching them. If the file has an opening slate, a pause before music begins, or a loud transient at the start, viewers will encounter that same moment on every pass. The practical preparation checks in the always-live checklist can help you catch such issues before leaving a channel running overnight.
Enable Loop for one file
In the Media Source properties, tick Loop, then apply or close the properties window. OBS describes this option as replaying the file when playback completes. The file is still one source in one scene: playback reaches its end and begins again, while the scene remains available to OBS for output.
Make sure the source is enabled in the Sources dock and visible in the scene. These are separate matters from the checkbox: a looping source that is disabled or hidden may not appear on screen. If you have a background, logo or text overlay, retain those elements as needed and check their order. For a devotional channel, for instance, you might keep a small title overlay above the video while the same video returns to its beginning.
Test the actual end-to-start transition before relying on the setup. Let the file approach its end, observe the preview, and listen for a pause, flash, abrupt audio cut or unexpected blank frame. OBS's documentation explains the loop setting, but it does not promise that every file will look or sound seamless at the join. A brief pause encoded into the file will repeat too. If the transition is distracting, edit and export the media again, then test the replacement.
Do not confuse playback ending with streaming ending. When the file reaches its end, Loop tells the Media Source to play again. It does not stop, start, or manage the YouTube broadcast. The outgoing stream has its own controls, so there is no reason to use Stop Streaming as a way to make the clip repeat.
Use VLC Video Source for multiple clips
For a sequence of separate files, OBS has a VLC Video Source that can play a playlist. Add that source to the appropriate scene and add the local video files in the order you want them to play. This is more suitable than making a separate scene for every clip when the goal is simply to play several items one after another and repeat the sequence.
VLC Video Source is not available in OBS merely because you have a playlist in mind: VLC must be installed on the computer running OBS. OBS's Media Sources documentation notes the requirement and specifies that 64-bit OBS needs 64-bit VLC. If the source is absent from the add-source menu, check whether VLC is installed and whether its architecture matches OBS before troubleshooting the playlist itself.
After you add the source, use its properties to build the playlist from the files you want. Review the order carefully. A local news loop might place a station ident between recorded segments; a study channel might arrange a set of visual scenes in a deliberate sequence. The source plays the playlist, not a single merged edit, so gaps, mismatched levels or inconsistent framing between clips remain noticeable.
A playlist also gives you a different maintenance task from a single-file loop. If you replace or move a clip, verify the playlist entry again. Keep the filenames understandable and avoid relying on a file path that may disappear when a drive is disconnected. For advice on changing material while retaining a live session, see how to change videos in a YouTube live stream without ending it; changing the media presented and ending the broadcast are distinct operations.
Enable Loop Playlist and check visibility
In the VLC Video Source properties, enable Loop Playlist. This tells the source to return to the start of its playlist when playback reaches the end of the listed media. It is the playlist equivalent of the single-file Media Source's Loop setting, but it applies to a sequence rather than one file. Check the preview through a full pass if the order or transitions matter to viewers.
Pay attention to the source's visibility behaviour as well. OBS lists choices for what playback should do when the source is not visible, including continuing, pausing or stopping. This concerns whether the source is shown in the scene; it does not refer to whether the OBS application window is minimised or hidden behind another window on your desktop. If you switch scenes during a live programme, a pause-or-stop choice can affect what the playlist does while that source is out of view.
Choose the behaviour that matches the production. If a clip sequence should keep advancing while another scene is shown, choose the option that continues playback while hidden. If you want a playlist to resume from its current place after you return to its scene, check how your chosen behaviour handles that in a test. If the sequence should begin fresh whenever it is shown, a stop or restart behaviour may suit, but verify it rather than assuming. These settings affect the source's playback; they do not control whether YouTube considers the broadcast live.
For a simple channel that stays on one scene, visibility behaviour may never come into play. Even then, check that the VLC source remains enabled and is not covered by another source. A playlist can be playing perfectly while the viewer sees a static logo or a different video layered above it. Test the scene as viewers receive it, not just the playlist entries in the properties window.
| What you need | OBS source | Setting to use | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repeat one local video | Media Source | Loop | The file is selected, visible and framed correctly. |
| Play several files in order and repeat | VLC Video Source | Loop Playlist | VLC is installed and the playlist order is right. |
| Keep a playlist moving while its source is hidden | VLC Video Source | Visibility behaviour: continue | A scene change does not pause the sequence unexpectedly. |
The first two choices are about what OBS plays. The final row matters when your production changes scenes; it is not a method for keeping the computer awake or the YouTube connection active.
Keep OBS streaming to YouTube
Once the source is configured, leave the OBS streaming session running. The loop happens within the media source while OBS continues sending the scene as encoder content. YouTube's guide to live streaming with an encoder treats ending a broadcast as stopping content from the encoder. That is a separate action from a file reaching its end inside an OBS source.
In practical terms, do not click Stop Streaming to replay the clip. Doing so stops the outgoing stream rather than simply moving the media back to its beginning. YouTube also provides auto-start and auto-stop controls in its live stream settings guidance; if those are enabled, starting or stopping from the encoder can affect the live broadcast. Leave those controls and OBS's stream button alone when your only aim is to loop the content.
This separation is why you can use a loop for a music visual, a meditation video, an ambience scene or a set of local clips without deliberately ending the broadcast each time the media finishes. But do not read that as a promise that every live scene change or source edit will be visually seamless. The OBS and YouTube documentation explains separate playback and streaming controls; it does not guarantee that every change made during a live session will avoid a visible interruption.
For a channel that must keep running while your personal computer is switched off, local OBS playback may not fit the operating model: OBS needs the computer and the local files available to keep producing its output. StreamNeo is relevant when the specific burden is leaving that computer on, because it takes an uploaded video and keeps the YouTube stream running without requiring your computer to stay on. That does not change the OBS method described above, nor does it make YouTube's separate broadcast controls disappear.
Before an important run, test the stream path and source behaviour in a low-risk session. The OBS overview guide recommends testing stream setups. Watch a loop transition, confirm that the expected scene is going out, and check that the broadcast remains active in YouTube Studio. If you make a source or scene change while live, observe the actual result rather than assuming that the documentation guarantees an interruption-free change.
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FAQ
How do I make an OBS video source repeat while I stay live?
Add a Media Source, select the local file and enable Loop in its properties. Keep OBS streaming; the checkbox makes the media repeat and does not restart the YouTube broadcast.
How do I loop several videos instead of one?
Add a VLC Video Source, populate its playlist, then enable Loop Playlist. VLC must be installed for this source to be available, and the OBS and VLC architectures need to match as described in OBS's documentation.
Does a loop setting prevent the YouTube stream from ending?
No. The loop setting controls playback inside the OBS scene, not the outgoing stream. Avoid stopping encoder content or clicking Stop Streaming if your intention is to keep the broadcast active.
Why does my loop not appear on the live picture?
Check that you selected the scene being sent to the stream, that the source is enabled and visible, and that no other source is covering it. For a VLC playlist, also confirm VLC is installed and the files remain accessible at their listed locations.