If you want OBS to return to the video that was playing before a restart, the built-in VLC Video source does not document that behaviour. The Media Playlist Source plugin says it saves the currently playing file for playback after OBS restarts, but its published feature description does not say that it saves the exact timestamp within the file.
That distinction matters if a reboot interrupts a long devotional, study or ambience stream. You may be able to return to the same item without returning to the same moment in it. Treat those as separate recovery requirements, check compatibility before installing a plugin, and test your own scene after a restart before relying on it overnight.
What “resume” can mean after a reboot
“Resume the playlist” can mean at least two different things. The first is restoring the active playlist item: if OBS was playing evening-bhajan.mp4, it starts that file again after restart. The second is restoring the playback position inside that item: if playback stopped at 38 minutes, it continues at 38 minutes rather than from the beginning. A third, less exact expectation is simply that the playlist starts playing again, perhaps from its first item.
Those outcomes are not interchangeable. For a short loop of rain sounds, starting the current file from its beginning might be acceptable. For a long recorded talk, a restart at the beginning could repeat a substantial portion; for a continuous programme with a sequence of tracks, starting at the wrong item could also disrupt the planned order. Decide which outcome you need before changing source settings.
There is also a difference between restarting OBS and restarting the whole computer. A test that closes and reopens OBS in the same Windows, macOS or Linux session checks one recovery path. A computer reboot adds other possible causes of failure: the operating system may not log in automatically, OBS may not launch, a drive may not be mounted yet, or the YouTube connection may need attention. A source’s playlist behaviour cannot solve those separate startup and connection problems.
A useful way to describe your requirement is: “After OBS restarts, I need it to play the same file again, and I can accept that it begins at the start.” If the timestamp is essential, say so explicitly. The sources described here establish a published claim about restoring the current file, not a documented promise about restoring an in-file timestamp.
What the built-in VLC Video source documents
OBS has two media sources that are easy to confuse. Media Source is for an individual media file; VLC Video is the source intended to create a playlist from multiple media files. OBS’s Media Sources documentation says VLC must be installed for VLC Video to appear in OBS. It also specifies matching the VLC installation architecture to OBS: for 64-bit OBS, use 64-bit VLC.
The OBS documentation describes controls for the playlist’s ordinary playback behaviour. Loop Playlist determines whether playback cycles through the list, Shuffle Playlist changes ordering, and Visibility Behaviour determines how the source responds when it is not visible. The documented default is “Stop when not visible, restart when visible.” That visibility setting concerns a source being hidden or shown in a scene; it is not described as a way to preserve the active item through an OBS restart.
This is worth checking when a stream uses several scenes. If a VLC Video source is hidden when you switch away from its scene, its visibility behaviour can affect whether playback stops or restarts when that scene returns. That is different from closing OBS and opening it again. Looping, shuffle and visibility settings can help shape normal playback, but the OBS help page does not describe them as reboot-resume controls.
So, if you already use VLC Video, you can keep using it for a playlist and configure those documented controls for your intended sequence. Do not infer from a working loop or a source that restarts when made visible that OBS will restore the last active file after a full restart. The documentation reviewed for this question does not make that claim.
If you are building a scheduled rotation rather than trying to recover state, a different control may be more appropriate: this guide to scheduling a YouTube Live playlist with OBS Advanced Scene Switcher covers a planned sequence of scenes. Scheduling a rotation and recovering the item that happened to be playing when OBS stopped are different jobs.
What the Media Playlist Source plugin says it saves
The OBS forum resource page for Media Playlist Source describes it as an alternative to VLC Video Source. Its feature list says it saves the currently playing file so that it will be played when OBS restarts. That is the relevant published feature claim for someone whose main requirement is returning to the same playlist item.
Attribute that statement to the plugin’s resource page and author, rather than treating it as a built-in OBS feature or a result independently verified on your computer. It says “file”; it does not say “playback timestamp”. If the plugin restarts the same file from the beginning, that would fit the published claim. It would not be evidence that it remembers the elapsed time.
The resource page also supplies compatibility and limitation details that matter in practice. It labels the resource version 0.1.3 and says versions from 0.1.0 require OBS 31. It lists support for Windows, macOS and Linux. These are page-specific details that may change, so read the current resource page and confirm its requirements against the OBS version you actually run before installing anything.
The page lists two limitations: audio-track and subtitle selection are not available, and folder contents do not refresh automatically; saving settings manually refreshes them. Those constraints may not matter for a simple list of preselected video files, but they can matter if your files contain several audio tracks, subtitles, or you add media to a watched folder and expect the playlist to update on its own.
A plugin changes the moving parts in your broadcast setup. You need to check its compatibility, install it in a way suitable for your operating system, and verify that the OBS profile and scene containing the source behave as expected after restart. If you do not want to add a plugin, or its limitations conflict with your media, the safer choice is to keep the built-in source and plan for the playlist to start according to its observed behaviour rather than assume persistence.
Playlist item and playback timestamp are different
Consider a list with three files: a morning prayer, a short announcement, and an hour-long bhajan recording. If OBS stops during the third file, restoring the current file means that the bhajan recording is selected again after OBS restarts. Restoring the timestamp means it resumes at the same point in that hour-long recording. A file-level restoration claim supports only the first interpretation.
This distinction affects how you name and organise media as well. If returning to a particular item is enough, keep the list clear and recognisable, and note which file should be active during your test. If you need to continue at an exact point, do not assume that a playlist source, a loop setting or a saved scene will remember that position. The reviewed OBS documentation and plugin feature statement do not establish such timestamp persistence.
When an exact position matters, consider whether the programme can instead be divided into smaller files at meaningful boundaries, or whether you can restart from a known segment manually. That does not create automatic timestamp recovery, but it can make a restart less disruptive and easier to verify. For a live audience, you may also decide that restarting the current item cleanly is preferable to risking a damaged or silent stream while trying to recover a precise position.
Avoid treating a visible progress bar before shutdown as proof of what will happen later. The test must include a restart, because a source can retain settings, reopen a file, and still start playback at its beginning. Record the outcome in plain terms: same file and beginning, same file and same position, a different file, or no playback. That observation is more useful than an assumption based on the source’s name.
Set up and test restart behaviour
First make a copy of the OBS profile or otherwise note the scene and source settings you are changing. This gives you a route back if a plugin install or source replacement disrupts a working broadcast. Keep the test separate from a critical live session: a deliberate restart can interrupt output, and it is better to discover that during a planned maintenance window than during an overnight programme.
If using VLC Video, confirm that VLC is installed in the matching architecture, then review the playlist, loop, shuffle and visibility settings. If testing Media Playlist Source, check the current resource page for OBS-version compatibility and the limitations relevant to your files. Do not install solely on the basis of an old tutorial: plugin versions and supported OBS releases can change.
Use a small, controlled playlist with files you can identify immediately. Start playback, wait until a file is clearly active, and note both its name and approximate playback position. Save the OBS scene or profile as you normally would. Then stop the test stream or otherwise ensure you are not interrupting a broadcast that viewers depend on, and restart OBS through the same route you expect to use in ordinary recovery.
After OBS opens, inspect the source before drawing conclusions. Confirm whether the expected scene is loaded, whether the source is present and visible, whether the intended file is selected, and whether playback actually begins. Note whether it begins at the start or at a later position. If the source is absent or the scene differs, the problem may be profile or scene selection rather than playlist persistence.
Repeat the test after a full computer reboot if your real recovery plan depends on one. Verify that the operating system starts as expected, media drives are available, OBS opens the intended profile, and the source can access its files. A removable or network-mounted folder may not be ready at the moment OBS starts. The plugin page’s note that folder contents do not refresh automatically is another reason to verify how new files enter the list rather than assuming a folder change is noticed immediately.
Finally, check the rest of the live path separately. OBS being open and playing a local file does not by itself establish that YouTube is receiving a healthy stream. Before returning to an unattended schedule, confirm the correct scene, audio, stream connection and live output. For other failure modes, the practical checks in this guide to keeping a Hindi devotional playlist online when FFmpeg crashes are relevant to recovery planning, although FFmpeg and OBS have different source controls.
Choose a workflow for your recovery need
The choice is less about which source is universally better and more about what you need restored, what your media requires, and how much maintenance you accept. Use the table as a decision aid, then verify the behaviour on your own installed versions.
| Recovery need | Built-in VLC Video | Media Playlist Source plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Play a list of media files | OBS documents VLC Video for playlist use | The resource describes the plugin as an alternative playlist source |
| Loop, shuffle or hidden-source behaviour | OBS documents these controls | Check the resource page and your installed version for the current controls |
| Restore the currently playing file after OBS restart | Not documented by the OBS help page reviewed here | The resource page says it saves the current file for playback after OBS restarts |
| Restore the exact timestamp within the file | Not established by the documentation reviewed here | Not stated in the published feature claim reviewed here |
| Compatibility and media constraints | Requires VLC; match VLC architecture to OBS | Check current OBS requirement; page lists no audio-track or subtitle selection and no automatic folder refresh |
If you only need a playlist that loops or changes order during an uninterrupted session, the built-in source may be enough. It is already part of OBS’s documented media workflow once the required VLC installation is present. Keep in mind that the documented controls answer playback-order and visibility questions, not the question of which file survives a restart.
If returning to the active file after OBS restarts is the important requirement, the plugin’s published claim is the specific evidence available here. Review its current compatibility details, then test the current file restoration on your own setup. If it fails your test, do not plan an unattended channel around an unverified assumption; choose a workflow that makes restarting from a known item acceptable.
If you need a hands-off broadcast but are tired of keeping a home computer running through a power cut or overnight, StreamNeo turns an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream that can continue without your computer switched on. It addresses the separate burden of keeping a local machine running; it does not change what OBS’s VLC Video source or this plugin documents about restoring an in-file timestamp. For local OBS operation through unreliable power, compare that need with the practical considerations in this Raspberry Pi and Indian power cuts guide, which covers a different streaming 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
Does OBS VLC Video resume the last playlist item after a reboot?
OBS’s Media Sources documentation explains VLC Video playlists and controls such as looping, shuffle and visibility behaviour. It does not document restoring the last active playlist item across an OBS restart, so test rather than relying on that outcome.
Does Media Playlist Source resume at the same timestamp?
The plugin’s resource page says it saves the currently playing file so it is played when OBS restarts. It does not state that the playback timestamp is saved, so the published claim does not establish exact in-file resumption.
Do I need VLC for the built-in playlist source?
Yes. OBS says VLC must be installed for VLC Video to appear, and its documentation advises matching architectures; for 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC. Check the current OBS help page if your setup differs or the source is not available.
What should I check before installing the plugin?
Read the current resource page for its OBS-version requirement, platform support and media limitations, since those details can change. Then test a restart with a file you can identify, noting both which file plays and where playback begins before using it for an unattended channel.