To record multiple monitors for a YouTube video, capture each display you need in OBS Studio, arrange the sources in a scene, and save a test recording before the full session. Then upload the finished file through YouTube Studio; YouTube is the destination for the recording, not the software that captures your computer screen.
The important choice is what viewers need to see: the screens together to understand a cross-monitor workflow, or one focused view at a time so interface details stay legible. Neither layout is an official YouTube requirement. Preview your composition at the size viewers will actually watch before committing to a long recording.
Choose which monitors to capture
Start with the task, not the number of screens on your desk. If you are demonstrating how work moves between a reference document and an editing application, showing both may help viewers understand the process. If you are teaching small controls in an application, a close view of that screen is usually easier to follow than a wide composition with tiny text.
Write down which displays matter and what each contributes. You might capture the monitor with your presentation, plus a second monitor containing notes or a demonstration. A third display showing email or unrelated windows rarely helps; excluding it can reduce distractions and avoid exposing private information. Close notifications and remove sensitive material from any desktop you plan to show.
Also decide whether you need the whole display or only an application or window. Whole-display capture includes whatever appears on that monitor, including the pointer and any windows brought to the front. Application or window capture can keep unrelated desktop activity out of the video, where the capture method supports it. OBS documents different capture choices across operating systems, so check the source options available in your installed version rather than assuming every menu is identical.
If your aim is to record a finished sequence for later viewing, this is a file-making workflow rather than a live broadcast. That distinction matters: recording locally gives you a saved video to review and edit before upload. For a separate always-on channel, how OBS settings fit a 24/7 YouTube playlist stream covers a different operating problem.
Add each display as a source in OBS
Open OBS and use the Auto-Configuration Wizard if you have not set up the application before. It asks about intended use and available computer resources; treat its result as a starting point, not proof that a demanding multi-display recording will run smoothly. OBS's Quick Start Guide explains the initial setup, including adding sources and checking the audio mixer.
In the Sources dock, select the plus button and choose a capture source suited to your operating system. On Windows, add a Display Capture source and open its properties to choose the monitor. OBS says a Display Capture source captures an entire monitor and that only one such source can be added per display. Therefore, if you need two displays, create two sources and select a different display in each source's properties. Name them clearly, such as “Presentation monitor” and “Demo monitor”, so you can recognise them later.
A source is an input to a scene; it does not itself dictate how the viewer sees the finished video. OBS scenes can contain multiple sources, which you can position and resize on the canvas. If a monitor is missing from the selection list, check that the operating system recognises it and that OBS is using the expected capture method before building the rest of the composition.
On macOS, OBS's Screen Capture source can capture a whole display, a single window, or visible windows for an application. Audio capture depends on the macOS version: OBS documents it for macOS 13 and later, while the documented option on macOS 12.3 through 12.6 does not include audio. On Linux, OBS lists Screen Capture (XSHM) and PipeWire sources; PipeWire requires Wayland. These are platform-specific details, so a short test on the actual machine is more useful than relying on instructions for another operating system.
If you use a Windows laptop with more than one GPU and display capture behaves unexpectedly, consult OBS's laptop troubleshooting notes. Capture behaviour can depend on the graphics configuration. OBS also notes that its Windows capture method may show a yellow border locally; it says this border does not appear in recordings or streams. Confirm what your own preview and recording show rather than treating a border on the desktop as proof it will be in the exported video.
Arrange a combined view or focused scenes
A combined view places the monitor sources together on one canvas. It can suit a comparison, a workflow that moves between screens, or a demonstration where the relationship between displays is the point. The cost is space: putting two full screens side by side makes each screen smaller, and text that looks readable on your large editing monitor may be difficult to follow on a phone.
For a combined scene, select a source in the preview and resize and position it. Keep the relationship between displays clear: align edges, avoid unnecessary overlap, and leave room for any labels or captions you will add. Do not assume that matching the monitors' native shapes will produce a useful video frame. If one screen is wider or taller than the other, test how your arrangement fits the canvas and whether cropping or empty space makes the result confusing.
Focused scenes give one display most or all of the frame, with another scene available when you need to switch. For example, you could begin with a combined overview, move to a close view of the demonstration, then return to the overview when explaining how the two screens relate. This gives viewers readable details without losing the larger context. It also asks more of the person recording: you need to switch scenes deliberately and check that the transition happens at the intended moment.
You can create separate scenes for each focused view and use OBS's scene controls to change between them, or make a combined scene and temporarily hide or show sources. Choose the method you can operate reliably while presenting. If you are narrating and demonstrating at the same time, rehearse the switches; an elaborate layout that distracts you is less useful than a simple one you can control without losing your place.
Use the OBS preview as a rough check, not the final judgement. Shrink it to a size comparable to a typical viewer's player, and read the smallest labels or menu text you expect people to follow. If a viewer must pause or zoom to understand a key control, make a focused scene for that step. The same principle applies if you are recording a tutorial that will later be edited into separate clips: keep the source material legible at the stage where the audience needs it.
Check audio and recording output
A screen recording can have the right picture and still be unusable if it captures the wrong sound. OBS's quick-start configuration captures desktop audio and a microphone by default, but defaults are not a substitute for checking. Watch the Audio Mixer meters while speaking and while playing any sound you intend to include. If a meter is still or the wrong device is active, choose the intended devices under Settings → Audio.
Listen for audio you do not want: notification chimes, music from another application, or a microphone picking up keyboard noise. Decide whether the video needs microphone narration, application sound, both, or neither. Keep that choice consistent through the recording, and make a test with the same applications open that you will use in the real session. A quiet meter does not tell you whether the selected microphone sounds clear, so listen back as well.
In Settings → Output, review the recording format, quality and encoder. OBS's standard recording output guide describes the available controls. Simple output mode offers recording-quality choices; choices other than “Same as stream” use additional computer resources. Advanced mode exposes more encoder choices and output rescaling while preserving the canvas aspect ratio. Which encoder is appropriate depends on the computer's hardware, so do not copy settings from a different machine without testing them.
There is a practical balance between quality, file size and load. OBS describes High Quality as producing a high-quality video with a medium file size. Its Indistinguishable preset uses more quality and can create larger files, with possible performance impact on older or weaker hardware. Lossless creates very large files; OBS's published estimate is around 7 GB per minute for that preset, attributed to OBS Project in 2023. This is an official estimate for that option, not a general file-size prediction for ordinary recordings. For most demonstrations, choose a sensible quality setting and check the result rather than selecting the largest setting by default.
OBS recommends MKV for recording because an unexpected stop will not corrupt the entire file. If your editor or upload workflow needs MP4, OBS provides File → Remux Recordings to convert a recording container without re-encoding; automatic remuxing can also be enabled. Whichever format you choose, make sure you know where OBS saves the file and that you have enough available storage for the session.
Make and review a test recording
Before recording the full tutorial, make a short test with every source and audio device configured as intended. OBS recommends a test recording of a few minutes and checking the Output settings before the main session. Use the test to catch the ordinary failures that a static preview will not reveal: the wrong monitor selected, a source hidden behind another, a cursor that is hard to see, or a scene switch that does not happen when expected.
Review the file from beginning to end. Confirm that the opening shows the intended layout, both displays appear when required, and the framing stays readable as you move windows or change scenes. Check the pointer during the steps where it matters. Listen for narration, application audio and unwanted sounds. Also confirm that the recording has actually been saved in the location and format you expected.
Pay attention to performance during movement, not only when the desktop is still. Drag a window, scroll a page, switch a scene, and play any media that will be part of the final video. If the picture stutters or the audio falls out of sync, lower the recording demand or simplify the scene, then test again. Changing several settings at once makes it harder to know which change helped.
A test also lets you judge the composition on another screen. Play the file in a normal video player, and look at it at a smaller size. If small text disappears, revise the layout or plan to switch to a focused view for that section. If you discover an issue only after a long recording, you may need to repeat the demonstration; a brief review beforehand is a modest use of time compared with that rework.
For ongoing channel work, a local recording and a continuous live broadcast have different failure modes. If your goal changes from making an upload to keeping a playlist running, see the difference between an uploaded playlist and a 24/7 stream. StreamNeo removes the specific burden of keeping a personal computer running for an always-on, file-based YouTube broadcast, but it is not a tool for capturing multiple monitors in OBS or editing a screen-recording tutorial.
Upload the saved video in YouTube Studio
Once the recording is reviewed and ready, sign in to YouTube Studio. Choose Create → Upload videos, then select the saved file. YouTube's record and upload help page explains the upload flow. Recording happens first in software such as OBS; upload is a separate step that sends the saved video to YouTube.
After selecting the file, work through the details YouTube Studio requests, including the title, description and audience setting. Add a thumbnail and other details as appropriate for your channel. YouTube says it converts an uploaded video to the highest resolution available for playback, and that higher-quality formats can take longer to process. The processing state can affect what quality is available at first, so check the finished video before sharing it as complete.
Uploading and publishing are distinct actions. Review the visibility setting and decide whether the video should be public, unlisted or private before you publish or schedule it. Check the video in playback, not only the upload preview: verify that the opening is not cut off, the sound is present, and the monitors remain readable. If you spot a recording problem, it may be better to fix the source file and upload a corrected version than to assume the platform can repair it.
Keep a copy of the original recording until you know the uploaded version is right. This gives you a way to correct an edit or re-export if you find a problem with the file. If you also run a live channel and need to manage a sequence of media files, how to keep a podcast archive from repeating episodes explains a separate playlist-use case; it is not a replacement for this recording and upload workflow.
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FAQ
Can I record two screens at once in OBS?
Yes. Add a Display Capture source for each display you want to include, then arrange those sources in a scene. OBS documents one Display Capture source per display, so use a separate source for each monitor rather than trying to duplicate one source to represent different screens.
Should I show both monitors together or switch between them?
Use a combined view when viewers need to understand a relationship between screens, and focused views when small interface details need to remain readable. You can use both in one video: start with a combined overview and switch to a close view for detailed steps. Preview the result at a smaller playback size before recording the full session.
Does YouTube record my computer screen?
No. YouTube's help page says it does not have a webcam feature to record videos on your computer. Record and save the file with software such as OBS first, then upload it through YouTube Studio.