To make a YouTube playlist start again from its first video after it reaches the end, turn on Loop in YouTube’s player. PRISM Live Studio’s documented “Restart playback when source becomes active” option concerns a local media source; it is not a documented playlist-repeat setting.
The distinction matters because PRISM can be part of a broadcast workflow while YouTube controls playback of a YouTube playlist. The steps below show the player control on desktop and mobile, explain the similar-sounding PRISM setting, and give you a straightforward way to check that the whole playlist—not just one video—is repeating.
Where playlist repeat is controlled
A playlist can be a sequence of videos on YouTube, or it can be a sequence of local files in a streaming application. Those are different playback contexts, even when both are casually called a playlist. The repeat control you need depends on which player is playing the material.
For a YouTube playlist, use the controls in YouTube’s own player. On desktop, YouTube Help directs you to open a video in the playlist, expand the playlist box beside the video and select Loop. On mobile, start a video from the playlist and tap Loop in the Playlist control box. YouTube describes looping as the way to repeat a video or playlist. See the desktop repeat instructions and the Android repeat instructions.
PRISM’s role does not move that YouTube control into its settings. If you are using PRISM to add sources or manage a live production, its local media playback options apply to the source types described in PRISM’s guide. A YouTube playlist playing in YouTube remains a YouTube playback behaviour. If your actual goal is to send a pre-made sequence to YouTube Live continuously, rather than repeat a playlist in YouTube’s watch player, that is a separate workflow; this guide on streaming a looping video with a scheduled start addresses that kind of broadcast setup.
Loop a playlist on YouTube desktop
Use these steps when watching on a computer in a desktop browser:
- Open a video that belongs to the YouTube playlist you want to repeat.
- Find the playlist box beside the video and expand it if it is collapsed.
- Select Loop in that playlist box.
The control applies to the playlist, rather than only the video currently on screen. After the final item, the player should return to the beginning of the playlist and continue playing. The setting is in the playlist box, so looking only for a loop icon among the general video controls can lead you to the wrong control or leave you uncertain about what is repeating.
Check that you have opened the intended playlist. If a video can appear in more than one playlist, the current playlist context is the one that matters. A useful quick check is to look at the items shown in the expanded box and confirm that the next and previous items are the ones you expect. If you navigate to a different playlist or begin playback elsewhere, confirm the Loop state again rather than assuming the previous context still applies.
You do not need to change a PRISM source setting to enable this YouTube player behaviour. If PRISM is open for another part of your production, leave its source controls alone unless you are trying to restart a local file source when it becomes active. The label of a setting can sound close to the desired result, but the player context determines what it actually controls.
Loop a playlist on YouTube mobile
On a phone or tablet, start a video from the playlist you want to repeat, then use the Playlist control box under the video. Tap Loop there to repeat the playlist. The mobile control has a second state that is easy to mistake for the same thing: tapping Loop again changes it to repeat only the current video, and the loop symbol shows a 1.
That means the tap sequence matters. If you want all playlist items to play before the sequence starts again, leave the control on playlist repeat. If you tap a second time and see the “1” indicator, you have selected current-video repeat instead. Tap the control as needed to return to playlist looping, then check the icon state before leaving playback unattended.
On a small screen, controls may be less obvious than on a desktop page. Open the playlist controls associated with the playing video, not just the general playback menu, and verify the playlist context. The exact arrangement can change with YouTube’s app interface, but the documented action is to use Loop in the Playlist control box.
This is useful when you are listening to a bhajan or study playlist on a mobile device and want the sequence to continue in order. It does not mean PRISM Mobile will import and repeat a YouTube playlist. PRISM Mobile’s Media Playlist guide describes creating and ordering playlists of videos and music in the PRISM app, which is a distinct feature from controlling YouTube’s watch player.
Repeat one video instead of the playlist
Playlist repeat and single-video repeat can look similar because both use a loop symbol, but they produce different results. Choose playlist repeat when you want the last item to lead back to the first. Choose current-video repeat when you want one item to keep playing without moving through the rest of the playlist.
On mobile, YouTube’s documented control makes the distinction particularly visible: one Loop state repeats the playlist, while tapping it again selects the current video, indicated by a 1 in the loop icon. If a single song or ambience video is all you need, current-video repeat may be the right choice. If you are preparing a sequence for a longer listening session, it is worth checking that the Playlist control is not in the single-video state.
On desktop, use the Loop control in the expanded playlist box for the whole playlist. Do not infer that an individual video is repeating simply because playback continues, nor assume that a source-restart option in another application will advance or cycle through YouTube items. Watch the transition at the end of the current video and, if necessary, the end of the playlist to confirm the actual behaviour.
For a public live channel, there is another distinction: a YouTube watch playlist is not the same as a 24/7 live broadcast whose content is a pre-arranged sequence. If you are changing a content sequence that is already running as a live stream, the relevant concern is the broadcast playlist, not the viewer’s Loop control; see how to change the playlist on a running 24/7 stream. Keeping those two use cases separate avoids changing a production setting when you only meant to change playback for a viewer.
What PRISM documentation does and does not show
PRISM’s desktop Media Source guide covers adding a local media file and troubleshooting its playback. In that workflow, PRISM documents an option labelled Restart playback when source becomes active. The wording describes what happens to that source when it becomes active; it does not say that PRISM controls YouTube’s playlist player or sends it back to the first playlist item.
That is the settings mix-up to avoid. “Restart playback” can sound like “start this playlist over”, but the documented object is a local media source becoming active. It is not evidence of playlist looping in YouTube. Do not rely on that option as the way to repeat a YouTube playlist; use the YouTube player’s Loop control instead. PRISM’s Media Source guide explains the source workflow.
PRISM Mobile documents a Media Playlist feature for playlists made from videos and music in the PRISM app. Its guide covers creating a playlist, reordering items and seeking within it. It does not describe importing a YouTube playlist or making a YouTube playlist repeat. The two features may both use the word “playlist”, but the items and player are different. Check PRISM’s Media Playlist guide if your task is to organise local playback within PRISM.
PRISM also documents a Browser source for embedding live web-page content in a desktop broadcast. That does not, by itself, document a way to control YouTube’s playlist repeat through PRISM. If you are showing a web page in a production, playback controls and the behaviour of that page need to be checked in their own context; do not treat Browser source as a playlist-looping feature.
The careful conclusion is about the documentation reviewed, not every possible version, plug-in or future feature. The official PRISM material cited here does not show a setting for restarting a YouTube playlist from its first video. If PRISM changes its documentation or adds a relevant feature, recheck the current guide, but for the described YouTube player task, the documented control is in YouTube.
Check which workflow you actually need
Before changing settings, identify what you are trying to repeat. This table separates the two common goals and the control supported by the cited instructions.
| What you want to repeat | Where to set it | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| The complete YouTube playlist, from first item to last and back to the beginning | YouTube’s player: Loop in the desktop playlist box or mobile Playlist control box | Playlist repeat is selected, not current-video repeat |
| Only the video currently playing in a YouTube playlist | YouTube’s player, using the current-video repeat state on mobile | On mobile, the loop icon displays a 1 |
| A local media file in a PRISM workflow when its source becomes active | PRISM’s documented local Media Source options | The setting concerns source activation; it is not YouTube playlist looping |
This distinction is practical when you are troubleshooting a channel at the end of a long session. If one song repeats and the next playlist items never play, check whether the player is set to repeat the current video. If the playlist ends and playback stops rather than returning to its first item, verify the playlist’s Loop state in YouTube. Neither symptom establishes that a PRISM source setting is missing or misconfigured.
If you are instead building a continuous live programme from files, the sources, transitions and restart behaviour in your production workflow deserve their own test. For instance, a local file source may have its own activation behaviour, while a live stream’s sequence may be governed by a separate player or broadcast arrangement. Readers choosing between a desktop computer and a hosted continuous-stream workflow may find the comparison of a cloud VM and a home PC useful for framing that separate decision; it does not change how YouTube’s viewer playlist Loop control works.
Verify the desired playback behaviour
A setting is only useful if the observed result matches your intention. Start with a playlist whose order you recognise, turn on the relevant Loop state and let playback progress far enough to observe the transition. For whole-playlist repeat, the important check is that playback goes from the final item back to the first. For current-video repeat, the check is that the same video begins again rather than moving to the next item.
On mobile, inspect the loop icon before relying on it. The 1 marker means the current video is being repeated, not the full playlist. On desktop, keep the playlist box expanded and confirm the list shown is the one you meant to loop. These checks are more reliable than interpreting an icon without its surrounding playlist context.
If you are testing a broadcast rather than watching a playlist, do not use a viewer-side test as proof that the live output will restart as intended. YouTube’s player control governs the playback context described in YouTube Help; a live production pipeline has its own sources and sequence. For production troubleshooting, it can help to separate the questions “What is playing in PRISM?” and “What is repeating in YouTube’s player?” A black gap between videos in an FFmpeg playlist is an example of a broadcast-side issue, not a YouTube watch-player Loop state.
For a channel that needs the same uploaded programme to keep running while your own computer is off, StreamNeo removes the specific burden of leaving a personal machine on to repeat that file as a 24/7 YouTube live stream. That is a different job from switching on playlist repeat in YouTube’s viewer, and it does not change the rule that YouTube playlist looping is controlled in YouTube’s player.
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FAQ
Does PRISM Live Studio have a documented setting to restart a YouTube playlist?
The PRISM documentation reviewed here does not show a setting for making a YouTube playlist restart at its first item. Its desktop Media Source option called “Restart playback when source becomes active” is documented for a local media source, not as a YouTube playlist repeat control. Use YouTube’s player Loop control for a YouTube playlist.
How do I loop the whole playlist on desktop?
Open a video from the playlist, expand the playlist box beside the video and click Loop. The playlist should repeat after its final item. Confirm that the box contains the intended playlist before relying on the setting.
Why does the same video keep repeating on my phone?
You may have selected current-video repeat rather than playlist repeat. On mobile, YouTube’s Loop control can be tapped again to repeat the current video, shown by a 1 in the loop icon. Return to the playlist-repeat state if you want the entire sequence to play again.
Is PRISM Mobile’s Media Playlist the same as a YouTube playlist?
No. PRISM’s guide describes creating and arranging playlists of videos and music within PRISM Mobile; it does not describe importing or looping a YouTube playlist. For a playlist being watched on YouTube, use the control in YouTube’s player.