Use OBS Studio’s VLC Video source to play several children’s videos in a random order. Install VLC first, add the files to the source playlist, then enable Shuffle Playlist.
Shuffle and looping are separate settings. OBS documents Shuffle Playlist as off by default and Loop Playlist as on by default, so check both before you leave the stream running.
Install VLC with the right application bitness
The VLC Video source depends on VLC being installed on the same computer as OBS. If VLC is missing, the source may not appear in OBS at all. Download VLC from the official VideoLAN site rather than assuming that the normal Media Source will provide the same playlist controls.
Match VLC’s application bitness to OBS. A 64-bit installation of OBS requires 64-bit VLC. If you are running 32-bit OBS, install the 32-bit version of VLC instead. This is about the application version, not the bitness of each video file.
If you are unsure which OBS version you have, open OBS and check its application information before installing VLC. The important point is that the two applications need to match. Installing a different VLC build because it is the first download offered can leave you with a correctly installed media player that OBS still cannot use for its VLC source.
After installing VLC, close and reopen OBS before checking the Sources menu. OBS documentation establishes VLC as a requirement for the source; restarting OBS is a sensible troubleshooting step if the source was not available while OBS was open.
You do not need to open VLC and create a playlist there. The playlist used for this setup is created inside the OBS VLC Video source. VLC provides the playback support, while OBS holds the source settings and the list of files.
Before continuing, place the children’s videos in a folder that you can find easily. You can use files stored on your computer, but avoid moving or renaming them after adding them to OBS. The source needs to be able to find each file when playback starts.
Open the scene where the videos should appear
Open the OBS scene that you intend to use for the children’s video stream. In the Sources dock, select the + button and choose a source. OBS describes this general process in its Sources Guide, where sources are added to the currently selected scene.
The selected scene matters. A VLC Video source belongs to the scene where you create it, so adding it to a test scene will not automatically place it in your main broadcast scene. If you use several scenes, check the scene name in the Scenes dock before adding the source.
If the scene already contains a background, logo, frame or text overlay, the order of sources will affect what viewers see. Sources higher in the list can appear above sources lower in the list. Put the VLC Video source where the video should sit in the visual stack, then position and resize it in the preview.
For a simple children’s video channel, your scene might contain a background image, the VLC Video source and a small channel label. For a local or family project, you may also have an information panel. Keep the layout simple enough that the video remains visible at the intended output size.
This guide concerns playback order, not the design of the scene. Set the canvas and output resolution separately according to your channel needs, then confirm that the video fits the scene without being cropped unexpectedly. A source can be playing correctly while only part of its picture is visible because of a transform or scene-layout setting.
Add a VLC Video source
With the correct scene selected, choose Sources, select +, and look for VLC Video. Select it to create the source. If it is not listed, return to the VLC installation step and check that VLC is installed and that its application bitness matches OBS.
Give the source a clear name, such as Kids playlist or Cartoon rotation. A descriptive name is useful if the scene later contains several media sources. It also makes it easier to identify the source when you need to change the playlist or check whether it is visible.
OBS opens the VLC Video source properties. This source is designed for multiple media files in a playlist. That differs from the regular Media Source, which is intended for a media file. If you select Media Source by mistake, you may find controls for one file but not the playlist and shuffle settings needed here.
The exact appearance of the properties window can vary with the OBS version and operating system, but the relevant controls are the playlist area and the options below or beside it. Read the labels rather than relying on where a setting appears in a screenshot from an older version.
At this stage, do not assume that adding the source has started a reliable rotation. The playlist may still be empty, Shuffle Playlist may still be off, and Loop Playlist may still be on. Those are separate decisions that you should make deliberately.
Add the children’s videos to the playlist
In the VLC Video source properties, use the playlist controls to add the local video files. Select the option to add files, browse to the folder containing the children’s videos, and choose the files you want OBS to play.
Add more than one file if you want OBS to choose among different videos. The source accepts multiple media files in one playlist, which is the reason to use VLC Video for this workflow instead of creating a separate Media Source for every clip.
The order shown in the playlist is still useful even when you plan to shuffle. It gives you a visible record of which files are included, and it makes missing or duplicated files easier to spot. Review the list before closing the properties window.
Use names that help you identify the actual content. A folder containing files called video1, video2 and final-final is harder to check than a list with meaningful names. You do not need to rename files for OBS, but clear names reduce mistakes when you maintain the playlist later.
Check the files themselves before adding them to a long-running broadcast. Play each one briefly in a media player and look for a silent audio track, an unexpected orientation, a damaged ending or a long blank section. Random ordering changes which clip comes next, but it does not correct problems inside a file.
Keep the playlist limited to material you have permission to use. A file being available on your computer does not establish that you can rebroadcast it. If the channel includes cartoons, nursery content, devotional material or music, review the relevant rights and YouTube policies yourself. For a more detailed discussion of ownership questions around a channel, see why YouTube can report copyrighted content even when you own a recording.
When the files are added, save or apply the source properties if OBS presents those buttons. Return to the preview and confirm that the first file can display correctly. If the source is blank, check its visibility, dimensions and file path before investigating shuffle.
Enable Shuffle Playlist
In the VLC Video source properties, enable Shuffle Playlist. OBS defines this setting as deciding whether the source should randomise the media files being played or keep them in the order of the file list. The documented default is Off, so a newly created source should not be assumed to be random.
With Shuffle Playlist enabled, OBS uses the playlist as a set of media files to play in a randomised order rather than simply following the displayed list from top to bottom. This is the control that answers the basic question, “How do I make OBS play videos in a random order?”
Shuffle is not the same as adding files in a mixed order. Manually rearranging the list gives you one fixed sequence. Enabling Shuffle Playlist tells the source to randomise playback instead of retaining that fixed sequence.
Do not promise yourself a particular randomisation pattern. The official documentation establishes that shuffle randomises the media files, but it does not define a guaranteed algorithm, guarantee a fresh decision before every individual video, or promise that a particular file cannot appear near the same file again in a later cycle. Treat the result as a shuffled playlist, not as a scheduling system with rules you have designed yourself.
Community explanations often describe a shuffled playlist as playing the included files once in a mixed order before repeating. That can be a useful way to understand the setting, but it is community guidance rather than a guarantee that applies to every OBS version. OBS’s own Media Sources documentation is the better reference for the controls currently available in your installation.
After enabling shuffle, apply the settings and observe several transitions. You may not see every file during a short test, and that does not by itself show that shuffle is broken. The useful test is to confirm that the source advances between files and that the source is not simply following the visible list in the same order every time.
If you need a particular educational sequence, bedtime order or age-based progression, do not use shuffle as a substitute for that schedule. Build the playlist in the intended order and leave Shuffle Playlist disabled. Random order is useful when variety matters more than predictability.
Decide whether the playlist should loop
Loop Playlist controls what happens after OBS has reached the end of the playlist. OBS documents this setting as enabled by default. When it is enabled, the source starts again after it has run out of media files.
Leave Loop Playlist enabled if the source is intended to keep supplying video. This is usually the setting needed for a channel that should continue after the first pass through the children’s videos. With Shuffle Playlist also enabled, the files are played using the source’s shuffled behaviour and the playlist can continue when the current pass ends.
Disable Loop Playlist when you want the playlist to stop after one pass. This can be useful for a one-time presentation, a scheduled block or a test where you want to inspect what happens when the final file ends. Disabling Loop Playlist is not required for shuffle. They control different things: Shuffle Playlist affects ordering, while Loop Playlist affects what happens after the playlist has ended.
That distinction matters because a one-pass playlist and a repeating playlist serve different purposes. If you disable looping by mistake on an unattended stream, the video may stop after the final file instead of continuing. If you leave looping on for a one-time event, the source may start over when you expected it to finish.
| Intended behaviour | Shuffle Playlist | Loop Playlist |
|---|---|---|
| Play the files in the listed order once | Off | Off |
| Play the files in a randomised order and stop after the pass | On | Off |
| Repeat the listed order | Off | On |
| Continue with a randomised playlist | On | On |
The table describes the purpose of the settings, not a promise about the exact randomisation algorithm. Check the resulting behaviour in your own OBS version before leaving the channel unattended.
For a longer stream, a small playlist may become repetitive even when it is shuffled. Consider whether the videos are long enough, varied enough and suitable for repeated viewing. If the same few clips are used throughout the day, viewers may notice the repetition even though the immediate order changes.
If you are building a broader 24/7 format, compare this approach with the workflow described in YouTube 24/7 meditation stream: playlist versus OBS loop. The choice is not only about shuffle. It also concerns how much control you want over transitions, maintenance and recovery.
Check visibility and test the transitions
The VLC Video source has visibility behaviour options that affect playback when the source is hidden or when you change scenes. Review Visibility Behaviour in the source properties rather than leaving it unexplored. The setting governs what the source does when it is not visible, which can affect whether playback continues, pauses or restarts when you return to the scene.
This matters if your OBS collection contains a starting scene, a standby scene and a live video scene. A playlist that behaves correctly when permanently visible may behave differently when you switch away from it and back. Test the exact scene changes you expect to use during a broadcast.
Run a controlled test before connecting the channel to a long session. Use several short files with clearly different pictures or titles, then watch the source as one file ends and the next begins. Confirm all of the following:
- VLC Video appears in the Sources menu.
- The playlist contains the intended files and no obsolete paths.
- The source is visible in the correct scene.
- Shuffle Playlist is enabled if random order is wanted.
- Loop Playlist matches whether the stream should continue.
- The source advances when a file reaches its end.
- Audio and video are present after a transition.
- The source behaves as expected after hiding it and showing it again.
Do not judge the whole setup only from the OBS preview. If the aim is a YouTube live channel, also check the live output and listen for transitions there. A local preview can show the source while an output or scene configuration introduces a different problem.
For channels expected to run overnight, make the test long enough to include several file changes. Problems at transitions are often missed when someone checks only that the first video starts. A guide to fixing a YouTube 24/7 stream that goes offline during playlist transitions covers the wider transition problem, including cases where the issue is not the shuffle setting itself.
If the computer must remain on for the stream, plan for the practical limits of that arrangement. OBS playback happens on the computer running OBS, so that computer, its power settings and its connection remain part of the operating setup. If you want to upload the file once and avoid leaving your own computer running, StreamNeo removes that particular unattended-computer task by running the uploaded video as a YouTube stream from the cloud, with automatic monitoring and restarts if the broadcast drops.
That does not remove the need to check your files, rights, YouTube settings or intended audience. It only changes where the continuous playback is operated. For a broader comparison of approaches, see cloud services for hosting an always-on YouTube livestream.
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 VLC need to be installed for VLC Video to appear in OBS?
Yes. OBS’s VLC Video source requires VLC to be installed. Match the application bitness as well: 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. If the source is missing after installation, close and reopen OBS, then check the installation and bitness again.
Is disabling Loop Playlist necessary for random playback?
No. Shuffle Playlist and Loop Playlist control different behaviours. Enable Shuffle Playlist for randomised ordering, and choose Loop Playlist separately depending on whether the source should continue after reaching the end of the playlist.
Will shuffle guarantee that every video plays once before any video repeats?
The OBS documentation says that Shuffle Playlist randomises the media files, but it does not define a guaranteed algorithm or every detail of how repetition is handled. Community explanations may describe a shuffled pass through the files, but you should not treat that as a promise for every OBS version.
Why is VLC Video better suited than Media Source for this setup?
VLC Video is designed to accept multiple media files in a playlist and provides playlist controls such as Shuffle Playlist and Loop Playlist. Media Source is intended for a single media file, so it does not provide the same built-in workflow for a randomised list of children’s videos.