The Streamlabs Chat Box puts selected live chat messages on your stream as an overlay. In Streamlabs Desktop, add it from Sources → Widgets; in OBS or compatible software, copy your own Widget URL from the Streamlabs Dashboard and add it as a browser source.
After adding it, choose the connected platforms you want to show, customise the text and message behaviour, and position the source in your scene. If you reuse it across scenes, its visibility settings can affect whether messages clear or timed behaviour is interrupted when you switch scenes.
Choose the setup path for your streaming software
The right route depends mainly on the software you already use. Streamlabs Desktop has a built-in Widgets path. OBS Studio can use a Streamlabs plugin route or a browser source URL copied from your Streamlabs Dashboard. Other software that supports browser sources may also use the URL route, but compatibility and available platform connections should be checked in your account and software.
| Route | How you add Chat Box | Where you edit settings |
|---|---|---|
| Streamlabs Desktop | Add a source, open Widgets and choose Chat Box | In the widget settings associated with the source |
| OBS with Streamlabs Plugin | Sign in to the plugin, open Widgets and add Chat Box | Open the widget settings control in the plugin |
| OBS or other compatible software | Copy the Widget URL from the Dashboard and add a browser source | In Chat Box settings in the Streamlabs Dashboard |
These are different ways to add the same kind of overlay, not a claim that one route performs better. If you are already using Streamlabs Desktop, its widget path avoids copying a URL. If you prefer OBS without the plugin, the browser source keeps the widget settings in the dashboard. Streamlabs documents both the Chat Box overlay setup and Widget URL workflow.
Before choosing, check that you can sign in to the Streamlabs account you intend to use and that the platforms you want to display are available to connect there. The guide lists Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Kick and X, but availability can vary by account or change over time. Do not assume that every platform, emote service or feature listed in a guide is enabled for every user.
A chat overlay is separate from the broadcast itself. It displays messages over the video; it does not make a platform connection, grant access to live streaming, or fix a stream that is dropping frames. For background on maintaining a continuous broadcast, see our guide to looping a playlist on YouTube Live. Keep the overlay task distinct from the encoder and channel setup so you can troubleshoot each part on its own.
Add Chat Box in Streamlabs Desktop
Open Streamlabs Desktop and go to the scene where you want chat to appear. In the Sources area, select the plus button to add a source. Open the Widgets tab and choose Chat Box. The source will then appear in your scene, where you can position and resize it like other visual sources.
If the software offers you an existing Chat Box source while adding it to another scene, choose the existing source rather than making a duplicate when you want the same widget there. Streamlabs recommends source reuse to avoid duplicated sounds. Reuse also gives you one source to arrange and manage, though you still need to check how visibility and scene settings behave in your particular setup.
Open the widget properties and review the option labelled “Shutdown source when not visible”. Streamlabs recommends leaving it unchecked where you do not want a scene change to clear chat or interrupt timed settings. This is not a universal persistence guarantee: the result depends on the source option, how it is reused, and the behaviour of the streaming software. Test your own scenes before relying on it during a broadcast.
If you do not see the Widgets tab, confirm you are in Streamlabs Desktop rather than OBS Studio, and that the application is signed in and up to date enough for the current interface. Labels can move as applications change. The important distinction is that the Desktop route adds the widget from its source picker; the browser-source route instead uses a URL from the dashboard.
Once the source is in the scene, send a test message from a connected account or ask a moderator to do so. This checks more than the box being visible: it confirms the account connection, text colour, font size and available space against the actual scene. A transparent overlay can look empty until a message arrives, so test before going live rather than judging solely from the preview.
Add the dashboard URL as a browser source
For OBS Studio or another compatible application, sign in to the Streamlabs Dashboard in a browser and open Chat Box settings. Use the dashboard’s copy control to copy the Widget URL for your account. In OBS, add a Browser source, paste that URL into its URL field, and confirm the source properties.
Use the URL copied from your own account. Do not paste a sample URL from an article or another streamer: the URL is account-specific, and an example is there to illustrate where it goes rather than to serve as a shared widget. Keep the URL private as you would other account configuration details, and if you believe it has been exposed, check the dashboard for an option to refresh or replace it.
Set the browser source’s width and height to suit the area you have reserved for chat. These dimensions determine the space available to the overlay, not necessarily the size of each message. If the widget is clipped, give it more room or adjust the text settings in the dashboard. If the box occupies too much of the scene, reduce the source dimensions or place it in a less prominent area and test again.
Some browser-source properties also expose FPS. Adjust it only if you have a reason to; a static chat panel does not need to be treated like full-motion video. The most useful first checks are whether messages fit, whether they remain readable at your stream’s output size, and whether the source is layered correctly. For more on shaping a scene in OBS, see our guide to cropping portrait videos in OBS.
The URL route separates adding the source from editing the widget. You place and size it in OBS, but you return to Streamlabs settings to choose platforms, appearance and message behaviour. If you change settings in the dashboard, inspect the OBS preview again to verify the result rather than assuming the visible source updated as intended.
Select connected platforms
In Chat Box settings, choose which connected platforms should contribute messages to the overlay. Connect only the platforms you actually intend to monitor. A stream with a YouTube chat and a separate community channel, for example, can be harder to moderate if messages from several places are mixed without a plan for who is watching each one.
Streamlabs’ setup guide lists Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Kick and X among the platforms for the Chat Box. Treat that as a guide to the feature, not a promise that every listed service will appear for every account, region or software version. Use the platform controls shown in your own dashboard, and consult current Streamlabs documentation if a connection is missing or a label differs.
After choosing platforms, test a message from each one you plan to display. Check whether the username, badges and text appear as expected and whether you can distinguish which service a message came from. If the widget does not show a message, first verify the account is connected and the platform is selected; then check whether the message is being hidden by words, command filters or message timing settings.
Decide who will read the combined overlay. On a long-running channel, an operator may not be present every hour, so adding sources is not a substitute for moderation or a clear channel policy. Our guide on preventing spam in Super Chats covers a related moderation problem, though the Chat Box controls and platform moderation tools are not interchangeable.
Place and customise the widget
Customisation happens primarily in the Streamlabs Chat Box settings. Choose a premade style if one suits the scene, then inspect the individual controls for badges, extra emotes, font colour and size. A simple overlay is often easier to read than a decorative one, particularly when it sits over video that changes frequently or when viewers watch on a small phone screen.
Put the source somewhere that does not cover a face, lyrics, captions, a news ticker or the main action. Leave enough room for multiple messages to appear without obscuring the centre of the picture. Then preview the scene with actual content behind it: a pale panel may work over a dark video but disappear against a white background. If the underlying video varies, consider a restrained background or outline if the available style settings provide one.
Use font size and colour together. A larger font improves legibility but consumes more of the image; a high-contrast colour may be readable against one scene and distracting against another. Check the overlay at the intended output resolution and, if possible, view a test recording on a phone as well as the desktop preview. Do not assume the editor preview is the same size as the viewer’s screen.
The dashboard settings also include message behaviour. “Hide Message After” controls when messages fade, while “Always Show Messages” can keep them displayed. “Chat Delay” controls how long messages take to appear. These controls affect the pace and density of the overlay, so try them with the sort of conversation you expect rather than setting them in isolation. A fast-moving chat may need a shorter display time to prevent a stack of old messages; a quiet channel may benefit from messages staying visible longer.
“Hide Chatters” can hide common bots and/or commands beginning with “.”. “Custom Bad Words” lets you add words to suppress from the displayed chat. These are display controls, not a complete moderation system: they should not replace platform moderation, trusted moderators or a decision about which connected chats are appropriate to show. Check the current settings in your account before relying on a filter.
Extra emotes may be available through BTTV or FFZ settings, but do not assume those integrations are available to every account or platform. Enable them only if they are useful to the audience and test how they render in the overlay. If an emote appears as text or takes too much room, turn the option off and keep the chat readable.
Optional sound notifications
If you want a sound when messages arrive, enable Chat Notifications in the Chat Box settings. Streamlabs describes a trigger threshold as a quiet period required before a new message triggers a sound; when the threshold is off, its guide states that the default cooldown is five seconds. That is a setting detail from the guide, not a recommendation for every channel. A busy chat can become noisy, while a quiet stream may use notifications to draw an operator’s attention.
Choose a stock sound or upload one, then test it at the volume you use for your broadcast. Keep the sound distinct from programme audio without making it intrusive. If notifications should be heard across scenes, Streamlabs recommends adding the Chat Box source to all scenes; it can sit below visible sources on scenes where chat should not appear. Check the Chat Notifications instructions and test scene changes, because source visibility and software behaviour still matter.
Reuse the source across scenes
When multiple scenes should use the same Chat Box, reuse the existing source where the software offers that choice. This avoids creating separate widget instances with separate sound behaviour, and it makes layout changes easier to manage. It does not mean the widget must be visible in every scene: you can place it beneath other sources or omit it where it is not appropriate.
The source visibility setting is important during scene transitions. In Streamlabs Desktop’s widget properties, Streamlabs recommends unchecking “Shutdown source when not visible” if you want to avoid chat clearing or timed settings being interrupted as you switch scenes. A browser source in OBS has its own source properties and may not expose identical wording or behave identically. Do not infer that the Desktop instruction maps perfectly to every browser source configuration.
Test the actual sequence you plan to use. Send a message, move to another scene where the chat source is hidden, wait long enough to observe any timed behaviour you have set, and return to the first scene. Check whether older messages remain, whether new messages appear and whether notification sounds behave as expected. Repeat with the setting changed if the result is not what you want. This simple test is more reliable than assuming that source reuse alone guarantees persistence.
If the overlay disappears or seems stale, work through the path in order: confirm the scene contains the intended source, check visibility and shutdown settings, verify the account and platform connection, then inspect dashboard filters and message timing. For a browser source, confirm the URL is your own current Widget URL and that the browser source has adequate dimensions. Change one setting at a time so you can identify what resolved the problem.
A chat source is only one element in a scene. If the stream runs for long periods, make a note of the scene where chat should be shown, the scenes where it should only provide notifications, and the scenes where it should be absent. This gives a co-host or moderator a clear map and reduces the chance that a layout change silently hides the messages you meant to monitor.
If your broader project is an always-on YouTube channel built around a fixed video rather than a live operator, decide separately whether live chat belongs on screen and who will monitor it. A chat overlay can make viewer messages visible, but it does not operate or supervise a 24/7 broadcast. StreamNeo addresses the separate burden of keeping an uploaded video broadcasting without your computer left running; it does not replace chat moderation or the Streamlabs widget setup described here.
For a practical final check, save the scene, switch through every relevant scene, and record a short test. Review the recording for clipped text, poor contrast, accidental overlap and sound that is either missing or too frequent. Keep a note of the source route and the settings that worked, especially if someone else may need to adjust the overlay later.
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
How do I add a chat box to Streamlabs?
In Streamlabs Desktop, add a source, open Widgets and select Chat Box. In OBS or compatible software, copy the Widget URL from the Streamlabs Dashboard and paste it into a browser source. Then select connected platforms and adjust the widget in its settings.
Where do I find my Streamlabs Widget URL?
Sign in to the Streamlabs Dashboard and open Chat Box settings. Use the copy control beside the Widget URL, then paste that account-specific URL into your browser source. Do not reuse a URL shown as an example or copied from someone else.
Why does my chat disappear when I switch scenes?
Check whether the source is shut down while not visible and whether you reused the intended source across scenes. Streamlabs recommends leaving “Shutdown source when not visible” unchecked in its Desktop widget properties to avoid clearing chat or interrupting timed settings, but behaviour can vary by software and source configuration. Test the transition in your own setup.
Can I show chat from every platform in the widget?
No such assumption is safe: the platforms available depend on what Streamlabs exposes for your account and current setup. Select from the connected platforms shown in your dashboard, and verify each one with a test message before going live.