To make a vMix playlist start again from its beginning when it finishes, open the Playlist window, add the inputs you want, tick Loop, and start the playlist. If it does not move on from one item to the next, check Manual Mode; Loop and Manual Mode affect different parts of playback.
Use Playlist to sequence multiple vMix inputs, or use a List input when you mainly want to play a sequence of video or audio files. Both have looping controls, but they are separate features, and neither creates a time-of-day broadcast schedule.
Open the vMix Playlist window
Open the vMix preset that contains the inputs you want to play. In the main interface, find Playlist and click the small cog button beside it. This opens the Playlist window, where you choose which available inputs belong in the playlist and configure playback.
The Playlist is not the same thing as a folder of files. Its entries are vMix inputs: for example, a video input, a camera input, or a List input that you have already configured. This distinction matters when you plan the sequence. If you want to switch between prepared inputs, build a Playlist. If you want one input to play several media files in sequence, set up a List and decide whether it should also be included as an entry in a larger Playlist.
Before changing the sequence, check that the correct preset is active and that the inputs you intend to use are available. A Playlist belongs to the preset in which it was created; it is not a standalone schedule that can be detached and loaded with any project. The vMix User Guide documents the Playlist controls and the relationship between playlists and presets. Keep the matching preset with the playlist when you move the setup to another computer or reuse it later.
This is also a useful point to make a copy of the preset before a substantial change. A test sequence may include temporary media, a different order, or a transition you do not want in the version used on air. Keeping a working copy makes it easier to return to the intended configuration if you need to undo those changes.
Add the inputs you want to sequence
In the Playlist window, look at Available Inputs. Select an input to include, then click the > arrow to move it into Playlist. Repeat for each input, and check the Playlist pane to confirm that the entries are present in the order you want.
Think of each entry as a step in the sequence. If your channel alternates between a welcome screen and a prepared programme, those can be separate inputs. If it should play one long video and then another, add the corresponding video inputs. A devotional channel might sequence an opening card, a bhajan programme and a closing card; a local news loop might use separate inputs for headlines, weather and a community notice. These are different inputs under Playlist's control, not a single media-file list.
Keep the sequence straightforward while you test it. Confirm that every intended input is included, that no temporary test input is left in the list, and that the order matches the viewer experience you want. If an item is missing, return to Available Inputs and move it across. If an item is out of order, correct that before starting the playlist rather than trying to diagnose an unexpected transition during a live broadcast.
For each input, also consider what a viewer will see when it becomes active. Confirm that its media is ready and that its audio and visual content are appropriate. A Playlist can move between inputs, but it cannot make a missing file available or correct an input that was prepared incorrectly. Test the actual transitions, not just the fact that entries appear in the window.
If the content itself needs to be made or adapted before it goes into the sequence, handle that separately from playlist configuration. For instance, the guide to adding captions to a pre-recorded live stream covers a different preparation task; captions do not change how Playlist advances or loops.
Enable Loop in the Playlist window
Tick Loop in the Playlist window. The vMix guide describes this control as starting the playlist from the beginning again when it is completed. In practical terms, the configured sequence reaches its end and then begins again from its first entry. It does not mean that each input is repeated indefinitely before vMix moves to the next one.
After enabling it, look at the window again to confirm the control is selected. Then check the entries and their order once more. The setting only applies to this configured playlist; it does not automatically turn every video input or every List into a looping sequence.
There are two separate questions to answer when configuring a repeat. First, should the playlist proceed from one entry to the next without a click? Second, after its last entry, should it return to its first entry? Manual Mode affects automatic progression; Loop determines what happens when the sequence completes. Enabling Loop is not a fix for a playlist that is waiting for you to press Next.
A repeating sequence is useful when you want the same set of inputs to play continuously. It is not a clock-based plan. For example, a playlist that repeats a morning bulletin will not know that you intended to replace it at a particular hour. If you need a broadcast to change at a specified time, treat that as a separate scheduling requirement rather than assuming Loop will provide it.
Start the configured playlist
Once the inputs are in place and Loop is selected, start playback. You can click Start in the Playlist window, or use the Playlist button in the main interface to start or stop a configured playlist. Watch at least one transition so you can verify that the sequence begins with the expected input and moves through the entries as intended.
Do this check before relying on the setup for a long unattended broadcast. Confirm that the first input appears, that the next one arrives as expected, and that the end of the sequence returns to the beginning when Loop is enabled. The exact time an input remains active depends on the input and its playback behaviour, so observe the actual configuration rather than assuming every item will have the same duration.
If you are testing a programme that includes a List input, observe both levels of playback. The outer Playlist may switch to the List input; then the List's own settings determine whether its files progress and what happens at the end of its file sequence. A successful transition into the List does not by itself prove that the List will advance or loop.
For YouTube, vMix playback and the YouTube live broadcast are also distinct pieces of the workflow. A local test can confirm the sequence without proving that a live broadcast is connected or behaving as intended. When you test on the live channel, use YouTube's current live streaming troubleshooting guidance if the broadcast itself has a problem. Do not confuse a playlist waiting for a manual action with a YouTube connection problem.
Check Manual Mode when items do not advance
If the playlist starts but stays on an item instead of moving to the next, check whether Manual Mode is enabled. In Manual Mode, the playlist does not automatically progress until you click Next. Turn Manual Mode off when you want the configured playlist to advance without that manual action.
This is the main diagnostic distinction to remember: Loop acts at the end of a completed playlist, while Manual Mode can prevent the playlist from advancing between entries in the first place. A playlist waiting on an item has not necessarily reached its end, so ticking Loop cannot make it move on. Check Manual Mode before changing the sequence or rebuilding the preset.
Test after changing the setting. Start the playlist, allow the current input to finish or reach its normal transition point, and see whether the next input begins. Then observe the final entry and confirm whether playback returns to the first entry. These checks separate two possible issues: progression between entries and restarting after completion.
If playback still does not behave as expected, verify that you are testing the intended active playlist and preset, and that each input can play. Check for a sequence entry that is not ready or an input whose own playback has not completed. Change one setting at a time and repeat the test; this makes it easier to identify whether the cause was Manual Mode, the input configuration, or the end-of-sequence behaviour.
If your goal is specifically a Hindi playlist that restarts at the end, the OBS playlist troubleshooting guide discusses the same broad symptom in OBS. Its controls are not vMix controls, so use it only as a way to think through the difference between an item not advancing and a sequence not looping. Follow vMix's own labels and guide for the setup here.
Use a List input for a sequence of media files
Choose a List input when the main task is to play video or audio files one after another as a single vMix input. In List, Auto Next controls whether playback moves to the next item automatically; it is enabled by default. A separate Loop control makes the List start again from the beginning when it reaches the end. The vMix Video List documentation explains these controls.
The two controls have different jobs. With Auto Next enabled, the List can proceed through its files. With Loop enabled, it can start again after the last file. If Auto Next is off, the List may wait for an action between files even if its Loop control is selected. Configure both according to the behaviour you want, then test the transition from one file to the next and the return from the final file to the first.
A List can also be used as an input in a standard Playlist. That gives you two levels to configure: List determines the order and repeat behaviour of files within that input, while Playlist determines how that input sits among other vMix inputs. For example, you might place a List of short programme clips between a title card and a separate announcement input. Decide which level should repeat, and test both levels so the outer Playlist and the inner file sequence do not behave differently from what you intended.
| Choose this | What it sequences | Automatic progression | End-of-sequence repeat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playlist | Multiple vMix inputs | Check that Manual Mode is off if you want it to advance without clicking Next | Its Loop control returns the sequence to its beginning |
| List | Video and audio files within one input | Its Auto Next control governs movement to the next file | Its separate Loop control returns the file sequence to its beginning |
The List approach can be useful when a large group of files belongs together as one input. vMix documentation notes that a List does not require all videos to be loaded at once, which can conserve system resources. That is a workflow distinction, not a promise that any particular computer will handle every file or format; test with the media and preset you plan to use.
For a channel built around a changing series of inputs, Playlist is usually the clearer place to organise those switches. For a channel that repeatedly plays a collection of recordings, List may keep the media sequence together. If you are weighing a 24/7 setup for a Hindi news or radio feed, this guide to streaming a Hindi news radio feed to YouTube Live covers the wider content workflow; it does not replace the vMix settings described here.
A loop is not a time-of-day schedule
Looping gives you continuous repetition of a sequence, not a broadcast timetable. vMix support says the software is primarily designed for live streaming single events and does not support time-of-day scheduling for 24/7 television programming. Its scheduling support article distinguishes a playlist of inputs running back-to-back on a constant loop from a schedule that changes content at specified times.
That means a playlist can repeatedly show the same sequence, but the Loop control will not swap in a different programme at breakfast, switch to local news at a set time, or stop and restart according to a daily timetable. If this is the behaviour you need, identify a scheduling workflow separately and check its current documentation. Do not infer time-based features from the fact that a playlist repeats unattended.
The support article mentions a third-party project called vMix Scheduler, but notes that it is no longer maintained, may not work with current vMix versions and is not supported by vMix. Treat that as an unverified third-party possibility, not as a recommended or guaranteed solution. For a reliable decision, check the current official vMix material and test any scheduling arrangement before depending on it.
There is a practical distinction between unattended repetition and unattended operation. Loop can repeat the configured entries, but your overall broadcast still depends on the computer, the active preset, the media and the live-stream connection. If the reason you are considering a hosted workflow is that you do not want your own computer to run the channel overnight, StreamNeo removes that specific need by letting you upload a video and run it as a YouTube live stream without keeping your computer switched on; it does not turn a vMix playlist into a time-of-day schedule.
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FAQ
Does Loop make a vMix Playlist advance to the next input?
No. Loop sends the playlist back to its beginning after it completes. If it is not moving from one entry to another automatically, check whether Manual Mode is on; in that mode, you need to click Next.
Should I use Playlist or List for several videos?
Use List when you want several video or audio files to play as one input, with its own Auto Next and Loop controls. Use Playlist when you want to sequence multiple vMix inputs, which can include a List input. You can combine them, but configure and test each level separately.
Does a looping playlist switch programmes at a set time?
No. Loop repeats the configured sequence from its beginning; it is not a time-of-day scheduler. vMix support says the software does not support time-of-day scheduling for 24/7 television programming, so check current official guidance if a timed change is essential.
Will the playlist load with any vMix preset?
A playlist is associated with the preset in which it was created. Keep the corresponding preset with it when you move or reuse the setup, and verify the inputs after loading it.