If your OBS playlist order changes after restart, first check whether you are playing local files through a VLC Video Source or showing a YouTube playlist in a Browser Source. For a fixed sequence of local files, arrange the entries in order and turn Shuffle Playlist off; for a YouTube playlist, set the sequence in YouTube and use the embedded player’s playlist controls.
Shuffle and loop do different jobs: shuffle changes playback order, while loop starts the sequence again when it reaches the end. Neither setting should be confused with remembering the current item after OBS restarts, so test the behaviour you need rather than assuming the source will resume where it stopped.
First identify which playlist you are using
OBS can display media in more than one way. A VLC Video Source plays files available to the computer running OBS. A Browser Source displays a web page, which can include YouTube’s embedded player. These are separate workflows with different controls: VLC’s playlist settings do not manage the order of a YouTube playlist.
This distinction matters when someone says “my OBS playlist changed”. If you see file names listed in the VLC Video Source properties, you are dealing with a local-media list. If you see a web address or an embedded YouTube player inside a Browser Source, the sequence belongs to YouTube’s playlist and player parameters. If unsure, open the scene and inspect the source type in OBS before changing settings.
Write down what you want to preserve. There are at least two possible requirements: a fixed order, such as an opening prayer followed by a bhajan set and then a closing track; or the current playback position, so a restart resumes the same file. A fixed order does not automatically mean resume-at-current-file, and a loop does not guarantee either one. Decide which result you need before choosing a fix.
For a 24/7 channel, also consider who owns the media and where it lives. Local files depend on the machine or service holding them and on the OBS scene using the relevant source. A YouTube playlist is maintained on YouTube and embedded into the scene. If you are planning a wider schedule rather than a single sequence, how to schedule YouTube livestream playlists covers a different, more automated approach; it should not be mistaken for a setting inside VLC Video.
Arrange local files in VLC Video
For local playback, add or open a VLC Video Source in the scene that should show the sequence. In its properties, inspect the playlist entries and put them in the intended order. The order of files in that list is the baseline sequence when shuffle is disabled, according to the OBS Media Sources documentation. If your installed OBS version presents the controls differently, check its current interface and documentation rather than relying on an old screenshot.
Use names that make the order easy to audit. For example, filenames such as 01-opening.mp4, 02-reading.mp4, and 03-bhajans.mp4 are easier to recognise than several files named final.mp4. Naming does not itself configure OBS, but it reduces the chance of adding files in an accidental order or misreading a long list. After adding the entries, inspect the full list from top to bottom rather than assuming that selection order or folder order is the playback order.
If a source contains only one file, there is no playlist sequence to preserve. If it contains many files, avoid using shuffle when you need a programme with a definite beginning and progression. A devotional channel might want a morning sequence to begin with an invocation each time; a study channel might instead prefer a shuffled background collection. Those are different editorial choices, and the source should be configured to match them.
The VLC Video Source is useful when the media is on the OBS machine and you want OBS to play that list. It does not make local files into a YouTube playlist, and it does not control a YouTube playlist embedded in a browser. For other local-media troubleshooting, the guide to a VLC playlist stopping during a YouTube gaming VOD rerun addresses a different failure mode; the common point is to check the actual source and its list, not infer behaviour from the word “playlist”.
Turn Shuffle Playlist off for a fixed sequence
In VLC Video Source properties, turn Shuffle Playlist off if you want the source to follow the file-list order. OBS describes shuffle as whether the source randomises the media files or stays in the order of the file list. That is the relevant control for a chosen local sequence. Check that it is off after arranging the entries, then apply or close the properties window using the controls available in your OBS version.
Shuffle and loop are independent. Turning shuffle off selects list order; it does not make the list repeat. Turning loop on repeats the list; it does not turn a random sequence into a fixed one. If you are investigating a changing order, begin with shuffle because a shuffled order may differ on a later load. An OBS forum discussion contains a user report of shuffle order differing after restart, but that is anecdotal experience, not a product guarantee about every OBS installation (forum thread).
For a fixed playlist, check both the visible entries and the shuffle control. A sequence may appear correct while you are editing because you are looking at the file list, yet playback can still be random if shuffle is enabled. Conversely, if shuffle is off and playback starts with an unexpected file, inspect whether you edited the same VLC Video Source that is active in the scene. OBS scenes can contain multiple sources with similar names, and changing one does not change another.
If you actually want variety, shuffle may be appropriate. In that case, do not describe the result as a preserved order: the point is that the order is not fixed. If predictability is more important than variety—for example, when a local news loop must show an alert slide before the regular bulletin—leave shuffle disabled and make the desired order explicit.
Set Loop Playlist only if you want the sequence to repeat
The Loop Playlist setting controls whether the source restarts after it has run out of media files, as OBS explains in its Media Sources documentation. Enable it when you want the last item to be followed by the first, such as a small-business menu loop that returns to the opening promotion. Leave it off if playback should end after the final item.
Looping is not the same as keeping OBS alive, reconnecting a YouTube broadcast, or saving the current item through a restart. It only describes what the playlist source does after its media runs out. A list with shuffle off and loop on follows the file-list sequence and starts again at the beginning when it finishes; it does not promise that a computer reboot will restore the exact playback position.
If playback pauses when a source is hidden, inspect Visibility Behaviour as well. OBS documents choices that affect whether media stops and restarts, pauses and unpauses, or continues while the source is not visible. That setting concerns what happens when the source is hidden by scene changes, not the ordering of the files. For example, switching from a “now playing” scene to a holding screen may change whether the source continues; it does not change the list order itself.
Treat these as separate questions while troubleshooting: Is the source playing the intended file list? Is it random or sequential? Does it repeat at the end? What happens when its scene becomes hidden? What happens when OBS closes and opens again? A clear answer to each avoids changing a setting that affects a different part of the behaviour.
Use YouTube embed playlist parameters for a YouTube playlist
When the videos are on YouTube and you want the YouTube playlist to play inside OBS, use a Browser Source with YouTube’s embedded player. This is not the VLC Video Source workflow. Google’s player parameter documentation describes selecting a playlist with listType=playlist and list=PLAYLIST_ID; loop=1 tells a playlist player to play the playlist through and begin it again (YouTube player parameters). The playlist order is managed as a YouTube playlist, not by arranging local entries in VLC Video.
Build the Browser Source around the embed for the playlist and its playlist ID, following YouTube’s current embed documentation. The relevant concept is to load the playlist rather than an individual video, then apply the playlist loop parameter if repeat playback is wanted. Do not assume that adding a loop parameter to a single-video embed will provide the same playlist behaviour: the documented playlist loop behaviour refers to the playlist player.
There are practical limits to this route. The cited documentation explains player parameters, not an OBS-specific guarantee that every playlist will embed or autoplay in every environment. A particular video or playlist may have embedding or playback restrictions, and autoplay can be affected by browser behaviour. YouTube also notes that enabling autoplay can trigger playback and data collection or sharing when the page loads. Review the official documentation and test your exact playlist in the Browser Source before depending on it for a live channel.
The YouTube route can suit a channel whose programme already exists as a YouTube playlist and whose goal is to display that player in an OBS scene. It is not interchangeable with uploading local files into a VLC Video Source. If your wider requirement is to run a prerecorded video continuously on YouTube, compare that with the approaches in how to choose a YouTube loop service for long video files; the right fit depends on whether you need a playlist player, a local OBS production, or a different way to keep a broadcast running.
Compare the route with the restart behaviour you need
Choose the source by media location and required restart behaviour, not by which control happens to sound familiar. The table summarises what the documented options are intended to address. It does not promise that a particular computer, playlist, embed, or plugin will behave identically in your installation.
| Route | Best fit | Order and repeat controls | Restart point to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| VLC Video Source | Local video or audio files listed in OBS | Arrange the file list, turn shuffle off for list order, and enable loop to repeat | Do not assume that the current file or a shuffled arrangement will be preserved after restart |
| Media Playlist Source plugin | A local media playlist where saving the current file is important | The plugin resource describes playlist editing and shuffle features | Its author says it saves the currently playing file for playback when OBS restarts; verify current compatibility first |
| Browser Source with YouTube embed | A playlist hosted on YouTube | Use YouTube playlist parameters and the playlist loop parameter if wanted | Check embed and autoplay behaviour with your actual playlist |
The OBS forum resource for Media Playlist Source identifies version 0.1.3 and says it saves the currently playing file so that it plays when OBS restarts; it lists OBS 30.0.0 as its minimum version. Those are capabilities stated on the plugin resource page, not an independently tested result or a YouTube playlist solution. Confirm the current resource details and compatibility with your operating system and OBS release before relying on a third-party plugin.
This plugin may be worth investigating if resuming the current local file is a requirement that the standard VLC source does not meet for your use. If your only requirement is fixed order, start with the built-in settings: arrange the list and disable shuffle. Adding a plugin introduces another component to maintain and verify, so it is not necessary simply to make a local list play sequentially.
Restart and verify the intended order
Once configured, verify the setup in a controlled way before leaving it unattended. Save the OBS scene collection, confirm the active scene contains the intended source, and note the first few entries in the sequence. Then close and reopen OBS when the channel is not relying on it for a live programme. Check the source properties again, start playback, and observe whether it begins at the point you expect and whether subsequent files follow the chosen order.
Test the end of the list too. If Loop Playlist is enabled, confirm that the final file is followed by the first. If it is disabled, confirm that playback stops at the end as intended. For a YouTube Browser Source, test the actual playlist and confirm that the embedded player loads and proceeds; a successful preview with one video does not prove that a different playlist or every video can be embedded.
If the order is wrong after reopening, work through a short diagnosis rather than changing several controls at once:
- Confirm whether the source is VLC Video or Browser Source.
- For local media, check the entries in the active VLC Video Source and verify that Shuffle Playlist is off.
- For YouTube, inspect the playlist selected by the embed and its order on YouTube; VLC settings are not relevant.
- Check whether the issue is list order, the current starting item, or what happens when the list ends.
- Repeat the restart test after changing one setting, so you know which change affected the result.
A source can also appear to restart because a scene was changed or because its visibility behaviour is configured to stop and restart when hidden. If the source is hidden and shown again, observe that separately from closing OBS altogether. A “starts at the beginning when shown” issue is not the same as a “files are shuffled after restart” issue.
For a channel that needs to run continuously, keep a written record of the test result: source type, shuffle state, loop state, and what the first item was after reopening. That small note is useful if someone else manages the channel or if an OBS update changes the interface. It also prevents a one-time successful preview from being treated as proof that the overnight configuration has been tested.
If you would rather not keep a home or office computer switched on to carry a prerecorded broadcast, StreamNeo can take the uploaded video and YouTube stream key and run the broadcast from the cloud, which removes the need to maintain that computer for this task; it is YouTube-only, so it does not manage an OBS local playlist or a YouTube embedded playlist inside your scene.
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FAQ
Why does my OBS playlist order change after restart?
If you are using VLC Video, first check whether Shuffle Playlist is on; shuffle means the source randomises playback rather than following the file list. OBS documentation defines the fixed-order behaviour when shuffle is off, but does not promise persistence of a shuffled order across restarts. If you are using a Browser Source, inspect the YouTube playlist and embed instead.
Does Loop Playlist preserve the current video when OBS restarts?
No. Loop Playlist controls whether a local playlist starts again after it runs out of files; it is not a resume-position setting. Test restart behaviour separately, and consider a suitable media-playlist plugin only after checking its current compatibility and stated capabilities.
Can VLC Video set the order of a YouTube playlist?
No. VLC Video handles the local media list configured in that source. For a YouTube playlist in OBS, use a Browser Source with the YouTube embedded player and its playlist parameters, then verify the specific playlist in your setup.
Should I enable shuffle for a 24/7 channel?
Enable it only when you want the local files to play in a varied, non-fixed order. If the sequence must begin with a particular item or keep a deliberate progression, arrange the VLC Video entries and turn shuffle off; choose Loop Playlist separately according to whether it should repeat.