In OBS, Loop replays a Media Source file when it reaches the end. Restart playback when source becomes active starts that file from the beginning when the source becomes active and visible in the current scene.
They are separate controls for playback inside OBS. Neither restarts or reconnects your YouTube live broadcast; YouTube's viewer playback, DVR and archive are separate behaviours.
Loop and restart on activation are different
Think about the trigger for each setting. Loop responds to the end of the file. Restart playback when source becomes active responds to the source becoming active in the current scene while visible. One acts during playback; the other acts when the source is activated.
For a single local video that should repeat continuously, turn on Loop. If that source is later made inactive and then active again, the restart setting controls whether its playback begins at the start when it becomes active. You do not need restart-on-activation merely to make an already looping file replay at its end.
| Control or behaviour | Trigger | What it affects |
|---|---|---|
| Loop | The media file reaches its end | Repetition of the file in OBS |
| Restart playback when source becomes active | The source becomes active and visible in the current scene | Starting position of the file in OBS |
| YouTube live connection | Encoder connects or loses its connection | The broadcast feed sent to YouTube |
| YouTube DVR and archive | YouTube live playback and archive rules | Viewer controls and saved stream availability |
For example, suppose a bhajan video is playing in a scene with Loop enabled. At the end, OBS starts the file again. If you switch to a different scene and later return to the one containing the source, restart-on-activation may start that file from its beginning. The precise result depends on whether the source became inactive and then active; simply watching the file reach its end is not that trigger.
These names and behaviours apply to the documented OBS Media Source controls. Do not assume that another source type has the same options, or that a setting with a similar name changes YouTube's live session.
Find the Media Source controls
In OBS, select the scene containing the file and then select its Media Source in the Sources list. Open its properties, usually by double-clicking the source or using the source's context menu. The exact window layout can vary by OBS version, but the controls are properties of the Media Source rather than YouTube's live control room.
In the properties, check the boxes labelled Loop and Restart playback when source becomes active. OBS's Media Sources documentation describes these controls separately. The documented defaults are Loop off and restart-on-activation on; check the values in your own source rather than relying on defaults, because someone may have changed them.
If the source is not a Media Source, first identify what you added. A VLC Video source is a playlist-capable source and has distinct controls such as Loop Playlist and Visibility Behaviour. It requires VLC installed, according to OBS's documentation. The relevant trigger and playback rules are not necessarily the same as for a single-file Media Source. In particular, do not look for a Media Source checkbox and conclude that a VLC playlist has no repeat control.
Also distinguish a source from a scene. A scene can contain a Media Source, and the source can be hidden or shown within it. The restart setting is about the source becoming active in the current scene and visible; changing the selected scene in the interface, without changing what is active in the program output, should not be confused with a YouTube broadcast restart.
What Loop does at the end of a file
With Loop enabled, OBS plays the local file again after playback completes. The visible output then continues to show the media as it repeats, provided the source remains part of the composed scene. That is useful for a short ambience clip, a devotional programme or a fixed visual that needs to play repeatedly while the broadcast remains on air.
Loop governs the end of the media file, not the schedule or connection for the stream. If the file is one hour long, the loop concerns what OBS does after that hour of media playback. It does not tell YouTube to create a new live event, reset viewer playback, or save a new archive. The broadcast can remain the same live session while the local content starts another pass.
If Loop is off, the file reaches its end and playback completes. OBS also has a separate Show nothing when playback ends option, described as hiding a source automatically when playback completes. Without that behaviour, the final frame may remain visible. Neither setting is a substitute for Loop: one concerns what happens after completion, while Loop repeats the file instead.
A useful test is to use a short, non-critical clip and watch the source itself in the OBS preview or program output. Note the beginning and end, then see whether the file starts again. If there is a pause or a brief visual change at the boundary, inspect the file and your scene composition; changing restart-on-activation does not itself adjust the content at the join.
For a longer-running channel, the file also matters. A poorly prepared loop may have an abrupt audio or visual cut each time it reaches its end, even when OBS is behaving as configured. The video encode checklist for a month-long loop covers preparation of a file intended for repeated playback. A repeat setting cannot smooth an edit that is already audible in the source.
What restart on activation does
Restart playback when source becomes active tells OBS to start the Media Source file again when the source becomes active in the current scene and is visible. The point is to control the file's starting position on activation. It does not continuously restart the file, and it does not mean the broadcast itself is being restarted.
This can be useful when you want a scene to begin with a particular clip from its opening frame. For example, a channel might have a short opening visual in one scene and a separate background video in another. If the opening source becomes active again, starting from its beginning may be intentional. For a long-running background that should continue through scene changes, restarting each time it becomes active may instead interrupt the continuity you wanted.
The word “active” matters. A source can exist in a scene without being visible in the output. The official OBS wording describes the file restarting once the source is in the current scene and visible. This is not a general instruction to rewind every source whenever a viewer joins, pauses a stream, or opens YouTube on a different device.
If you hide a source or switch away from its scene, then bring it back, observe whether playback starts at the beginning or continues from its earlier position. That is a practical way to verify the setting in your version and scene arrangement. Do not infer from a scene name or from the source remaining in the Sources list that it remained active and visible throughout.
How the two settings interact
Loop and restart-on-activation are independent controls, so consider both the file's end and the source's visibility. Loop answers, “What should happen when playback reaches the end?” Restart-on-activation answers, “What should happen to playback when this source becomes active and visible?” Setting one does not make the other redundant in every scene design.
For a single background file that should repeat while its scene stays active, Loop is the relevant setting. If the source later becomes active again, restart-on-activation determines whether that return begins at the start. With both enabled, the file can begin at the start when activated and repeat again at each end while it remains active. With Loop on and restart off, the file repeats at the end, but activation alone does not request a fresh start.
A common mistake is to enable restart-on-activation because a looping source did not restart when expected at the file's end. Check whether the source actually reached its end and whether Loop is on. Restart-on-activation is not needed for an already looping file to start again at its end. Conversely, if a source returns to the scene halfway through a file and you want it to start over, Loop alone does not express that preference; activation behaviour is the relevant distinction.
OBS has another Media Source option, Close file when inactive, which unloads a hidden or off-scene file to free memory. OBS notes that when shown again, the source may take a short time to reload. This is distinct from both Loop and restart-on-activation. If a source appears late after returning to a scene, consider whether it was closed while inactive, rather than assuming the YouTube connection restarted.
If you use VLC Video for a playlist, look at its own playlist and visibility controls rather than transferring this table mechanically. OBS documents Loop Playlist for whether a playlist starts again after it runs out, and Visibility Behaviour for whether playback continues, pauses or stops when not visible. The OBS Media Sources page is the place to confirm the current documented properties for the source type you use.
Why neither setting restarts YouTube Live
OBS media playback and YouTube Live are different layers. The Media Source supplies audio and video to the OBS scene. OBS composes the scene and sends the resulting output through its encoder connection. YouTube receives that feed as a live broadcast. A local file reaching its end, or a source becoming visible again, changes the OBS content; those events do not command YouTube to reconnect the encoder.
YouTube's encoder setup guidance explains the connection using a stream URL and stream key. Loop and restart-on-activation are not controls for that connection. If your broadcast has disconnected, diagnose the encoder and connection separately; toggling a Media Source playback box is not a dependable way to bring a YouTube live session back.
Viewer playback is another distinction. A person watching may pause, resume or rewind a live stream where YouTube offers DVR controls. That changes what the viewer sees, not what OBS plays into the outgoing feed. Similarly, YouTube's archive behaviour concerns whether a completed live stream is available as a saved video, not whether the Media Source looped correctly.
YouTube Help says streams under 12 hours can be automatically archived, while streams longer than 12 hours may not be captured. Its DVR guidance also says rewind availability can be limited or unavailable for very long streams. These are YouTube behaviours; they do not follow from the OBS Loop setting, and neither option guarantees an indefinitely rewindable or archived broadcast. Check the current YouTube Help pages before designing a channel around archive or DVR expectations.
For a 24/7 channel, it helps to test the layers separately: confirm the file repeats in OBS, confirm the composed scene reaches the stream, and check YouTube's live and archive behaviour independently. The archive guide for a 24/7 YouTube lofi stream addresses the separate question of saved broadcasts. It is not a way to configure file looping.
Test playback and scene changes safely
Make a test scene or use a short clip before changing the production scene for an audience. Turn Loop on, start playback and observe the end of the file. Then check the activation behaviour separately: hide the source or switch to a scene where it is inactive, return to the intended scene, and observe whether playback resumes or restarts. Change one setting at a time so you know which control caused the result.
Keep the test focused on OBS. Look at the preview or program output and listen for the file boundary. If you also want to confirm that the live audience sees the composed output, use an unlisted or otherwise appropriate test broadcast and check YouTube separately. A viewer test can show whether the feed is arriving, but it does not prove how a source behaves in a different scene or after a later activation.
For troubleshooting, write down three observations: the source type, whether Loop is enabled, and what you did to make it active or inactive. For example, “Media Source; Loop on; switched away from the scene and back” is more useful than “it restarted by itself”. If the result differs from your expectation, verify the selected scene and visibility first, then check whether Close file when inactive or Show nothing when playback ends is also set.
Avoid testing a restart by stopping and starting the YouTube broadcast unless you actually need to test broadcast connection behaviour. Stopping a live session can affect the audience and the archive, whereas changing source visibility tests the Media Source activation behaviour directly. When the problem is a buffering audience rather than a file that fails to repeat in OBS, use a connection-focused diagnostic such as the YouTube live buffering troubleshooting guide, not a media playback toggle.
If managing a local computer overnight is itself the problem, decide separately whether you need a local OBS workflow or a way to keep a prepared video running without leaving that computer on. StreamNeo addresses that specific computer-off pain by turning an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream; it does not change what OBS's source controls mean.
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FAQ
Does Restart playback when source becomes active restart my YouTube stream?
No. It restarts the Media Source file in OBS when that source becomes active and visible in the current scene. YouTube's live broadcast connection is separate.
Do I need restart-on-activation for a file that is already looping?
No. Loop makes the file play again when it reaches the end. Restart-on-activation concerns what happens when the source becomes active again, not the file's normal end-of-playback repeat.
Why did my file start from the beginning after a scene change?
If the source became active and visible again, restart-on-activation may have returned playback to the beginning. Check the source's visibility and activation setting, and consider whether you want continuity or a fresh start when that scene returns.
Does OBS Loop guarantee that YouTube will archive the stream?
No. Loop controls local media playback in OBS; YouTube controls live playback and archive behaviour. YouTube Help says streams under 12 hours can be automatically archived, while longer streams may not be captured, so check its current guidance for your broadcast.