Windows Task Scheduler can launch OBS at a chosen time and pass it a command to start streaming. It does not, by itself, stop an OBS session that is already running or provide a complete stop-and-restart cycle; YouTube’s broadcast auto-start also needs to be configured and checked separately.
This guide covers a scheduled launch on Windows, including the easy-to-miss working-directory field. If you need the task to stop a live session before launching OBS again, plan and test that as a separate operation rather than relying on --startstreaming.
What a scheduled OBS launch can do
A daily scheduled task is useful when you want Windows to open OBS at a predictable time, for example before a devotional playlist normally begins each morning. OBS documents --startstreaming as a launch parameter, and also provides parameters to select a profile, scene collection and scene. That gives the task a way to launch OBS with a chosen setup and request that streaming begins.
The important limit is the word “launch”. Starting OBS with --startstreaming does not document a command to close an existing OBS process, stop its current broadcast or wait for a clean shutdown before starting again. If OBS is still open when the task runs, do not assume the task has restarted it. OBS also documents --multi for suppressing the multiple-instance warning, but that is not a stop-and-restart command. See the OBS launch parameters before building a task around any flag.
Think of the job as several distinct pieces: Windows launches the desktop application; OBS loads its chosen configuration and sends encoder output; YouTube decides whether that incoming output starts or reconnects to a broadcast. A task can help with the first piece, and OBS’s launch options with the second. Neither proves that the YouTube broadcast is in the state you expect.
If your underlying problem is a dropped broadcast rather than a regular overnight start, the recovery steps are different. The guide to restarting a broadcast after a YouTube disconnect is useful context for separating a disconnect recovery from a scheduled OBS launch.
Set the task trigger time
Open Task Scheduler and create a task with a daily time trigger for the time you want OBS to launch. The exact labels vary slightly between Windows versions, but the decision is the same: choose a time-based trigger when the requirement is “start every day at this time”. Microsoft documents daily schedules and other schedule types in its schtasks create reference.
An “At startup” trigger and an “At log on” trigger solve different problems. Startup means the computer has booted; logon means a user has signed in. Neither means a specific clock time every night. Microsoft describes event-based triggers separately from time-based ones in its Task Scheduler trigger documentation. Choose the trigger that matches the event you actually intend.
For an overnight schedule, check the computer’s clock, time zone and sleep behaviour. A task cannot launch OBS at the intended time if the PC is asleep or powered off. You can configure Windows task conditions to wake the computer where supported, but test the result on your own machine instead of treating a saved setting as proof that the PC will wake reliably. If the machine is shared or used for other work, consider what will happen if a person is already using OBS when the scheduled time arrives.
Choose the OBS executable and arguments
In the task’s action, choose “Start a program” and browse to the installed obs64.exe. The path depends on where OBS was installed, so do not copy a path from an example and assume it exists on your PC. If you are unsure, locate the OBS shortcut, inspect its properties, and use the actual executable location it points to.
Put the launch parameters in the “Add arguments” field, not in the program path. A schematic example is:
- Program/script:
C:\Path\To\obs64.exe - Arguments:
--profile "Streaming" --collection "Loop" --scene "Overnight" --startstreaming - Start in:
C:\Path\To\OBS\bin\64bit
Replace every example path and name with the installed path and exact names in your OBS setup. Streaming, Loop and Overnight are illustrative names only. If a profile, collection or scene name contains spaces, keep it in quotation marks so it is passed as one argument. OBS’s documentation lists --profile, --collection, --scene and --startstreaming; check that page for current spelling and supported options.
You can begin with fewer arguments if you only have one setup and want OBS to open its usual configuration. Add explicit profile, collection and scene choices when the PC has multiple configurations or when you need the overnight task to load a particular layout. Avoid adding flags just because they appear in a copied example. A wrong name may cause OBS to load a different setup than you expected, so test the command with the names you actually use.
Set the working directory
In the task action, fill in the “Start in” field with the directory containing obs64.exe. OBS specifically calls out this working-directory requirement for scheduled tasks and other automated launches. It is not the same field as the full program path: the program field points to the executable, while “Start in” identifies the folder in which it should run.
For example, if the executable is at C:\Program Files\obs-studio\bin\64bit\obs64.exe, the program field contains that full executable path and “Start in” contains C:\Program Files\obs-studio\bin\64bit. Your own installation may be elsewhere; use the folder that actually contains the executable. Do not put the executable filename in “Start in”.
This detail is easy to miss because a task can be saved even when its action is incomplete. If OBS opens from a desktop shortcut but fails or behaves differently when started by Task Scheduler, check the working directory before changing the stream settings. The launch parameters page from the OBS Project is the primary reference for this requirement.
Select the profile, collection and scene
Before scheduling anything, open OBS manually and verify the setup you want to use overnight. Confirm the streaming profile, scene collection, starting scene and media source. For a loop, watch enough of the playback to check that the file starts in the right place, audio is present at the expected level, and the scene does not expose desktop notifications, an unintended camera or a blank source.
A profile holds streaming and output settings; a scene collection holds scenes and their sources. The command-line options let you request a profile, collection and scene at launch, but those names need to match your local OBS configuration. If you rename a scene later, update the scheduled task too. The task does not know that a previous name has become stale.
Keep a written note of the names used in the task. That small record helps when someone else maintains the channel or when OBS is updated or reconfigured. If your channel needs to swap videos while the stream stays live, that is a separate workflow from restarting OBS; see how to change a video while keeping a YouTube live stream online.
Prepare YouTube broadcast auto-start separately
A scheduled OBS launch does not guarantee that YouTube takes the broadcast live. In YouTube Studio, check the broadcast’s encoder settings, stream URL and stream key, and decide how auto-start and auto-stop should behave. YouTube’s live stream settings help describes encoder settings and the auto-start and auto-stop controls. Do not assume a setting is on simply because it was used for a previous broadcast.
With auto-start enabled, sending encoder output can start the broadcast. With it disabled, OBS may send data while YouTube still waits for a manual Go Live action. Auto-stop matters when OBS stops sending: enabling it ends the broadcast when the encoder stops. The OBS guide to streaming to YouTube with OBS explains the relationship between broadcast selection and those controls; use YouTube’s current help and Studio screen as the authority for the current setting.
Decide whether you want to reconnect to the same scheduled broadcast or end it and use a different broadcast. Auto-stop can affect whether reconnection to that same broadcast remains possible, so do not toggle it without understanding the intended flow. For scheduled broadcasts, make sure the correct event is selected in OBS before you rely on the task. The YouTube channel owner may need to confirm the event and stream key in advance.
If you do not know whether the broadcast should begin automatically, test with a private or unlisted setup where appropriate and verify the visible state in YouTube Studio. Keep control of the stream key; anyone with access to it may be able to send encoder output to the channel. For channel operations beyond OBS, compare the distinct workflows described in live streaming apps for creators rather than assuming every tool handles broadcast scheduling in the same way.
Choose the Windows run context
OBS is a desktop application, and the Windows account used by the task matters. Configure the task to run under the account that owns and has tested the OBS setup. For an interactive-only task, Microsoft’s documentation notes that the configured user must be logged on. This is often the practical choice when OBS needs the user’s normal desktop session and configuration.
If nobody is logged in overnight, a task configured to run only in an interactive session will not provide the unattended launch you may have expected. Conversely, changing the task to run whether or not a user is logged on is not automatically a solution for a desktop application: it can run in a different session from the one you expect. Test the actual sign-in, lock and restart conditions you intend to use.
Also decide what should happen if the task runs twice or OBS is already open. The task’s “if the task is already running” behaviour and OBS’s own instance handling are separate from the --startstreaming flag. They do not turn that flag into a clean restart mechanism. If you need a true stop-then-launch sequence, design the stop action separately, ensure it cannot interrupt the wrong session, and test the full sequence while someone can observe it.
Test launch and live behaviour
Use Task Scheduler’s Run action while logged into the intended Windows account. Watch the result rather than relying only on the task history: confirm OBS opens, the expected profile and scene appear, the loop plays, and the status indicates that OBS is sending data. Then check YouTube Studio to verify that the intended broadcast is receiving the encoder and has the expected live state.
Test the precise condition you care about. A successful manual launch from Task Scheduler does not prove the PC will wake from sleep; a launch while signed in does not prove an interactive-only task will work after sign-out. If the overnight process depends on a scheduled broadcast, test with the intended broadcast arrangement and confirm what happens when encoder output starts and stops.
Keep a short recovery note beside the PC: the task name, the intended OBS profile and scene, where to check the stream state in YouTube Studio, and who can safely stop the broadcast. If the channel runs from a computer that must stay on, include that operating cost in the decision; the India electricity-cost guide for a 50-watt PC explains how to think about the ongoing draw without confusing a scheduler setting with an always-on operating plan.
If the recurring difficulty is keeping a local computer available overnight, StreamNeo removes that particular dependency by running an uploaded video as a YouTube live stream while your own computer is switched off. You still need to prepare the file and channel settings, and decide whether a scheduled OBS workflow is the right fit for your setup.
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 --startstreaming restart OBS if it is already open?
No. OBS documents it as a way to start streaming when OBS launches, not as a command to stop an existing session or perform a full restart. Plan and test any stop or close action separately.
Why does a scheduled OBS task need “Start in”?
OBS’s launch-parameter guidance says scheduled tasks should use the folder containing obs64.exe as their working directory. Put the executable path in the program field and that containing folder in “Start in”.
Will OBS starting make YouTube go live automatically?
Not necessarily. YouTube’s auto-start setting affects whether incoming encoder output starts the broadcast; with auto-start off, you may need to select or start the broadcast manually. Check the current broadcast settings in YouTube Studio.
Can I run this when nobody is signed into Windows?
It depends on the task’s run context and the desktop session OBS needs. Microsoft says an interactive-only task requires the configured user to be logged on, so test the chosen account and sign-in conditions before relying on an overnight run.