If a local media file reaches its end in OBS, enable Loop in that Media Source’s properties to make the file play again. That setting controls the source’s playback; it does not, by itself, keep YouTube live or prove that OBS is still sending a signal.
Check the source and the broadcast as two separate things. First confirm the file repeats in OBS, then confirm OBS remains connected and YouTube still shows the stream as live after the file’s endpoint.
A file ending is not the same as a stream ending
A Media Source has its own playback state. If Loop is off, a file can play once and reach its end. The OBS preview may then show whatever else is in the scene, or nothing, depending on the source and scene. That does not necessarily mean the encoder has stopped sending video to YouTube.
The live broadcast has a separate connection and output state. OBS sends encoded content to YouTube; the broadcast ends when that output stops or when the stream is ended through the relevant controls. YouTube’s encoder guidance describes stopping encoder content as part of ending a stream. In practice, a file ending can coincide with a stream ending, but one does not establish the other.
This distinction matters when you troubleshoot an overnight music, prayer, study, or ambience channel. If the file stops but OBS still shows an active preview and streaming status, investigate the source playback. If OBS itself disconnects, or YouTube reports that the broadcast has ended, investigate the encoder and stream controls as well.
For a channel intended to run continuously, treat a repeated source as one part of the setup, not a guarantee of an uninterrupted broadcast. The Windows update checklist for a 24/7 stream covers another common reason a local computer might interrupt a stream: a restart or loss of the running application.
Open the Media Source properties
In OBS, find the scene that contains the file and locate its Media Source in the Sources list. Select it, then open its properties. Depending on your layout, you can use the source’s context menu or the Properties button beneath the Sources list. If there are several scenes or similarly named sources, check that you have selected the one actually visible in the scene you are streaming.
The properties window contains playback controls for that source. The setting you need is called Loop. The OBS Media Sources documentation describes it as the option that determines whether the file plays again once playback has completed; its documented default is Off.
If you are unsure whether the source is a Media Source, inspect the source type in the list or open its properties and look for the media file path and playback options. A browser source, image source, or capture device will not have this same file-loop control. Do not change a different source just because it happens to appear over or under the video in the scene.
Before editing, note the current setting and the source’s scene. This simple check is useful when a scene has a background image, a logo, an audio source, and a video file, all with similar names. You can rename sources to make their roles clearer, but do not rename or remove a source as a substitute for checking its playback options.
Enable Loop for one file
In the selected Media Source’s properties, tick Loop, then apply or confirm the change. With Loop enabled, OBS should return to the start of that same file when playback reaches its end. For a single clip that should repeat, this is the direct setting to change.
Loop is distinct from restarting a source when it becomes active. Restart playback when source becomes active controls what happens when the source becomes visible or active in the current scene. It may be useful if you want a clip to begin at the start when you switch scenes, but it does not replace Loop at the end of playback.
Likewise, Close file when inactive is not an end-of-file repeat option. OBS documents it as unloading the file when the source is hidden or not on the current scene; showing the source again can involve a short reload delay. That setting may be useful for memory management in some scenes, but it is not the control that repeats a clip.
| What you want | OBS control | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat one file when it reaches its end | Loop | Plays the file again after playback completes |
| Hide the source at the end | Show nothing when playback ends | Hides the source when playback completes |
| Start from the beginning when the source becomes active | Restart playback when source becomes active | Restarts at activation, rather than defining end-of-file behaviour |
| Unload an inactive file | Close file when inactive | Unloads when hidden or off the current scene; reactivation can take time |
For a single file, there is no need to add a playlist workflow merely to repeat that file. For more than one video, the choice changes: the playlist approach to a nonstop YouTube stream may fit better when you want clips to rotate rather than replay the same one.
Check “Show nothing when playback ends” separately
Look for Show nothing when playback ends in the same properties window. It is a separate option from Loop: it hides the source when the file reaches its end. Do not treat it as an alternate label for repeat playback.
If the source disappears at the end, confirm whether Show nothing is enabled and whether Loop is enabled. The intended result for one continuously repeating file is that Loop is on. A setting that hides the source can explain why the file vanishes from the preview, but it does not explain whether OBS has stopped sending output to YouTube.
You may see a black background, another scene layer, or another source after the media source is hidden. What appears depends on how you built the scene. For instance, if the media source covers the full canvas and there is nothing underneath it, the preview can look empty or black; if a still image sits below it, that image may become visible. The visual result is a scene behaviour, not a reliable indicator of stream connection state.
If the source is meant to play once and then reveal a title card, hiding it might be intentional. If the file is meant to repeat continuously, test Loop rather than relying on the hide-at-end behaviour. Keep the two controls conceptually separate: one determines repeat playback, the other determines whether the source is shown at completion.
Test one complete playback cycle
Do not wait until the next night to find out whether the change worked. Test the source in a controlled session and observe what happens at its endpoint. If the file is long, you can temporarily use a short test clip in a duplicate scene or source so the cycle is easy to inspect, then restore the intended file and verify the final source’s properties before going live.
Watch the OBS preview as the test file approaches its end. With Loop on, the video should return to its beginning and continue playing. If the video is meant to include audio, listen across the transition as well; a visual restart does not confirm that the audio track is present or behaving as intended. If you use a short test clip, make sure it is clearly labelled and does not accidentally remain in the live scene.
If playback does not repeat, re-open the properties for the exact source visible in the scene and check Loop. A common source of confusion is changing the wrong instance when the same media file appears in more than one scene. Also confirm that the file itself can play in OBS before assuming the loop control failed.
Then test the production scene, not only an isolated source. A source may be hidden, covered by another layer, or absent from the scene that is actually being broadcast. Confirm the correct scene is active, and check that the preview shows the intended content after the file restarts. If you use scene transitions, observe the transition too, since that is where a source can become inactive or hidden.
A playlist is a different requirement from a repeated single file. OBS’s VLC Video source provides a Loop Playlist control, which OBS documents as On by default. That source uses VLC libraries and requires VLC to be installed; OBS specifies 64-bit VLC when using 64-bit OBS. Choose it when you need a playlist, not as an unnecessary replacement for the built-in Media Source loop. The guide to automatically playing different videos is useful if the goal is rotation rather than the same file repeating.
Verify OBS is still sending content
Once the source test passes, verify the encoder separately. Start the stream only when you are ready for the test to be public or use the appropriate private or unlisted workflow for your channel. Confirm OBS indicates that it is streaming and that the preview contains the expected scene. After the media file reaches its endpoint, check again: the source should repeat, and the OBS output should still be active.
YouTube’s encoder setup uses a stream URL and stream key to direct the encoder’s feed to the channel. YouTube explains the stream controls in its live-stream settings help. If the stream key or destination is misconfigured, correcting Loop will not fix the connection. Keep the key private; it is a credential for sending content to your channel.
Check the live control room as well as OBS. YouTube has Auto-start & auto-stop controls that can allow the encoder to start or stop streaming when enabled. Their effect depends on the stream settings in use. If you are diagnosing a stream that ends, inspect those controls and the OBS output state rather than assuming the source’s end-of-file setting caused the broadcast to close.
The YouTube live streaming limit guide discusses platform-side considerations for ongoing broadcasts. Whatever the planned duration, the practical check here is immediate: does OBS remain connected and sending a moving scene after the file cycles? Do not infer connection from a frozen or black preview alone; compare OBS’s stream status with the YouTube live page or control room.
If the stream ends anyway
If Loop is on and the source repeats in the OBS preview, but the YouTube broadcast ends, the source setting has done its job. Now inspect the other side of the setup: did OBS stop streaming, did its connection drop, or did YouTube mark the stream ended? Note what each interface reports and when it changes. This narrows the problem without guessing at a cause.
If OBS is no longer streaming, check whether the output was stopped manually, whether OBS closed or the computer slept or restarted, and whether the network remained available. Review OBS’s status and logs around the time of interruption if you know how to access them. If you are not comfortable interpreting logs, record the visible status and time of the event so a support person can work from observations rather than assumptions.
If OBS still says it is streaming but YouTube reports an ended broadcast, review the selected stream destination, the active stream key, and YouTube’s Auto-start & auto-stop settings. Confirm you are looking at the correct live event in YouTube Studio, especially if you have scheduled more than one event. YouTube’s instructions for creating a stream with an encoder include the distinction between sending encoder output and ending the stream through the live controls.
If the source itself does not repeat, revisit its properties, confirm that Loop is enabled on the source currently in the active scene, and check that a hide-at-end choice is not producing the disappearance you see. Test again through a full cycle. Avoid changing several unrelated settings at once; otherwise you may solve one issue while making it harder to identify what changed.
There is no single diagnosis for every stream that ends at a file boundary. The cause depends on the scene, source, encoder state, stream configuration, and what YouTube reports. Keep notes about the playback cycle and the broadcast status separately. That distinction is more useful than saying only that “the stream stopped”, because it identifies whether the file, encoder, or live control actually changed state.
For a continuous channel, also decide whether the computer must remain involved. OBS is a desktop application, so a setup that depends on your local machine depends on that machine staying awake, connected, and running OBS. If that is the pain point rather than the loop setting, StreamNeo removes the need to leave your computer on by turning an uploaded file into a YouTube live stream that you can monitor without keeping OBS running locally.
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FAQ
Does Loop keep my YouTube stream live indefinitely?
No. Loop repeats the Media Source file in OBS; it does not guarantee that OBS stays connected or that YouTube keeps a broadcast open. Check OBS output and YouTube’s live status separately, including the stream controls.
Why does my video disappear even though OBS is still live?
The source may have reached the end with Show nothing when playback ends enabled, or another scene or layer may have changed what is visible. That setting hides the source; it is different from Loop. Re-open the source properties and confirm the intended behaviour.
Should I use Media Source or VLC Video?
Use Media Source with Loop for one file that should repeat. Use VLC Video when you actually need a playlist, bearing in mind that OBS requires VLC to be installed for that source. Check OBS’s current documentation for platform and compatibility details before changing your setup.
What should I check if playback loops but YouTube ends the stream?
Treat it as an encoder or live-control issue, not a file-loop issue. Confirm whether OBS is still streaming, check that the correct stream destination and key are in use, and review YouTube’s Auto-start & auto-stop settings. The available documentation cannot identify the cause of an individual stream ending without its setup and status details.