To stream a playlist of your own local video files continuously to YouTube with OBS Studio, add them to an OBS VLC Video source, enable Loop Playlist, then send OBS’s encoder feed to a YouTube live stream. OBS’s documented playlist workflow is for media files on your computer; it does not document importing a playlist hosted on YouTube directly into the VLC source.
What you need before you start
- OBS Studio and VLC: install both. If you use 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC as well; otherwise, the VLC Video source may not appear or work correctly. See the OBS Media Sources documentation.
- Local media files: gather the videos and audio you want to play, and make sure you have the rights to broadcast them.
- A YouTube channel with live streaming available: you will need to create or select a stream in YouTube Studio and copy its stream URL and key into OBS.
- A stable, powered computer and internet connection: OBS sends the playlist as a live encoder feed, so the computer and connection need to remain available for the broadcast.
Set up the playlist in OBS
- Open OBS and select the scene that will carry the broadcast, or create a new scene.
- In the Sources panel, select + and choose VLC Video. If that option is missing, confirm VLC is installed and that its architecture matches OBS.
- In the source properties, add the local video or audio files to the playlist. Arrange them in the order you want them to play. OBS describes VLC Video as supporting a playlist of items, similar to an image slideshow.
- Enable Loop Playlist so playback returns to the beginning after the last item. Leave Shuffle Playlist disabled if you want the files to play in the listed order. OBS documents loop on and shuffle off as the defaults, but check the settings rather than relying on defaults.
- Confirm the source is visible in the preview and that the audio meter responds when a file plays. Adjust the source and scene layout if the video does not fill the canvas as intended.
For details about VLC Video and other OBS media sources, see the OBS Project’s Media Sources guide.
Connect OBS to YouTube Live
- In YouTube Studio, select Create → Go Live and create or select a stream in Live Control Room. YouTube’s steps are in Create a YouTube live stream with an encoder.
- Copy the stream URL and stream key shown for that stream. Treat the key like a password: anyone who has it may be able to send a feed to your live stream.
- In OBS, open Settings → Stream. Choose YouTube as the service, then enter or connect the stream key according to the options shown in your OBS version. If OBS asks for a server or stream URL, use the URL from Live Control Room.
- Apply the settings. In OBS, select Start Streaming. Wait for the feed to appear in the Live Control Room preview, check its status, and use YouTube’s on-screen go-live flow to begin the public broadcast.
- To end the broadcast, end the event in YouTube Live Control Room and stop the encoder feed in OBS. YouTube says streams shorter than 12 hours are automatically archived; do not assume a longer stream will be archived automatically.
Choose settings and test the full run
There is no single bitrate that suits every resolution, frame rate, encoder, and upload connection. Use YouTube’s current encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions guidance to choose a suitable combination. YouTube recommends constant bitrate (CBR) and a two-second keyframe interval. These are platform recommendations, not a guarantee that a particular home connection can sustain the stream.
- Test the stream before making it public. Confirm the YouTube preview appears and that the stream health is satisfactory.
- Play representative parts of the playlist and check both picture and sound, including transitions between files and the point where the playlist loops.
- Check the available upload bitrate under real conditions and choose a stream quality it can sustain. YouTube recommends testing representative movement and audio and monitoring the stream.
- For an extended broadcast, keep the computer powered, connected, and awake; disable sleep if appropriate. Monitor the broadcast rather than assuming the setup will recover from every interruption.
YouTube’s live streaming tips cover testing, previewing, and monitoring stream quality. OBS documents playlist looping, but does not promise recovery from a computer sleeping, an OBS crash, a network interruption, or a damaged or unavailable media file.
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Use only media you have permission to broadcast
A video being public on YouTube, or appearing in a YouTube playlist, does not by itself give you permission to rebroadcast it. YouTube’s livestream terms and conditions require the streamer to have the necessary rights for the live content, including applicable music rights. YouTube also scans live streams for third-party matches; detected material may cause a stream to be replaced with a placeholder, interrupted, or terminated. See Copyright issues with live streams.
YouTube’s standard license is the default and does not grant you permission to use someone else’s work. A Creative Commons Attribution license may allow reuse subject to its terms, but check that it covers your intended live broadcast and satisfy its attribution requirements. YouTube explains the options in License types on YouTube.
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Troubleshoot common problems
VLC Video is missing from the Sources menu
Check that VLC is installed and that it matches OBS’s architecture. For 64-bit OBS, use 64-bit VLC, then restart OBS and check the source list again.
The playlist plays once and stops
Open the VLC Video source properties and make sure Loop Playlist is enabled. Check that the playlist contains the expected files and that they can be opened from their current locations.
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The files play in a different order than intended
Arrange them in the source playlist and turn off Shuffle Playlist. Confirm the order by previewing the sequence before going live.
YouTube does not show an incoming preview
Confirm OBS is streaming, and verify that the stream key and URL correspond to the stream selected in Live Control Room. Keep the key private; if it has been exposed, replace it in YouTube and update OBS.
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The picture or audio stutters
Check YouTube’s stream health and compare your chosen bitrate with the available upload connection. Lower the stream demands to a combination your connection can sustain, then test again. Verify that the source files play smoothly in OBS and that audio is present in the preview.
The stream stops during a long broadcast
Check for computer sleep, power loss, a dropped internet connection, OBS failure, or a media file that cannot continue playing. OBS’s loop setting repeats a playlist; it does not provide automatic recovery from these system or connection failures. Keep the computer awake and connected and monitor the stream.
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Or let it run in the cloud
If you want a YouTube channel to keep playing uploaded videos without leaving a home computer on, StreamNeo runs the playlist from the cloud. Upload your recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It plays uploaded videos; it is not a camera-based broadcast.
Quick Recap
- Nothing needs to stay on at home; StreamNeo loops the videos from the cloud and automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream.
- Each slot streams the upload as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot, with no re-encode or quality tiers.
- The first day is free with no card. The monthly option is $9.99 per month.
Start your free StreamNeo day.
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