You can’t rely on OBS continuing to stream after you sign out of Windows. Signing out ends processes in your interactive Windows session, which includes an OBS instance running there. To keep that instance going, leave the Windows account signed in and lock the PC instead. If OBS must keep streaming after sign-out, use a streaming host or workflow designed and tested to run independently of an interactive Windows session.
Why OBS stops when you sign out
Windows ends the processes in an interactive user’s logon session when that user logs off. If OBS is running in that session, signing out ends its process, so it cannot continue sending the playlist to YouTube from that PC.
Locking the workstation is different: it leaves the user session active. OBS can therefore remain running while the screen is locked. This follows from Windows session behavior; it is not a guarantee that every Windows, OBS, media-source, encoder, or stream configuration will work unattended. Test your exact setup before relying on it for a scheduled or important broadcast.
Keep the playlist running on the current PC
- Set up the YouTube stream. In YouTube Studio, create or select the live stream and obtain its stream key and server URL. In OBS, configure the stream service with the YouTube ingest details. YouTube’s encoder instructions describe how to connect the encoder; they do not change what happens to OBS when Windows signs out.
- Prepare and check the playlist in OBS. Confirm the intended media sources or playlist are loaded and that the expected video is playing. Start the OBS stream and verify that YouTube is receiving the encoder feed and that the broadcast is live as intended.
- Lock, don’t sign out. Use Windows’ Lock action. Keep the account signed in, and do not choose Sign out, Log off, or Shut down. A locked screen protects access to the desktop without ending the session in which OBS is running.
- Test before depending on it. Run a short private or unlisted broadcast. Check that the playlist advances as expected and that YouTube continues receiving the feed while the PC is locked. Confirm how you will monitor and recover the stream if something goes wrong.
What OBS launch automation can—and cannot—do
OBS documents the --startstreaming launch parameter for starting a stream automatically. For scheduled or other automated launches on Windows, its guidance says to set the launch’s Start in working directory to the folder containing obs64.exe. This can help launch OBS and start streaming, but it does not establish that OBS survives Windows logoff. The account session still matters.
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Similarly, YouTube’s server URL and stream key let an encoder send a feed to YouTube; they do not keep the encoder process alive. YouTube’s broadcast controls and the encoder’s connection are separate parts of the workflow. A YouTube auto-start option is not a way to keep a logged-off Windows session—or OBS running in it—alive.
Can OBS run as a Windows service or a task with no user logged in?
Do not treat either approach as a supported, drop-in fix. Microsoft documents that Windows services cannot directly interact with a user as of Windows Vista and discourages interactive services on systems with Terminal Services or fast user switching. A desktop application may depend on the interactive user session or its resources; the official materials here do not certify OBS running as a headless service or in session 0.
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A scheduled task or startup trigger can automate a launch, but automation is not the same as process persistence. The available OBS launch guidance covers starting the app and stream, not a guarantee that a noninteractive task will run OBS reliably after sign-out. If you explore such a configuration, test it on the exact Windows machine and OBS setup before using it for a real broadcast.
If sign-out is a hard requirement
Move the stream to a host or workflow intended to operate independently of an interactive Windows desktop, and verify that exact workflow before relying on it. Confirm it can play your media, send the feed to YouTube, handle the broadcast behavior you need, and provide a way to monitor or recover it. Do not assume that installing OBS as a service or scheduling it without an active user session meets those requirements.
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