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To repeat a local clip in OBS, add it as a Media Source and turn on Loop. Restart playback when source becomes active is a separate setting: it starts the clip over when the source becomes active and visible in the current scene. Neither setting guarantees a perfectly gapless transition between repeats.
What the two OBS settings do
| What you want | Setting or source | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat one file when it reaches the end | Loop on a Media Source | OBS replays the file after playback completes. The OBS documentation lists this setting as off by default. OBS Media Sources documentation. |
| Start the file from the beginning when the source becomes active | Restart playback when source becomes active | OBS restarts the file when its source is in the current scene and visible. The documentation lists this setting as on by default. OBS Media Sources documentation. |
| Repeat a playlist | VLC Video source | OBS’s VLC Video source supports playlists and a Loop Playlist option. VLC must be installed; OBS notes that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. OBS Media Sources documentation. |
For one clip that should keep repeating while visible, Loop is the essential control. Enable restart-on-activation as well only if you want the clip to start over when that source becomes active. OBS describes replay after completion, but does not document a frame-perfect or gapless audio/video boundary.
Set up a repeating local clip
- In OBS, add or select the scene where the clip should appear, then add a Media Source and choose the local video file.
- Open the Media Source properties and enable Loop.
- Choose whether to enable Restart playback when source becomes active. Leave it enabled if scene activation should begin the clip from the start; disable it if activation should not restart playback.
- Apply the settings, then observe the clip reaching its end in the scene and in the stream output. Check both picture and sound at the transition before relying on it for a long broadcast.
OBS’s documented defaults are Loop off and restart-on-activation on. Check the actual source properties in your installed version rather than relying on defaults.
How scene visibility affects restart behavior
Restart-on-activation is tied to the source becoming active, not merely to the file reaching its end. OBS’s Media Source implementation restarts playback on activation when the option is enabled and stops playback on deactivation. Hiding the source or switching away from its scene can therefore affect playback; showing it again may start it from the beginning when restart-on-activation is enabled. OBS Media Source implementation.
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For an always-visible looping clip, Loop handles repeat-at-end behavior. Do not treat the activation setting as a substitute for Loop, or assume that combining them guarantees uninterrupted playback through scene changes.
Can OBS make the loop seamless?
The Loop option means OBS replays the file after playback completes; the cited documentation does not promise that the last frame and audio sample join the beginning without a pause, click, repeated frame, or other transition. The practical result depends on the clip and playback path. Test the actual file in the intended scene and stream output, and avoid promising a seamless boundary unless you have verified it there.
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If the transition is visibly or audibly wrong, inspect the clip’s start and end and test a revised edit. The documentation does not provide a loop-smoothness benchmark or a setting that guarantees a gapless join.
Troubleshoot a clip that will not restart
The clip plays once and stops
- Cause to check: Loop is off. The documented default is off.
- Fix: Open the Media Source properties, enable Loop, and observe another full playback cycle.
The clip starts over after a scene switch
- Cause to check: Restart playback when source becomes active is enabled, and the source becomes active and visible again.
- Fix: Disable that option if you do not want scene activation to restart the file. Test the intended scene-switch workflow.
A rapid hide/show at the end does not restart reliably
A report for OBS 30.2.0 on Windows 11 described a restart failure when the source was hidden and shown immediately at the end of playback; the reporter said a delay of at least one second worked in that case. This is a report about a particular version, platform, and timing sequence—not a universal minimum delay or guaranteed fix. If you automate visibility changes at the end of a clip, test the timing in your own setup and allow a delay if needed.
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OBS preview looks right, but the YouTube stream does not
Separate local playback from stream delivery. OBS’s source settings control the local file’s restart behavior; YouTube stream keys provide the encoder’s stream credentials and address, while latency settings concern capture-to-view delay. Check the encoder connection and stream delivery separately rather than changing the Media Source loop setting to solve a delivery problem. YouTube Help: stream with an encoder.
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