On Windows, Task Scheduler can open OBS at a set time and start streaming with OBS’s --startstreaming launch parameter. That schedules a launch, not a complete restart: if OBS or a stream is still running, the parameter does not stop it first. You also need to prepare the YouTube broadcast settings and keep the relevant Windows user session available.
What Task Scheduler can—and cannot—do
A scheduled task can launch OBS at a chosen time, select a configured profile, scene collection, and scene, then start streaming. OBS documents these launch parameters and says an automated scheduled task should use the folder containing obs64.exe as its working directory (OBS Project, “Launch Parameters,” published May 30, 2021).
That is a scheduled start. OBS does not document --startstreaming as a command to stop a current stream, close an existing OBS process, or perform a clean stop-and-restart cycle. If OBS is still open or streaming at the scheduled time, design and test any stop/close action separately; adding --multi only suppresses the multiple-instance warning, not the existing session.
Prepare OBS and the YouTube broadcast
Confirm the loop works manually
Before scheduling anything, open OBS and verify the streaming profile, scene collection, scene, media source, and YouTube stream configuration. Start the loop manually and confirm it sends data as intended. OBS supports choosing launch-time settings with --profile, --collection, and --scene; use the exact names configured in OBS.
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Check YouTube’s broadcast controls
YouTube encoder streaming uses a stream URL and stream key, which you enter in the encoder settings (YouTube Help, “Manage live stream settings”). If you are using a scheduled broadcast, OBS’s guide describes selecting the existing broadcast before starting (OBS Forums, “How to stream to YouTube with OBS Studio”).
Check the broadcast’s auto-start and auto-stop settings in YouTube Studio. With auto-start enabled, encoder output can take the broadcast live; with it disabled, you may still need to press Go Live in YouTube. Auto-stop ends the broadcast when encoder output stops. OBS’s guide warns that ending it this way removes the possibility of reconnecting to that same broadcast, so choose settings based on whether you want to reconnect or end the broadcast and use a separate one. Confirm the current settings in YouTube Studio rather than relying on assumptions.
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Create a daily scheduled task in Windows
- Open Task Scheduler and choose the option to create a task. Use a daily time trigger for a recurring overnight start at a particular clock time. Windows also offers startup and logon triggers, but those run in response to computer startup or user sign-in—not a nightly clock time (Microsoft Learn, “schtasks create”; Microsoft Learn, “Task Triggers”).
- Set the action to start a program. For Program/script, enter the full path to your installed
obs64.exe. Its location varies by machine. - Add launch arguments. For Add arguments, enter the launch parameters. For example:
--profile "Streaming" --collection "Loop" --scene "Overnight" --startstreaming. Replace the sample names with the exact profile, scene collection, and scene names in your OBS setup. Quote names containing spaces. - Set the working directory. In Start in, enter the folder that contains
obs64.exe, not the executable path itself. OBS explicitly calls out this working-directory requirement for scheduled tasks. - Choose the run context. OBS is a desktop application with user-specific configuration. Configure the task to run interactively under the Windows account that owns the OBS setup. Microsoft’s interactive-only option requires that account to be logged on; a task set to run only when the user is logged on is not a way to run OBS invisibly in a separate session.
- Save and test it while logged in. In Task Scheduler, select the task and choose Run. Confirm that OBS opens the intended setup, begins sending data, and the intended YouTube broadcast becomes live. This test checks your machine-specific paths, account context, and YouTube broadcast state before you rely on the overnight schedule.
Example action fields
- Program/script: full path to
obs64.exe - Add arguments:
--profile "Streaming" --collection "Loop" --scene "Overnight" --startstreaming - Start in: the directory containing
obs64.exe
The example names and path are illustrative, not defaults. Use values from your own Windows installation and OBS configuration.
Choose the right trigger and broadcast behavior
| Choice | Use it when | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Daily time trigger | You want OBS to launch at the same clock time each day. | Starts the task on its configured daily schedule. |
| At startup trigger | You want OBS to launch when Windows starts. | Responds to computer startup, not a particular time of night. |
| At logon trigger | You want OBS to launch when a user signs in. | Responds to sign-in, not a nightly clock time. |
Windows documents time-based and event-based triggers as distinct trigger types. For YouTube, auto-start determines whether encoder output can take a broadcast live; auto-stop determines whether stopping encoder output ends it. These settings change the broadcast lifecycle, so verify the current state in YouTube Studio and align it with whether you need to reconnect to the same broadcast or end it.
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Troubleshoot a scheduled OBS start
- OBS does not open: Check that Program/script points to the actual
obs64.exeand that Start in is the folder containing it. - OBS opens with the wrong scene or collection: Check the spelling and exact names in
--profile,--collection, and--scene. Remove a selector if you do not need it, or correct it to match OBS. - The task runs but OBS does not behave as expected in the desktop: Check the task’s run-as account and interactive setting. Use the account that owns the OBS configuration and keep it logged on for an interactive-only task.
- OBS starts, but YouTube does not go live: Confirm the stream URL and key in OBS, select the intended scheduled broadcast if applicable, and check whether YouTube auto-start is enabled. If it is off, a manual Go Live action may still be required.
- The task starts OBS but does not restart an existing session: This is expected:
--startstreamingstarts streaming; it is not a stop command. Plan and test a separate stop/close action if a clean restart is required. - Stopping output ends the broadcast and you cannot reconnect: Check whether YouTube auto-stop is enabled. OBS’s guide says auto-stop ends the broadcast and removes the ability to reconnect to that same broadcast.
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