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Media Source

OBS Media Source Ends After One Video in a YouTube Gaming Rerun: How to Fix It

Enable Loop for a single OBS Media Source video or Loop Playlist for a VLC Video list. Learn how restart-on-activation differs and what to check if playback still stops.

By DocumentaryTube Team 3 min read
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For a single clip in OBS, right-click the Media Source, choose Properties, and turn on Loop. For a playlist in a VLC Video source, turn on Loop Playlist. These are separate settings: restart-on-activation alone does not keep a video repeating while its source stays active.

Choose the loop setting for the source you actually use

OBS has different source types for a single video file and a list of media files. The repeat control depends on which one is in your scene.

Source type Best for Setting that repeats playback
Media Source One local video file Loop
VLC Video A playlist of media files Loop Playlist

To check the type, look in OBS’s Sources list and select the source, then open its Properties. The official OBS guide documents the Media Source playback properties and supported local formats, including MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM: OBS Media Sources.

Set up a single-video loop

  1. In the OBS scene containing the video, right-click its Media Source in the Sources list.
  2. Choose Properties.
  3. Confirm the intended local file is selected and enable Loop.
  4. If you also want the clip to begin at the start whenever the source becomes visible, enable Restart playback when source becomes active.
  5. Click OK and let the clip reach its end to check that it starts again.

Loop repeats the file after playback completes. Restart playback when source becomes active controls what happens when the source becomes active; it is not a substitute for Loop. Leave both enabled if you want continuous repetition and a fresh start when returning to the scene.

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Set up a looping playlist

  1. Right-click the VLC Video source in the Sources list and choose Properties.
  2. Check that the playlist contains the media files you intend to play.
  3. Enable Loop Playlist, which restarts the source after it runs out of media files.
  4. Click OK and check that playback returns to the beginning of the list after its final item.

If the video still plays only once

  • Check the source type and setting together. A Media Source uses Loop; a VLC Video playlist uses Loop Playlist. Enabling the playlist option on a single-file source, or checking the wrong source, will not solve the problem.
  • Check which source is in the active scene. If there are similarly named sources or multiple scenes, make sure you changed the Properties for the source that is actually playing.
  • Review inactive-source behavior. OBS documents that Close file when inactive unloads the file when the source is hidden or off the current scene. If the problem happens only after the source has been inactive, note whether this option is enabled and test with it disabled.
  • Isolate automation timing. If a script or controller hides and shows the source at the exact moment playback ends, test with a pause before toggling it. A 2024 OBS issue report describes a narrow hide/show-at-playback-end case; it is not evidence that ordinary scene changes generally break looping: OBS issue report.

An older issue report described a looping source that had been inactive with restart-on-activation and close-file-when-inactive enabled; reselecting the file was reported as a workaround. It concerns older OBS versions and does not establish a general bug in current versions: historical OBS issue report. Treat it as a clue for reproducing an inactive-source problem, not a guaranteed fix.

If the checks do not resolve it, record your OBS version, source type, the states of Loop or Loop Playlist and the restart/close-file options, and whether a script or controller is changing source visibility. Those details help distinguish a configuration mismatch from a narrow, version-specific or automation-related issue.

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