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OBS Source Visibility Settings for a Playlist That Should Run Continuously

Use a VLC Video Source for a multi-file OBS playlist, enable Loop Playlist, and set Visibility Behaviour separately to control playback while hidden.
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To loop a multi-video playlist in OBS, add a VLC Video Source, add the files to its playlist, and enable Loop Playlist. Set Visibility Behaviour separately: the documented default stops playback while the source is hidden and restarts it when shown. If you need a YouTube stream to keep playing while your computer is off, OBS requires a different approach; see the cloud option below.

Set up a continuously looping video playlist

  1. Install VLC. The VLC Video Source requires VLC to be installed. If you use 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC. See the OBS Project Media Sources guide.
  2. Add a VLC Video Source. In OBS, select the scene where the playlist should appear, use the Sources dock’s add control, and choose VLC Video Source. Add your video files to the playlist in its properties. This source is intended for multiple video files; the standard Media Source is for a single local file.
  3. Enable Loop Playlist. In the VLC Video Source properties, turn on Loop Playlist. It controls what happens after the final file finishes: the source starts the playlist again. The OBS guide lists it as on by default, but confirm the setting in your own source.
  4. Choose Visibility Behaviour. Set what should happen when the source is hidden or not present in the active scene. The documented default is Stop when not visible, restart when visible. Select a continue or pause option if your installed version offers it and that better matches your intended behavior.
  5. Preview both cases. Let the final playlist item finish and check that playback returns to the first item. Then hide the source using its eye icon and show it again. Confirm that the result matches your selected visibility behavior before going live.

Understand the two settings that determine playback

Loop Playlist: what happens at the end

Loop Playlist restarts the VLC source after it has run out of media files. It does not determine whether playback continues while the source is hidden.

Visibility Behaviour: what happens while hidden

Visibility Behaviour governs whether playback continues, pauses, or stops when the source is not visible. With the documented default, it stops while hidden and restarts when shown. The OBS guide describes the available behavior categories, but does not quantify resource use or guarantee the playlist’s precise position behavior across every version.

Check which source type fits your content

Source Best suited to Relevant behavior
VLC Video Source A playlist of video files Has Loop Playlist and Visibility Behaviour controls. Requires VLC. OBS Project guide.
Media Source A single local video file Has a file-level Loop control and a separate Restart playback when source becomes active setting, documented as on by default. OBS Project guide.
Image Slide Show A sequence of still images Has its own Loop and Visibility Behaviour controls. The guide lists Loop and Always play even when not visible as defaults; do not assume those defaults apply to video playlists. OBS Project guide.

For the VLC source, the eye icon in the Sources dock hides or shows a source. Source order controls stacking: a source can be enabled yet obscured by another source above it. See the OBS Project Sources guide.

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Troubleshoot playlist looping and visibility

  • The playlist ends instead of repeating: Check Loop Playlist on the VLC Video Source. The single-file Media Source’s Loop checkbox is a different control.
  • Playback starts over when you show the source: That matches the documented default Visibility Behaviour. Choose a continue or pause option if available and appropriate, then preview the behavior in your installed OBS version.
  • VLC Video Source is missing from Add Source: Install VLC. Match its architecture to OBS; the OBS guide specifies 64-bit VLC for 64-bit OBS.
  • The source is enabled but absent from preview: Check its eye icon and whether another source higher in the stacking order covers it.
  • Your content is still images, not video files: Use Image Slide Show and configure its separate Loop and Visibility Behaviour settings.

Consider a community playlist plugin only if you need its extra controls

Media Playlist Source is a community alternative to VLC Video Source. Its listing describes playlist editing without restarting playback, saving the current-file state across OBS restarts, and shuffle. Its update history includes fixes related to playback advancing and visibility behavior. Check the listing’s release notes and compatibility with your OBS version and operating system before installing it.

Or let it run in the cloud

OBS is the do-it-yourself option when you want to manage playback on your own computer. If you want an uploaded-video playlist to keep a YouTube channel live without leaving a computer running at home, StreamNeo runs the loop in the cloud: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It plays uploaded videos, not a live camera feed, and streams to YouTube only.

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Version and behavior notes

The OBS setting descriptions cited above are from OBS Project pages dated 2022-01-11. The guides list Windows, macOS, and Linux for the source types, but do not establish that interface labels or behavior are identical in every later OBS release. Check the Properties panel in your installed build and preview hide/show and end-of-playlist behavior before relying on it during a stream.

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