The Tool Desk
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Choose the right OBS log
OBS creates a regular log for each run. That session log and an OBS crash report are different artifacts, usually stored in different folders. The log can show what OBS recorded during that run; the crash report is relevant when OBS itself crashed. Keep them identified separately when sharing them.
- Regular session log: use this to review the OBS session in which the stream stopped.
- Crash report: look for this separately if OBS crashed. A report may not exist when OBS did not crash.
OBS forum guidance describes session logs as useful diagnostic information: OBS: Please post a log with your issue. For crash-report locations and examples, see the OBS crash report assistance thread.
Upload the log from the affected session
- If OBS is still open: select Help > Log Files > Upload Current Log File. This uploads the log for the session currently running.
- If OBS has closed: reopen OBS and select Help > Log Files > Upload Last Log File, but first make sure the last log still corresponds to the incident. A later OBS session can make the previous log a different run.
- Save the uploaded log URL. If OBS produced a crash report, keep that report as a separate file rather than treating it as part of the uploaded session log.
OBS support recommends uploading the log from the session in which the problem occurred. For a past incident, do not substitute a fresh test session’s log for the saved log from the affected run. See the OBS log-sharing instructions.
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Find the files in OBS folders
If OBS is unavailable or the in-app upload route does not work, open the relevant folder for your operating system. These are the standard locations given in OBS support guidance; custom or portable installations may use a different data location.
| Operating system | Regular session logs | Crash reports |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | %APPDATA%obs-studiologs |
%APPDATA%obs-studiocrashes |
| Linux | ~/.config/obs-studio/logs |
~/.config/obs-studio/crashes |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/obs-studio/logs |
~/Library/Application Support/obs-studio/crashes |
On Windows, enter %APPDATA%obs-studiologs in File Explorer’s address bar to open the regular logs folder. Check the corresponding crashes folder separately. On Linux and macOS, navigate to the paths shown above. Guidance for Windows log retrieval is in the OBS forum instructions; the other standard paths are discussed in OBS community threads on crash reports and detecting OBS crashes.
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Match files to the stream stop
- Write down the approximate time the YouTube broadcast ended and the operating system and OBS version you were using.
- In the regular logs folder, identify the log associated with the OBS run active at that time. Use the file’s timestamp and any available session details to avoid choosing a later test run.
- In the crashes folder, look for a crash report created around the same time. Keep it separate from the session log.
- Preserve both matching files and label them clearly before sending them to support or a forum. Include the uploaded log URL if you used OBS’s upload command.
OBS forum guidance recommends including a relevant log when asking for help. If you need to reproduce the problem in a future run, follow OBS’s advice to start the stream, let the issue occur, stop the stream, then upload that session’s log. For an incident that has already happened, use the saved log from that run instead.
What the files can—and cannot—tell you
A regular OBS log records an OBS run, while a crash report is a separate crash artifact. Together they can give someone investigating an OBS crash more context. Neither should be treated as a definitive explanation for every YouTube broadcast that stops: the available OBS guidance does not establish YouTube-side termination causes or show that every stopped broadcast corresponds to an OBS crash.
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- If OBS crashed, share the session log and any corresponding crash report as separate items.
- If there is no crash report, do not infer from its absence alone that the broadcast ended normally.
- If OBS files do not explain the stop, investigate the broadcast’s YouTube-side information separately; OBS artifacts alone may not explain a platform-side termination.
Preserve relevant files promptly. OBS’s available guidance does not specify a log-retention period or guarantee that older files remain available after later sessions.
If OBS will not launch
The OBS launch-parameter guide documents two options that can help troubleshoot startup, but neither retrieves a missing log from a previous session:
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--verbosemakes logs more verbose.--safe-modestarts OBS with third-party plugins, scripts, and websockets disabled.
Use these only as diagnostic launch options; they do not prove what caused the earlier stream stop. Details are in the OBS launch-parameter guide.
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