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If an OBS video plays once and stops, select the Media Source, open Properties, and turn on Loop. Restart playback when source becomes active is a separate setting: it restarts playback when the source is visible in the current scene, but does not make the file repeat. If the source disappears at the end, also check Show nothing when playback ends.
Make a single OBS video repeat
- In OBS, select the video’s Media Source in the Sources list. If you have not added it yet, add a Media Source and choose the intended local file.
- Open the source’s Properties and confirm the file path points to the video you want. A wrong or inaccessible file can look like a playback problem.
- Enable Loop. OBS defines this option as playing the file again when playback completes; its documented default is Off.
- Click OK and watch the source through the end of the clip to confirm it starts again.
OBS’s official Media Sources documentation, dated January 11, 2022, distinguishes looping from source activation: Restart playback when source becomes active restarts the file when the source is in the current scene and visible. It is documented as On by default, but it is not a substitute for Loop.
Check the other playback properties
If the source vanishes at the end
In the Media Source’s Properties, inspect Show nothing when playback ends. When enabled, OBS hides the source after the file finishes; the option is documented as On by default. That can explain why the video disappears, but the repeat behavior is still controlled by Loop.
If it fails after being hidden or off-scene
Test with Close file when inactive turned off. OBS says this option unloads the file to free memory when the source is inactive. Reloading after a scene change can leave the source temporarily not showing, so a brief blank is not by itself evidence that the file has stopped looping.
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When the source becomes active
Use Restart playback when source becomes active when you want playback to start over as the source becomes visible in the current scene. If your aim is uninterrupted repetition while the source stays visible, enable Loop too. Treat the two options as separate controls.
Identify when playback actually stops
Note what happens at the failure point before changing more settings. Does the clip stop at its end, disappear, fail after a scene switch, or fail only after it has been inactive for a long time? Also record your OBS version, operating system, file format, and the exact states of the playback properties. The OBS documentation defines what these controls do, but it does not establish a cause for every file, plugin, system, or version-specific failure.
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- At the end of the file: verify Loop is enabled and check whether Show nothing when playback ends is hiding the source.
- After changing scenes: check whether the source was unloaded with Close file when inactive, and allow for a reload delay.
- After a long inactive period: reopen Properties and browse to the same file as a diagnostic test; note whether that restores playback.
- Right after a scripted hide/show: if a macro or websocket toggles visibility at the exact playback end, test with a short pause before showing the source again.
Check the file or use a playlist source
OBS lists common video formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM, and audio formats including MP3, AAC, OGG, and WAV. A listed extension alone does not establish that a particular file is healthy, accessible, or encoded with a supported codec.
For one local clip, the built-in Media Source is the straightforward option. If you need a sequence of files, OBS’s VLC Video source supports a playlist and has a separate Loop Playlist option. VLC must be installed; 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. See the OBS Project’s VLC Video Source documentation for its playlist and visibility options.
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Interpret older reports cautiously
Some narrowly scoped community reports describe playback problems, but they do not establish a general defect in current OBS releases:
- A Windows 10 report on OBS 25.0.8 described an inactive source configured with looping, restart-on-activation, and close-file-when-inactive behavior. Reopening Properties and browsing to the same file was reported as a workaround. This is a historical report, not confirmation of a current-version bug.
- A Windows 11 report on OBS 30.2.0 described a rapid hide-and-show at the playback end; the reporter said a one-second wait allowed restart. That specific timing report does not show that ordinary manual scene changes have the same problem.
If either pattern resembles your setup, test it and note the exact OBS version and steps. Do not assume YouTube caused a local Media Source to stop: these playback controls are in OBS, and the available documentation and reports do not establish YouTube as the cause.
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