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How to Keep a YouTube Live Stream Running When Your Source File Ends

Loop a single OBS Media Source or VLC Video playlist to keep your YouTube Live encoder sending video after the source file finishes.

By DocumentaryTube Team 3 min read
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To keep a YouTube Live stream going after a video ends, loop the video in your encoder. In OBS, enable Loop on a single Media Source, or enable Loop Playlist on a VLC Video source. YouTube’s Auto-stop setting does not replay a finished file; it controls what happens after the encoder stops sending content.

Why the broadcast ends when the file finishes

The media file, encoder and YouTube broadcast are separate parts of the stream. Your encoder plays the source and sends video to YouTube. When playback ends and the encoder stops sending content, YouTube can end the broadcast. The fix is to make the encoder keep producing video by restarting the source or moving to the next item in a looping playlist.

YouTube’s Auto-start and Auto-stop controls govern whether the encoder can start or stop a broadcast. They do not make a local video file repeat. YouTube’s encoder guide says to end a stream by stopping content from the encoder: YouTube Help: Stream using an encoder. The Live Streaming API documentation says that, when automatic stop is enabled, YouTube ends the broadcast about a minute after video transmission stops: YouTube Live Streaming API: broadcast lifecycle.

Loop one video file in OBS

  1. In OBS, select the scene that contains your prerecorded video.
  2. In the Sources list, select the video’s Media Source, then open its properties.
  3. Enable Loop and apply the change. OBS documents Media Source playback controls, including behavior when playback ends: OBS: Media Sources. Labels or options may differ by OBS version, so check the installed version if you do not see the same wording.
  4. Start or continue the stream from OBS. Check YouTube Live Control Room to confirm that the incoming stream remains active after the video reaches its end.

Loop a playlist in OBS

  1. Make sure VLC is installed. OBS requires VLC for its VLC Video source; 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.
  2. Add or select a VLC Video source in the scene, then open its properties and configure the playlist files.
  3. Enable Loop Playlist. OBS describes this option as restarting the source after it runs out of media files. See the OBS Media Sources documentation.
  4. Start or continue the stream and verify in YouTube Live Control Room that the encoder is still sending video when the playlist reaches its end.

Choose the right OBS source

Source Best for Loop control VLC required?
Media Source Repeating one video file Loop No
VLC Video Playing a list of files in sequence and repeating the list Loop Playlist Yes; match VLC architecture to OBS (64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC)

Use a Media Source when you only need one file to repeat. Choose VLC Video when you need a playlist. Both methods keep playback behavior in the encoder, where the source is played; changing a YouTube broadcast control cannot restart a completed local file.

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Check YouTube’s stream controls separately

Use YouTube Live Control Room to confirm that YouTube is receiving the encoder’s stream. Auto-start and Auto-stop are broadcast lifecycle controls, not source playback controls. If transmission stops, fix the source or encoder first; changing Auto-stop will not cause the file to play again.

YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. That archival detail is not a way to loop a source or keep an encoder transmitting after its file ends. See YouTube’s encoder streaming guide for its stream workflow.

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Troubleshoot a stream that still stops or goes blank

  • The stream ends at the same point each time: Reopen the source properties. Check Loop for a Media Source or Loop Playlist for a VLC Video source.
  • The broadcast stays live, but the image disappears: Check the source’s playback and visibility behavior. OBS documents options that can stop playback or hide media when playback finishes or the source is not visible.
  • VLC Video is not available: Install VLC and make sure its architecture matches OBS. OBS requires 64-bit VLC with 64-bit OBS.
  • YouTube shows the stream as ended: Check whether the encoder stopped sending content. Resolve the media playback or encoder problem first; Auto-stop can end the broadcast after transmission ceases.
  • You need a long broadcast: Do not confuse YouTube’s automatic archive behavior for streams under 12 hours with source looping. The encoder still needs to send video continuously for the broadcast to continue.
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