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To keep a local store-promotion playlist running in OBS after a Windows update, configure looping in the media source, confirm OBS can still find the video files, and check that OBS launches correctly after a restart. For one clip, use Media Source and enable Loop. For several clips, use VLC Video, add the files to its playlist, and enable Loop Playlist.
Choose the right OBS source
Use the built-in source that fits the material you want to play. OBS’s official Media Sources guide documents both approaches.
One promotional clip: Media Source
- In OBS, select the scene for the promotion and add a Media Source.
- Choose the local video file in the source properties.
- Enable Loop so playback starts again when the clip finishes.
- If the clip should restart when it becomes visible in the active scene, enable Restart playback when source becomes active. OBS describes this setting as restarting the file when “the source is in the current scene and visible.”
Several clips: VLC Video
- Add a VLC Video source to the scene.
- Add the promotional files to its playlist.
- Enable Loop Playlist to repeat the list. Enable Shuffle Playlist only if you want the order randomized rather than played in sequence.
The VLC Video source requires VLC to be installed. OBS specifies that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. If VLC Video does not appear among available sources, check the installation and bitness before changing the playlist.
Understand looping versus visibility behavior
Looping controls what happens when playback reaches the end. Restart-on-activation and visibility behavior control what happens when a source becomes visible or hidden as you switch scenes or show and hide sources. They solve different problems.
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For Media Source, Restart playback when source becomes active starts the file over when the source is visible in the active scene. For VLC Video, OBS documents a Visibility Behaviour setting whose default is to stop playback while the source is not visible and restart it when visible again. If the promotion should continue from its current position while hidden, review that setting instead of assuming Loop will control it.
Check the files and source after the update
A playlist depends on the files at the locations its sources reference. After a Windows update, reboot, cleanup, or account change, open each source’s properties and confirm that the intended file or files still exist and are selected. This is a practical check, not evidence that Windows updates normally move or delete media files.
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- If a single clip is missing or fails to play, browse to the file’s current location in the Media Source properties.
- If a VLC playlist is incomplete, check each playlist entry and replace entries that point to unavailable files.
- Check that the source is in the scene you are actually using and that it is visible when expected.
- Test playback in OBS before relying on the playlist for a store display.
Make OBS launch after a restart
If the computer should reopen OBS after a reboot, OBS documents launch parameters for choosing items such as a scene, profile, or scene collection. Its Launch Parameters guide also notes that a Windows Scheduled Task should use the folder containing obs64.exe as its working directory, in the task’s Start in field.
- Set up the Windows startup method you use, such as a Scheduled Task, to launch OBS.
- For a Scheduled Task, set Start in to the OBS program folder containing
obs64.exe. - Use documented launch parameters if you need OBS to select a particular scene, profile, or collection.
- Keep the repeat behavior in the Media Source or VLC Video source settings. OBS’s documented launch parameters do not include a parameter to start a media playlist directly.
- Restart the computer and verify that OBS opens into the intended scene and the promotion plays as configured.
If OBS stopped working after the update
First distinguish a Windows operating-system update from an OBS Studio update. The OBS Project Help Portal says OBS updates should leave settings intact, while noting that other system software may interfere with the update process. It specifically advises checking security software when OBS is disrupted; it does not say that every Windows update causes OBS problems. See the OBS Help Portal for its guidance.
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- OBS opens but the promotion does not: check the file path, source visibility, and loop or playlist settings.
- OBS will not launch or behaves differently: check whether security software is scrutinizing OBS. The OBS Help Portal recommends whitelisting the OBS folder and refreshing executable allowlist entries if a security product treats changed executables as new. Follow the instructions for your particular security product.
- A third-party source or plugin is involved: check that plugin’s compatibility guidance for your OBS version before assuming the built-in Media Source or VLC Video steps apply.
OBS Studio 33.0 release notes describe plugin-location changes, flag plugins in old locations as legacy, and include a Windows plugin-loading fix. Those notes matter if your promotion workflow depends on a plugin; they are not a reason to treat plugin changes as the default cause for a built-in source playlist failing. Consult the OBS Studio Releases and Legacy Plugin Locations pages for version-specific details.
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