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How to Shuffle Videos in an OBS Playlist for YouTube Live

Add videos to an OBS VLC Video source, enable Shuffle Playlist, and set Loop Playlist separately if you want playback to restart at the end.

By DocumentaryTube Team 3 min read
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To play videos from an OBS playlist in randomized order, add a VLC Video source, add the files to its playlist, and turn on Shuffle Playlist. The regular Media Source is intended for an individual media file; the playlist and shuffle controls are part of VLC Video. VLC must be installed, with its architecture matching OBS.

Set up a shuffled playlist in OBS

  1. Install VLC. Match its architecture to OBS. If you use 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC; VLC Video depends on VLC being present. OBS Project’s Media Sources guide documents this requirement.
  2. Add the source. In the scene you intend to broadcast, use the Sources panel’s add control and choose VLC Video.
  3. Load your videos. Open the VLC Video source properties and add the video files to its playlist.
  4. Turn on shuffle. Enable Shuffle Playlist to randomize the media files rather than play them in the listed order. In the OBS implementation documented in the source code, shuffle is off by default.
  5. Choose whether to loop. Enable Loop Playlist if playback should restart after the source reaches the end of its media files. This is a separate setting from shuffle; the documented implementation defaults it on.
  6. Use the source in your broadcast scene. Make sure the scene containing VLC Video is the one being sent to the stream.

What shuffle and loop do—and do not promise

OBS describes Shuffle Playlist as randomizing the media files. Its VLC source implementation builds a shuffled file array when shuffle is enabled and the playlist contains more than one file. That supports saying the playlist order is randomized; it does not establish that OBS picks a new independently random clip after each video.

Loop Playlist controls whether playback restarts after the source runs out of media files. The OBS documentation does not specify a guaranteed reshuffle schedule for each repeat cycle or each time a scene is activated, so do not rely on a fresh shuffle at either point.

If VLC Video is missing

  • Check that VLC is installed. VLC Video uses VLC libraries for extended media support.
  • Check that VLC and OBS have matching architectures. In particular, 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC, according to the OBS guide.
  • Restart OBS after installing VLC, then check the add-source menu again.

Plugin alternative: Media Playlist Source

The OBS forum resource listing includes Media Playlist Source, a plugin alternative that lists shuffle among its features. The listing gives OBS Studio 30.0.0 as its minimum version and also describes editing without restarting playback and saving the current file for an OBS restart. Those are feature claims from the plugin listing, not independent testing; check the current listing for version and operating-system compatibility before installing it: Media Playlist Source on the OBS forum.

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Before sending the playlist to YouTube Live

This setup explains the OBS source controls, not YouTube Live eligibility or account-specific broadcast requirements. Check YouTube’s current live-streaming requirements in your account before scheduling or going live. Also confirm that you have the rights needed to stream every video and its audio; a playlist shuffle setting does not grant permission to rebroadcast copyrighted material.

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