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How to Switch Between Prerecorded Videos Without Ending a YouTube Live Stream

Keep OBS streaming and change its output by switching scenes or using a VLC playlist. Preview and monitor the feed before and during the live broadcast.

By DocumentaryTube Team 3 min read
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Keep your encoder running and switch the video in its output. In OBS, put each prerecorded clip in its own scene, then change scenes while OBS continues sending the feed to YouTube. Don’t click End Stream or stop the encoder just to change what viewers see.

How the switch works

YouTube receives a continuous feed from your encoder. To change the prerecorded video without ending the live event, change the program the encoder is sending; keep the encoder connected and streaming. YouTube’s encoder guidance separates sending the feed from explicitly ending the event and stopping the encoder: YouTube’s encoder instructions.

Switch between videos using OBS scenes

  1. Create a scene for each clip. In OBS, add a scene for every prerecorded video or other program state you want to show.
  2. Add the video file as a Media Source. In each scene, add the local file that should play there. OBS documents Media Sources and their playback options in its Media Sources guide.
  3. Set replay behavior. In the Media Source properties, enable Restart playback when source becomes active if returning to that scene should start its clip from the beginning. OBS describes this option as restarting playback when the source is in the current scene and visible.
  4. Start the stream and confirm the preview. Start the YouTube stream through OBS. Wait for the feed to appear in YouTube’s Live Control Room preview before switching scenes.
  5. Switch scenes while OBS stays live. Select the scene containing the next video. OBS changes its program output while continuing to send the stream; do not stop the encoder or use YouTube’s stream-ending controls for an ordinary video change.

Choose scenes or a playlist

Approach Best for Playback behavior and requirements
Separate scenes with Media Sources Choosing a specific clip yourself and controlling when it appears. Enable Restart playback when source becomes active to replay a clip from the beginning when you return to its scene.
VLC Video source Playing files in a playlist rather than selecting each scene manually. VLC must be installed for the source to appear in OBS. Its documented options include looping and shuffle. See the OBS Media Sources guide.

Use separate scenes when operator control matters or clips should restart when selected. Use the VLC Video source when playlist playback is more suitable; choose its loop or shuffle behavior to match the sequence you want.

Test the transition and monitor the live feed

Before broadcasting to viewers, test the setup privately or with an unlisted stream. YouTube recommends previewing the stream and monitoring its health and audio/video quality in Live Control Room: YouTube’s live-streaming guidance.

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  • Confirm that the preview changes to the intended clip after you switch scenes.
  • Listen for the expected audio. A picture can change correctly while the wrong source is audible or the new clip is silent.
  • Check stream health after the transition and keep an eye on audio and video quality while live.

These steps describe documented OBS source behavior and YouTube’s encoder workflow, not a guarantee for every OBS version or computer. Labels and scene behavior can vary by version. Check the settings for the particular YouTube stream you’re using: auto-start and auto-stop settings may affect how encoder actions interact with the live event.

What to know about ending and archiving

Reserve YouTube’s End Stream control and stopping encoder output for when you mean to end the broadcast, not when you are changing the video. YouTube says that streams under 12 hours will be automatically archived; that statement does not establish what happens to streams longer than 12 hours. See YouTube’s live-stream archive guidance.

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