If a single video stops at the end in OBS, select its Media Source, open Properties, and enable Loop. For a playlist, use a VLC Video Source and check Loop Playlist. These are separate controls from Restart playback when source becomes active, which restarts a source when it becomes visible in the current scene.
Identify what “does not restart” means
OBS has different settings for repeating a file, restarting playback when a source becomes visible, and deciding what to display when playback ends. Choose the one that matches what you see:
- The file reaches the end and stays there: check Loop for a Media Source.
- The file should start over when you show its source: check Restart playback when source becomes active.
- A playlist finishes instead of starting again: check Loop Playlist for a VLC Video Source.
OBS documents these controls in its Media Sources guide, published January 11, 2022.
Make a single local video repeat
- In OBS, select the scene containing the video source.
- In the Sources list, select the video’s Media Source. If you have not created it yet, add a Media Source and choose the local video file.
- Open the source’s Properties.
- Enable Loop, then confirm the change.
- Watch the OBS preview until the video reaches its end. Confirm that it begins again.
OBS describes Loop as replaying the file after playback completes and lists it as off by default in the documented Media Source properties. Check the actual setting rather than relying on its default.
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Use the other playback controls only for their intended behavior
Restart playback when source becomes active
This setting restarts the file when its source is in the current scene and visible. Use it when showing a source should start playback from the beginning; it does not replace Loop for repeating a file that reaches the end.
Show nothing when playback ends
This controls what is displayed after playback completes. It does not make the file repeat. If a video ends and the source goes blank, enabling this setting is not a looping fix.
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Close file when inactive
This is a resource behavior for a hidden or inactive source, not the documented end-of-file loop control. Don’t treat it as a substitute for enabling Loop.
Loop a playlist with VLC Video Source
- Install VLC if it is not already installed; OBS needs VLC available for the VLC Video Source.
- In the scene’s Sources list, add or select VLC Video Source.
- Open Properties and configure the playlist.
- Check Loop Playlist, then test playback in the OBS preview.
OBS documents Loop Playlist as the control for restarting the source after it runs out of media files. Its documented default is on, but verify the setting in your source. The OBS guide specifies 64-bit VLC for 64-bit OBS.
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Use the OBS preview to locate the failure
Let the video reach its end while watching the OBS preview. This separates a source-playback problem from a problem that appears only in the broadcast:
- The video stops in the OBS preview: check the source type and its playback properties first. For one file, verify Loop; for a playlist, verify Loop Playlist.
- The preview continues correctly, but the YouTube broadcast does not: the OBS media controls alone do not identify the cause. Investigate the stream and output path separately before changing encoder or YouTube settings.
This is a diagnostic distinction, not a finding that establishes a particular YouTube-side cause. OBS’s Source API Reference documents source and media lifecycle behavior, but the available documentation does not diagnose a specific broadcast failure.
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Check the rapid hide-and-show edge case only when it fits
If the issue happens only when you hide and show the source immediately after playback ends, timing may matter. An OBS report opened July 29, 2024, describes a case in which the graphics thread may not process visibility changes during that interval. It is a specific reported edge case, not a general explanation for videos that stop at the end. See OBS Studio issue #11040.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If the video still stops, troubleshoot in this order
- Confirm the source type: use Media Source for one local file and VLC Video Source for a playlist.
- Verify the end-of-playback setting: check Loop or Loop Playlist in Properties; don’t infer its state from the default.
- Test visibility separately: if you need playback to restart when showing a source, enable Restart playback when source becomes active and test by hiding and showing it.
- Observe the preview at the end: if the preview stops, continue troubleshooting the source. If it does not, investigate the stream/output path without assuming a YouTube-specific cause.
- For immediate hide/show failures: check whether the behavior matches the narrow timing described in the OBS issue report; that report does not establish a fix for other cases.
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