OBS Studio provides real-time capture, encoding, and broadcasting for YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, and many other providers. High performance real time video/audio capturing and mixing. Create scenes made up of multiple sources including window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams, capture cards, and more.

Is OBS Studio the best option for streaming and adding alerts?

OBS Studio is widely regarded as the top choice because it delivers superior performance, minimal system overhead, and extensive plugin support. Alerts and overlays are easily added using browser sources from services like StreamElements or Streamer.bot. Some report a streamlined OBS setup with light CPU usage and full control over customizations.

What plugins do experienced users find essential?

Streamers recommend plugins such as OBS Scene Nesting for managing reusable elements across multiple scenes and Timestamp for clipping video. Scene nesting allows you to centralize overlays and audio setups, making changes propagate across all scenes automatically.

Does switching from Streamlabs OBS improve performance?

Many users who switched from Streamlabs OBS to OBS Studio noticed fewer dropped frames and better resource management. OBS uses less CPU, providing a more stable environment for streaming and gaming simultaneously.

Why is my desktop audio not capturing?

This issue usually occurs due to misconfigured audio devices or forgetting to enable desktop audio in the Global Audio settings. To fix it, set your desktop audio device properly, ensure it's not disabled in mixer settings, and verify levels move during playback .

Is OBS Studio free for commercial use?

OBS Studio is open source software and free for anyone to use it. OBS can be used commercially without restrictions, it won't add watermarks and has no limitations. You can use OBS Studio for professional streaming, recording paid content, corporate webinars, etc.

Is OBS good for recording videos?

Yes, OBS Studio is excellent for recording videos. It offers high-quality output, customizable settings, and supports multiple sources like webcams, screens, and microphones. Many creators use it for tutorials, gameplay, and presentations.

Can you edit videos in OBS Studio?

No, OBS Studio does not support video editing. It is designed for live streaming and recording, not post-production. For editing, you'll need separate software like DaVinci Resolve, Shotcut or VSDC Video Editor, which are great free options.

What are OBS Studio basic system requirements?

  • Operating System: Windows 10 or later, macOS 11+, or a modern Linux distro
  • CPU: Intel i5 2000-series / AMD FX series or better
  • RAM: At least 4 GB (8 GB recommended)
  • GPU: DirectX 10.1 compatible GPU or better

For smooth recording or streaming, especially at 1080p, a stronger CPU and GPU are recommended.

Features

  • High performance real time video/audio capturing and mixing, with unlimited scenes you can switch between seamlessly via custom transitions.
  • Live streaming to Twitch, YouTube, Periscope, GoodGame, DailyMotion, Hitbox, VK and any other RTMP server
  • Filters for video sources such as image masking, color correction, chroma/color keying, and more.
  • x264, H.264 and AAC for your live streams and video recordings
  • Intel Quick Sync Video (QSV) and NVIDIA NVENC support
  • Intuitive audio mixer with per-source filters such as noise gate, noise suppression, and gain. Take full control with VST plugin support.
  • GPU-based game capture for high performance game streaming
  • Unlimited number of scenes and sources
  • Number of different and customizable transitions for when you switch between scenes
  • Hotkeys for almost any action such as start or stop your stream or recording, push-to-talk, fast mute of any audio source, show or hide any video source, switch between scenes,and much more
  • Live preview of any changes on your scenes and sources using Studio Mode before pushing them to your stream where your viewers will see those changes
  • DirectShow capture device support (webcams, capture cards, etc)
  • Powerful and easy to use configuration options. Add new Sources, duplicate existing ones, and adjust their properties effortlessly.
  • Streamlined Settings panel for quickly configuring your broadcasts and recordings. Switch between different profiles with ease.
  • Light and dark themes available to fit your environment.
  • ...and many other features. For free. At all.

What's New

31.0.4 Hotfix

  • Fixed a crash with Media Sources with no video frame size, such as audio files [RytoEX/jeiea]
  • Fixed a crash on macOS 13 or older if a Browser Source or Browser Dock was used [jcm93/PatTheMav/RytoEX]
  • Fixed a freeze if an item was cropped further than its original dimensions [Lain-B]
  • Fixed a possible crash when reordering scene items [zavitax]
  • Fixed a possible crash when adding a procedure handler [norihiro]
  • Fixed an issue on macOS where menu items would launch unintended actions when OBS was set to certain languages [gxalpha]
  • Fixed an issue on Linux and macOS where POSIX pipes could fail silently [franga2000]
  • Fixed an issue where obs-browser cookie folder names could start with spaces [RytoEX]
  • Fixed V4L2 virtual camera start failure on Linux [stephematician]

OBS Studio 31.1.0 Beta 2

  • Adjusted volume mixer styling on Classic theme [Warchamp7]
  • Enabled font size option for macOS in appearance settings [gxalpha]
  • Fixed an issue in Beta 1 where the projector menu for disabled preview was incorrect [Warchamp7]
  • Fixed an issue in Beta 1 where opening appearance settings would enable the Apply button [Warchamp7]
  • Fixed an issue in Beta 1 with menu bar padding [Warchamp7]
  • Fixed an issue in Beta 1 with cut off text in Auto-Configuration Wizard [shiina424]
  • Fixed an issue in Beta 1 with tab padding for new UI Appearance options [COOLIGUAY]
  • Fixed an issue in Beta 1 where AMF AV1 B-frames did not work when using CQP [rhutsAMD]

OSB Studio 31.0.3

  • Fixed a crash in OBS Studio 31.0.2 when attempting to log info about a browser source crash [WizardCM]
  • Fixed a crash on macOS if OBS used more than 8GB of memory [PatTheMav/jcm93]
  • Fixed a possible crash if OBS Studio was opened in Studio Mode [PatTheMav/tt2468]
  • Fixed a potential deadlock with browser sources on OBS shutdown [tt2468]
  • Fixed an issue with streams not reconnecting correctly after a disconnect [dsaedtler]
  • Fixed several issues with NVIDIA Background Blur [pkviet]
  • Fixed an issue where Video Capture Devices on macOS could be unintentionally flipped upside down [jcm93]
  • Fixed an issue where the Program View resolution would not update correctly [exeldro]

31.0.2 Hotfix Changes

  • Fixed a crash on Windows when initializing a Video Capture Device source that does not provide a valid frame size [RytoEX]
  • Fixed a crash on Windows when using NVIDIA Audio Effects filters with certain SDK versions [pkviet]
  • Fixed a crash on Windows when using obs-websocket with a config path that contained Unicode characters [PatTheMav/tt2468]
  • Fixed a crash on macOS when initializing a Video Capture Device source in a corrupt state [jcm93]
  • Fixed an issue on macOS where Python scripting would not work if Python was installed via Homebrew [jcm93]
  • Fixed an issue on Windows where browser sources would not recognize gamepad input if OBS Studio was not in focus [WizardCM]
  • Fixed an issue with browser sources where they would occasionally stutter for 250ms [reitowo/WizardCM/PatTheMav/tytan652/pkviet]
  • Fixed an issue on Linux where browser sources used more CPU than previous versions [tytan652]
  • Fixed the setting value range for NVENC target quality for AV1 [Bleuzen]
  • Fixed logging for NVENC lookahead values [DeeDeeG]
  • Added additional logging for browser sources [WizardCM/tt2468]

31.0.1 Hotfix Changes

  • Fixed a crash on macOS caused by hand gesture reactions [gxalpha]
  • Fixed a crash caused by malformed scene collection files [PatTheMav]
  • Fixed a possible crash on Linux when initializing PipeWire screen sharing [tytan652]
  • Fixed a possible deadlock and freeze on macOS while exiting OBS [izwb003]
  • Fixed an issue with inhibiting screensaver on Linux [tytan652]
  • Fixed an issue where migrated NVIDIA Audio Effects filters would not retain their position in the filter order [pkviet]
  • Fixed an issue where Scene Collections could have an incorrect base resolution [derrod]
  • Fixed an issue on Linux with Portable Mode causing the config directory to be in the wrong location [Penwy]
  • Fixed an issue where an Image Slideshow Source set to Random Playback Mode would stop on the last image [derrod]
  • Fixed a missing string for an NVENC error message [derrod]
  • Changed NVENC to not permit invalid custom options [derrod]

31.0 New Features

  • Added NVIDIA Blur Filter and Background Blur [pkviet]
  • Added preview scrollbars and zoom/scale indicator [cg2121/Warchamp7]
  • Added v210 format support for AJA device capture [paulh-aja]
  • Added Amazon IVS service integration [palana]
  • Added QSV AV1 Screen Content Coding [thyintel]
  • Enabled first-party YouTube Chat features [msuman-google]

31.0 Changes

  • Updated the browser source/docks CEF (Chromium) to version 127 (6533) on all platforms [reitowo/WizardCM/PatTheMav/tytan652/pkviet/kkartaltepe/Lain-B]
  • Changed scene items to use relative coordinates [derrod]
  • Existing scene collections will be automatically converted to use relative coordinates if the scene collection has a known output resolution set.
  • Split NVIDIA Audio Effects from Noise Suppression [pkviet]
  • Existing filters will be automatically migrated.
  • Changed the Image Slideshow's Playback Mode property from radio buttons to a dropdown [derrod]
  • Disabled the (currently unsupported) built-in Automatic Scene Switcher when using Wayland on Linux [tytan652]
  • Improved error messages for macOS Virtual Camera [jcm93]
  • Changed Display and Window capture on Windows to not capture the first found display or window [Lain-B]
  • Changed display and window capture on Linux to not capture implicitly [Lain-B]
  • Added a warning to Window Capture when trying to capture WinUI 3 applications with BitBlt [qhy040404]
  • Refactored the NVENC implementation with various improvements [derrod]
  • SDK 12.2 features, such as split encoding, are now supported.
  • Additional features from old SDKs are supported:
  • B-Frames as reference
  • Target Quality VBR mode (CQVBR)
  • A custom options field has been added to allow setting more options that don't warrant their own UI elements.
  • Improved screensaver inhibit functions on Linux in Flatpak [tytan652]
  • Changed scripts to correctly pass settings to modified callbacks on reload [Penwy]
  • Removed legacy QSV code for old devices (Haswell or older) [RytoEX]
  • Removed legacy QSV code for Windows 7 [RytoEX]
  • Removed default desktop audio device on macOS 13+ [jcm93]
  • Removed NVIDIA Kepler GPU support for NVENC [derrod]
  • Removed FTL support [derrod]
  • Removed legacy migrations from OBS Studio 28.1 and earlier [derrod]
  • If updating from these older versions, you may wish to update to OBS Studio 30.2 first, and then update to OBS Studio 31.
  • Removed support for Ubuntu 22.04 [derrod]
  • Removed legacy YouTube chat [gxalpha]
  • Blocked TikTok Virtual Camera from loading in OBS due to known issues [notr1ch]
  • Application settings have been split into "app" configuration and "user" configuration, rather than storing everything in global.ini [PatTheMav]

31.0 Bug Fixes

  • Fixed two crashes with the QSV encoder on Linux [kkartaltepe]
  • Fixed a crash with a race condition involving multitrack video output reconnect [dsaedtler]
  • Fixed two potential crashes in Linux Window Capture [Lain-B]
  • Fixed a crash on macOS that could occur if an audio device was disconnected [jcm93]
  • Fixed a crash on Windows when capturing D3D12 games [confusionattack/Lain-B]
  • Fixed a crash on Linux when importing a scene collection created on Windows [SarenDev]
  • Fixed a crash on Windows when capturing a Vulkan application [Charlese2]
  • Fixed a deadlock in MP4 muxer [derrod/notr1ch]
  • Fixed a deadlock when shutting down muxer [exeldro]
  • Fixed a potential deadlock when stopping an encoder [derrod]
  • Fixed a potential memory error and crash in text parser [fzwoch]
  • Fixed a couple minor memory leaks [pkviet]
  • Fixed a memory leak in PipeWire plugin [dimtpap]
  • Fixed a memory leak when playing an HDR media file [tt2468]
  • Fixed an issue on FreeBSD with handling SSL certificates [emaste]
  • Fixed an issue with pressed button color in the Rachni theme [shiina424]
  • Fixed an issue with some missing icons in the System theme [shiina424]
  • Fixed an SRT listener bug where the socket was not closed properly [pkviet]
  • Fixed an issue where the current scene collection could be erased to default when trying to switch to a different scene collection that's corrupted or invalid [derrod]
  • Fixed a buffer overrun in UTF-8 text conversion [derrod]
  • Fixed an issue that could cause bitrate spikes in QSV CBR [thyintel]
  • Note: This fix only applies to Lunar Lake or newer except Alder Lake N.
  • Fixed an issue where the Auto Configuration Wizard could unintentionally enable Enhanced Broadcasting [lexano-ivs]
  • Fixed issues with the audio clipping indicators displaying incorrectly on volume meters [norihiro]
  • Fixed an issue causing hotkeys to register inconsistently on macOS [jcm93]
  • Fixed an issue causing multitrack video output to fail if color format was set to I444 [dsaedtler]
  • Fixed an issue where Custom CSS in browser sources no longer worked with certain websites (namely YouTube chat) [vvto33]
  • Restored STUN support for WHIP output [mondain]