Media Source Not Showing in OBS? Here’s How to Fix It – MUO – MakeUseOf

There is nothing more frustrating as a streamer than spending hours crafting your own unique media source, importing it to OBS, and finding that its not working and not knowing why.

OBS settings can be tricky, and they are not always explicitly explained. If you dont know what a setting does in the first place, it is hard to know what needs to be activated and what doesnt. There are many things that can go wrong with your media source in OBS, but here are some of the most common reasons why a media source may not be showing up on your stream.

A media source is a video file that you can add to your stream. They could be anything, but one of the most common types of media source are countdowns. Many streamers go live a couple of minutes early and have a virtual timer that counts down until they get there. This allows their viewers to get their Go Live notification and enter the stream before it actually begins.

Many streamers also have an animated overlay on their stream. Animated backgrounds are more dynamic than static images, and it is also extremely easy to make your own animated Twitch background on Canva, so they are a popular choice. Animated overlays are video files rather than static JPGs or PNGs, which means they have to be added as a media source.

OBS can be a learning experience, to say the least, and like most technology, it doesnt always work the way you expect it to. Even if, on one stream, everything is going great and your media source is working perfectly, that might not be the case the next time you open OBS.

In these cases, it is difficult to understand what went wrong, especially if you haven't changed anything since the last time you were on OBS. But the chances are that there was one setting or another that you didn't set up quite right when you imported your media source. Its just a matter of finding it.

Here are the most common issues that can cause your media source to not show up in OBS, and how to fix them. These should be on your checklist of things to do before going live.

The very first thing you should check when your media source or any other asset on your stream isnt working is whether it is hidden or not. This is the most obvious fix, but its also the best one because it's incredibly easy to solve.

To double-check if your media source is hidden, look for your Sources section. This will be down the bottom of the window, to the right of Scenes. Find your media source in your list of sources and look at the icons on the right.

There should be two icons beside your media source, one of which looks like an eye. If the eye icon is grayed out, with a line across it, your media source is hidden. If that's the case, just click the icon again and your media source should appear.

Another one of the most common reasons why your media source isnt visible is if you dont have it on loop. Depending on your media source, the loop setting is the most important. This is especially true when it comes to animated overlays.

Animated overlays are usually relatively short videos. If you import your overlay to OBS and you don't activate the Loop setting, your video file will only play once and then disappear. Looping your file ensures that your overlay will stay on screen and continuously replay while you're streaming.

To check if your media source is looped, open your media source in the Sources section by double-clicking it, or right-click and select Properties. Underneath the search bar that allows you to find and select your media source from your computer's files, you will see the Loop setting. Make sure that box is ticked.

This setting is the most confusing because you wouldn't immediately expect that it's the culprit. The Restart playback when stream becomes active setting makes your video file replay from the beginning when you switch to or from the source that contains it.

If everything else appears to be set up correctly on your media source, sometimes toggling this setting on and off can trigger your media source to appear. To toggle this setting on or off, open your media source by finding it in your Sources section and double-clicking it, or right-click and select Properties.

The Restart playback when source becomes active setting is right underneath the Loop setting. Check the box to turn it on, and click it again to toggle the setting off.

You know what they say; the golden rule when troubleshooting technology is to turn it off and back on again. That rule still applies to OBS. Sometimes the program could be having some technical difficulties, and performing a simple restart could be all it needs to fix your media source.

Restarting OBS can also be required to save settings and make sure they are in effect. So restarting the program after changing your settings or if you are sure your source is set up properly but still isnt working is always recommended.

If the restart doesnt help your case, it also cant hurt to make sure your OBS is updated to the latest version. Running an old version of OBS can lead to performance issues, so if you want to ensure that your OBS is operating to the best of its abilities, it will need to be up-to-date.

OBS should run a check to see if there are any updates as you open it. If so, a pop-up box will appear asking you if you would like to install the updates. Press Update Now to download and install the updates.

If you didnt press Update Now, you can also check for any current updates by selecting Help from the menu at the top of the screen. Select Check for Updates, and install them if there are any.

If your media source isnt visible, and you arent sure whats wrong with it, one of these tips should help get everything running smoothly again.

Whether its an animated overlay, a countdown, or any other media source that youve added to OBS, they all add character to your stream, so making sure they are up and running is very important. Especially if you spent hours on Canva making your own, or you paid an artist to make one for you.

OBS is a great program, but just like everything else, it can have its issues sometimes. Jumping on the computer 30 minutes or so before you are scheduled to start streaming can give you the time you need to go through any of these fixes without running the risk of being late.

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Media Source Not Showing in OBS? Here's How to Fix It - MUO - MakeUseOf