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To keep an OBS playlist stream running, configure two separate things: enable Automatically Reconnect for OBS’s stream output, and enable looping on the media source or playlist. The first retries a dropped connection to YouTube; the second restarts media after it finishes. Neither guarantees uninterrupted playback, so verify recovery in YouTube’s Live Control Room and test your failover plan.
Choose the right OBS source and enable looping
One video file
Add a Media Source in OBS, select the video file, and enable its Loop property. This restarts that file when it reaches the end; it does not reconnect the stream output if YouTube or the network disconnects.
A playlist of files
Add a VLC Video source, add the files in the order you want them to play, and confirm Loop Playlist is enabled. Leave Shuffle Playlist off if order matters. VLC must be installed for the source to appear; 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. See the OBS media sources documentation.
Set OBS to reconnect to YouTube
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In OBS, open Settings → Advanced.
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Enable Automatically Reconnect.
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Set Retry Delay and Maximum Retries to values that suit your monitoring and recovery plan. There is no single YouTube-specific pair established by the OBS documentation. A retry count of zero disables reconnecting in the documented API behavior, and retry waits double on each retry to avoid overloading services. See the OBS output API reference.
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Apply the settings, then test an actual disconnect and confirm OBS attempts to reconnect.
OBS’s labels and behavior can change as the software evolves; these settings reflect the official materials reviewed on October 3, 2026. Avoid treating any particular delay or retry count as a universal recommendation.
Connect OBS to the intended YouTube stream
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In YouTube Studio, open the intended broadcast in Live Control Room and copy its stream URL and stream key into OBS’s stream settings. If OBS offers a YouTube service connection, you can use that instead.
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Treat the stream key like a password: do not share it. If you reset the key, update OBS with the new one. YouTube says a stream owner or manager permission is required to reset a stream key, and account interface details may vary. See YouTube’s live-stream setup guidance.
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Check the broadcast’s Auto-start and Auto-stop settings. These control whether YouTube starts or stops the broadcast as the encoder connects or disconnects; they do not loop the OBS playlist.
Test the full path before leaving it unattended
Test with representative video motion and audio, rather than a static or silent placeholder. Check the Live Control Room preview and stream-health messages, and confirm the public watch page is accessible. YouTube recommends testing the stream, monitoring health, checking upload capacity, and testing failover by stopping the primary encoder or disconnecting its network. Confirm that any local recording is valid and growing if you are recording an archive. Consult YouTube’s encoder troubleshooting guidance and its stream health recommendations.
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Choose codec, resolution, frame rate, and bitrate from YouTube’s current encoder guidance for your connection rather than assuming one profile fits every setup. YouTube’s guide covers RTMP(S), CBR, keyframe guidance, and bitrate ranges; settings that meet recommendations can reduce avoidable problems but cannot guarantee uptime.
What each setting does—and does not do
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OBS Automatically Reconnect: retries the encoder’s output connection after a disconnect, subject to the configured retry limit.
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Media Source Loop or VLC Loop Playlist: restarts local media after it finishes; it does not restore a dropped YouTube connection.
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YouTube Auto-start and Auto-stop: control broadcast lifecycle behavior when the encoder connects or disconnects; they do not restart media.
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Live Control Room preview and stream health: show whether YouTube is receiving a healthy feed. An OBS reconnect attempt alone does not establish that viewers can watch again.
Troubleshoot disconnects and failed recovery
OBS stops reconnecting
Check OBS’s connection status and logs to see whether it is still retrying or has reached the configured limit. Verify that Automatically Reconnect is enabled and that Maximum Retries is not zero. If it has exhausted the retries, identify the cause of the outage, restore the connection, and restart or reconfigure the output as needed.
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The stream reconnects, but the playlist is frozen or finished
Check the active source in OBS, confirm the media files remain accessible, and verify that Loop or Loop Playlist is enabled. Reconnection and looping are independent: one cannot substitute for the other.
YouTube does not show a healthy preview
Read the Live Control Room’s stream-health messages. If the encoder cannot start, YouTube’s troubleshooting guidance says a third-party encoder user may need to copy a new stream key and update the encoder. Also check that the intended broadcast is selected and the encoder is using its current stream URL and key.
Connection or quality problems persist
Run an upload-speed test, check encoder CPU and network conditions, and test with representative content before the broadcast. Compare your codec, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and keyframe settings with YouTube’s current encoder guidance. If a single encoder is not enough for your continuity needs, test a backup encoder or failover path and verify the public watch page rather than assuming recovery worked.
The broadcast runs longer than expected
YouTube states that encoder streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. Do not assume one continuous broadcast will produce an archive indefinitely; plan how you will handle longer runs and verify the resulting recording.
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