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First find where the loop is running: in YouTube in a browser, in a media player, or in software such as OBS. Then check whether the mismatch is confined to that app and whether it is present from the start or grows over time. Those clues help you choose the right troubleshooting path; there is no single Windows setting known to fix every looped-stream sync problem.
Locate where the audio and video drift
Before changing settings, compare the affected playback with other apps and note when the mismatch begins. This identifies which part of the playback chain to investigate; it does not prove a particular cause.
- Only YouTube in one browser: investigate browser playback and graphics settings.
- Only while OBS or another loop/rebroadcast app is running: inspect that app’s media source and loop configuration.
- Only in a media player: check that player’s output and synchronization settings.
- Across unrelated apps: check Windows’ selected output device and connected audio hardware.
- Timing: note whether sound is out of sync immediately or whether the offset grows during playback. This helps characterize the symptom, but by itself does not identify its cause.
Audio, system, and player clocks can differ and drift in some playback architectures. VideoLAN’s VLC 4.0 clock documentation describes the clock as managing synchronization of audio and video streams, but that general explanation does not establish the cause of a particular YouTube setup: VLC clock architecture.
If you are watching the loop in a browser
Try the same YouTube stream in another browser. YouTube lists this as a check for a green video player with sound, along with turning off hardware acceleration in Chrome and updating the graphics driver. That guidance concerns a related playback symptom, not specifically audio drift during looping, so treat these as checks rather than guaranteed sync fixes. See YouTube’s guidance for a green screen in the video player.
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- Compare browsers: open the same stream in another browser and see whether the mismatch persists.
- Check Chrome hardware acceleration: if you use Chrome, try turning hardware acceleration off, then restart the browser and test again. The setting’s exact location can vary by Chrome version.
- Check the graphics driver: if it is outdated, use the appropriate driver update for your Windows device, then retest.
Change one item at a time and retest the same playback. If the problem remains only in one browser, keep the investigation focused there rather than assuming Windows-wide audio is at fault.
If OBS is creating the loop
Check the source that actually plays the media, not just the scene or stream output. OBS documents loop controls for its local Media Source and playlist looping for VLC Video. For video and audio files, OBS recommends Media Source or VLC Source; it also warns that many browser sources can significantly affect system resources.
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- Identify the source: in OBS, select the source in the relevant scene and confirm whether it is a Media Source, VLC Video, or Browser Source.
- For a local Media Source: open its properties and inspect the Loop option. Confirm that the intended file is selected and that the source is playing as expected.
- For VLC Video: check the playlist and its loop setting. VLC must be installed; where applicable, OBS says the installed VLC architecture must match 64-bit OBS.
- Review browser-source load: if the scene uses many browser sources, reduce or disable unnecessary ones for a test. OBS notes these can significantly affect system resources; that warning is not proof that they caused a sync offset.
OBS documentation: Media Sources and Encoding Performance Troubleshooting.
Check Windows’ audio output
If sound is wrong outside the browser or loop application too, verify that Windows is sending audio to the intended speakers, headphones, or other output, and check that the device is connected properly. Microsoft’s audio guidance applies to Windows 10 and Windows 11 and includes the Get Help audio troubleshooter.
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- Open Windows sound settings and confirm the selected output device is the one you are listening through.
- Check the speaker or headphone connection, including any connection between the device and the computer.
- If general Windows audio is still behaving incorrectly, run Microsoft’s Get Help audio troubleshooter using the steps in Fix sound or audio problems in Windows.
These checks address Windows audio routing and general audio problems; they are not a specific diagnosis of YouTube sync drift.
If the loop is playing in VLC
VideoLAN’s FAQ suggests trying another audio output plugin and, if the input file is the source of the problem, inspecting VLC’s audio desynchronization compensation. Do not enter a fixed compensation value without first establishing whether audio leads or lags and measuring the offset; the FAQ does not supply a universal value.
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- Test whether the same file or stream is out of sync in another player.
- If the mismatch appears tied to VLC output, try a different audio output plugin and retest.
- If the input file appears to be responsible, determine the direction and amount of the offset before adjusting audio desynchronization compensation.
See the VideoLAN VLC media player FAQ.
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