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If an OBS playlist keeps returning to its first video instead of advancing, first confirm you are using VLC Video, OBS’s source for playlists of local files. Then check the playlist order, shuffle and loop options, source visibility, and VLC installation. The fix depends on the source type: these steps apply to a local-file VLC Video source, not necessarily a YouTube playlist embedded in a browser source.
First identify which kind of playlist you are using
OBS has different source types that can look like they serve a similar purpose:
- VLC Video: use this for a playlist of local media files. OBS describes it as allowing a playlist, unlike Media Source. OBS Media Sources documentation.
- Media Source: adds a supported media file to a scene; it is not the documented source for a playlist of multiple files.
- Browser source: may display a web page or embedded YouTube playlist. The VLC-specific checks below do not diagnose playback behavior inside a browser source.
If you are unsure, select the source in the OBS Sources list and inspect its name and properties. Confirm the source type before changing settings.
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Install the matching VLC version
VLC must be installed for VLC Video to appear in OBS. If you use 64-bit OBS, OBS documentation says to install 64-bit VLC as well. If VLC Video is missing, check this requirement before troubleshooting playback.
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Verify the playlist contents and order
Open the VLC Video source properties and confirm that the intended files are present and listed in the desired order. With Shuffle Playlist off, OBS plays items in list order; with it on, the order is randomized.
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Distinguish advancing from looping
Loop Playlist restarts playback after the source runs out of media files. It controls what happens after the last item; it is not a setting that makes one file advance to the next. If the source plays a video again instead of moving forward, verify the playlist has more than one intended item and that the entries are correct.
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Check source visibility behavior
OBS documents the VLC source default as Stop when not visible, restart when visible. Check that the source is visible in the active scene, and select a visibility behavior that matches how you use it when hidden. This is about the source’s visibility in a scene—not whether the OBS application window itself is on screen.
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Test playlist edits separately
A user on the OBS Forums reported playback returning to the first video after adding a media source or editing a VLC playlist while preparing a YouTube Live setup. That report, from a thread started April 20, 2020, describes one user’s experience; it does not establish a universal defect or a general fix. When practical, test playlist changes before going live rather than editing the running setup.
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If the source is a YouTube playlist in a browser
The checks above cover OBS’s local-media VLC Video source. They do not establish why a YouTube playlist displayed through a browser source might restart or fail to advance. Identify the browser source and how its page or embed is configured before applying VLC settings; loop, shuffle, and VLC availability are not a diagnosis for browser playback.
When the playlist still resets
Gather details that make the behavior reproducible, then use the OBS Help Portal to find documentation and support destinations.
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- OBS version and operating system.
- Source type: VLC Video, Media Source, or browser source.
- Whether playback fails at every transition or only after a playlist edit or scene change.
- The relevant OBS log and the steps that trigger the reset.
There is not enough information in a single reported reset to identify a universal cause. Recording the source type and trigger helps separate a playlist configuration issue from behavior specific to an edit or scene change.
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