OBS Media Source Restart on Activate Explained
When you enable the “Restart playback when source becomes active� option in OBS Studio, a media source (like a video or audio file) will restart from the beginning every time you make that source visible or switch to a scene that contains it. This setting is part of the Media Source properties and is off by default, meaning the source will continue playing from its current position when it becomes active again. This article explains exactly how this feature works, when to use it, and how it differs from similar OBS options.
What Does “Source Becomes Active� Mean?
In OBS, a media source is considered “active� when it is visible in the current scene and the scene is being output (either to a stream, recording, or preview). If you have a media source in a scene you’re not currently viewing, or if the source is hidden by a visibility toggle, it is inactive. The “Restart playback when source becomes active� checkbox tells OBS to treat every activation as a fresh start—like pressing the play button on a video player from the beginning.
This is different from the “Use hardware decoding� or “Loop� options. Loop keeps playing the same file repeatedly while active; restart-on-activate only affects what happens when the source transitions from hidden to visible. If the source is already active and playing, this setting has no effect.
How the Setting Works in OBS
When you add a Media Source to a scene, the properties dialog includes a checkbox labeled “Restart playback when source becomes active.� Here’s what happens in practice:
- Activation triggers: The source becomes active when you switch to a scene that includes it, or when you manually unhide it via the eye icon in the Sources list.
- Behavior: If the checkbox is ticked, OBS stops any current playback and starts the file from time 0. If unticked, the source resumes from wherever it was when it was deactivated.
- Multiple scenes: If the same media source is used in several scenes, each time you switch to a scene containing it, the restart will happen (if enabled). This can be useful for intros or alerts that should play fresh every time they appear.
Note that this option only applies to the Media Source type, not to VLC sources or browser sources. Those have their own separate settings.
When to Use Restart on Activate
This feature is most helpful for content that should always start from the beginning when shown. Common use cases include:
- Stream intros: A short video intro that plays every time you switch to a “Starting Soon� scene.
- Transition animations: A looping background video that should reset when you come back to a scene.
- Alert overlays: A video that plays once for a donation or follow, then stops. If you switch away and back, you want it to replay.
- Music or sound effects: A short audio clip that should play from the top each time it’s triggered.
If you have a long video that you want to continue from where you left off (like a movie or a long gameplay recording), leave this option unchecked.
Common Misconceptions and Pitfalls
One frequent misunderstanding is that this setting also controls what happens when the source is first added to a scene. That’s not the case—when you add a media source, it always starts playing from the beginning (or from the “Restart playback� button). The setting only affects subsequent activations.
Another pitfall is confusing this with the “Loop� checkbox. If you want a video to play repeatedly while active, you need to check Loop. Restart-on-activate does not loop; it just resets the position each time the source becomes active. If you have both checked, the source will restart and then loop continuously.
Also, note that if you have a media source in a scene and you switch to another scene and back, the restart will happen only if the source was actually deactivated. If you use a “scene transition� that keeps the source visible (like a fade), the source may not become inactive, so the restart might not trigger. Test with your specific setup.
How to Set It Up (Step-by-Step)
- In OBS Studio, go to your Sources panel and click the + button.
- Choose Media Source and give it a name (or use the default).
- In the properties window, browse to your video/audio file or enter a URL (for network streams).
- Check the box next to “Restart playback when source becomes active.�
- Click OK to save. The source will now restart every time it becomes visible.
You can also change this setting later by right-clicking the source in the Sources list and selecting Properties.
Alternatives and Related Features
If restart-on-activate doesn’t give you the behavior you need, consider these OBS options:
- Loop: Repeats the media file continuously while the source is active. Good for background music or ambient video.
- Hide source when playback ends: Automatically hides the source when the media finishes. Useful for one-shot alerts.
- Use hardware decoding: Offloads video decoding to your GPU, which can improve performance but may cause issues with some file types.
- VLC Media Source: A separate source type that uses VLC’s engine, offering more codec support but with its own settings (including an option to restart on activate).
- Scene transitions: You can use a transition like a “Stinger� that plays a video during the switch, but that’s separate from media sources.
For advanced control, you can also use OBS’s scripting or hotkeys to trigger media source actions, but that requires Lua or Python knowledge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this setting work with audio files?
Yes, the Media Source supports audio files (MP3, WAV, etc.). The restart-on-activate option works the same way—the audio will start from the beginning each time the source becomes active. This is useful for sound effects that should play fresh each time you switch to a scene.
Will the video restart if I just hide and show the source manually?
Yes, manually toggling the eye icon to hide and then show the source counts as making it inactive and then active again. If the option is checked, it will restart. If you want to pause/resume without restarting, you can use the “Restart playback� button in the properties, but that always restarts.
Why is my video not restarting even though I checked the box?
Possible reasons: the source is not actually becoming inactive (e.g., you’re using a transition that keeps it visible), or you’re looking at the wrong source (maybe you have a duplicate). Also, if the media file is a network stream that doesn’t support seeking, OBS may not be able to restart it. Try a local file to test.
Can I use this with a browser source?
No, browser sources have their own settings and do not have a “restart on activate� option. You would need to use JavaScript or reload the browser source via a hotkey or script to achieve a similar effect.
Does this affect streaming performance?
Restarting playback itself has minimal performance impact. The main concern is that each restart may require loading the media file again, which could cause a brief stutter if the file is large or on a slow disk. Using hardware decoding can help if you experience issues.
Is there a way to restart only after the video ends, not every time?
Yes, that’s a different scenario. You would leave the restart-on-activate unchecked and instead use the “Loop� option, or use a script to detect when playback ends and then restart. The built-in “Hide source when playback ends� can also be combined with a scene switch to effectively restart.
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