OBS Studio
OBS Studio is free and open source software for live streaming and screen recording. Capture, mix, and broadcast video with pro-grade tools used by streamers and creators worldwide.
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OBS Studio is the gold standard for open source screen recording and live streaming. It supports unlimited scenes with multiple sources — webcam, display, browser, audio, and more — making it equally suited for game streaming, tutorial recording, and professional presentations.
Unlike Camtasia or Loom, OBS gives you full control over your recording setup with no watermarks, no subscriptions, and no limits on output length or resolution. Advanced features include a built-in audio mixer, scene transitions, and a powerful plugin ecosystem.
OBS runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and integrates directly with Twitch, YouTube, and most RTMP-compatible streaming platforms.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which platforms does OBS Studio run on?
OBS Studio runs natively on Windows 10+ (64-bit), macOS 11+ with universal Apple Silicon and Intel builds, and Linux (Ubuntu distributions are officially packaged for Intel and AMD hardware, plus limited ARM packages). Installers with 64-bit builds are offered for all three platforms.
Can I stream to Twitch, YouTube, and other platforms?
Yes. OBS Studio includes Twitch, YouTube Live, Restream, and Vimeo preset settings, and any custom RTMP or HLS (SRT/RIST) url and stream key can be entered manually, so it works with nearly every streaming platform.
Can I extend OBS Studio with plugins?
Yes. It has a rich plugin API and a large community ecosystem covering effects, source sources, and integrations, which you can install from third-party catalogs on all three platforms. OBS Studio 28.0 and later also support scripting in Lua and Python from the Tools menu.
Does OBS Studio support multi-platform streaming or remote control?
It streams directly to one RTMP destination, but shared Restream or a custom server lets you pick multiple platforms. OBS broadcasts over the network, so OBS Studio can also be scripted remotely via the obs-websocket plugin for automation.
Can OBS Studio record locally while streaming at the same time?
Yes. Streaming and local recording are independent features, so you can broadcast live while saving full-quality video locally in MP4, MKV, FLV, MOV, TS, or M3U8 formats, using different encoders and quality settings for each.
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Updated 11/4/2026, 6:01:05 AM
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