OBS Studio 31.1 removed Exit from Controls
- Thread starter rdalhoff
- Start date
Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
See BETA comment and release notes - this was a planned release change, apparently as part of removing Control Dock altogether, and the comment I saw would indicate, no there isn't a way to put it back natively
I'll comment that this isn't a welcome change for me. As goign to Menu to click is lots of extra mouse clicks, for a common action, so that is bad UI change (imo). *IF* closing the OBS Studio (X in upper right, etc) perform the exact same clean app shutdown as "Exit' did before, then a release note (or FAQ, or something) to that effect would be good to know. With that said, there may be existing Help documentation on this site that already covers this behavior.. and I just haven't come across it, and I haven't looked for it previously (as no need)
I'll comment that this isn't a welcome change for me. As goign to Menu to click is lots of extra mouse clicks, for a common action, so that is bad UI change (imo). *IF* closing the OBS Studio (X in upper right, etc) perform the exact same clean app shutdown as "Exit' did before, then a release note (or FAQ, or something) to that effect would be good to know. With that said, there may be existing Help documentation on this site that already covers this behavior.. and I just haven't come across it, and I haven't looked for it previously (as no need)
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Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
Granted I'm still running an older version... so maybe a new UI change I''ve not come across? For me, the Red status icon on the OBS Studio App window's status bar indicates Recording status (and what I've paid attention to for last 5 years)... right beside the green Streaming indicator
As we use a non-persistent stream key for security reasons, I use the control dock to quickly get to Settings and input that stream's key. And quick access to graceful exit. Freeing up the screen real estate by eliminating the Control Dock for other... kinda makes sense, but with the massive flexibility of OBS Studio, personally just curious as to why plan appears to be to eliminate the Control dock vs simply making it not a default? I'd assume there is a good / decent reason..
prgmitchell
Forum Moderator
Hi, I think people in this thread are getting ahead of themselves worrying about problems that do not exist :D you will notice nearly all other software you use does not have a separate exit button, you can still exit OBS using the X at the top along with the exit option in the file menu.
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Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
That we _can_ close using the Windows X isn't a question in my mind. Alt-F4 works as well, etc
I'm just been around long enough to be inclined towards 'Trust but verify' so until confirmed, it would be naive and silly for me or any other end-user to assume equivalence between X and Exit ... I get this is probably _not_ a big deal.
Microsoft does not (that I'm aware) require/insist/whatever App developers to follow the same application shutdown process between File > Exit and Window Close ('X'). that using X didn't cause problems for some users does NOT mean _ALL_ OBS Studio users follow same/similar workflow, plugins, etc, so one can NOT assume similar outcome UNLESS a developer on that aspect of code, or someone who has reviewed the related code, says on way or the other
The question, for those of us with enough experience to recall clean vs not-so-much applications Exits, is whether OBS Studio's Control Dock 'Exit' and the Window 'X' initiate the same closedown... or if there is a meaningful end-user difference (as would relate to saving settings, changes, plugins, etc). If there is no difference, then great... just nice to have something authoritative published for end-users documenting that there isn't a risk to what has historically (for Windows OS) been sometimes a less-graceful/thorough/identical shutdown method.
I'm just been around long enough to be inclined towards 'Trust but verify' so until confirmed, it would be naive and silly for me or any other end-user to assume equivalence between X and Exit ... I get this is probably _not_ a big deal.
Microsoft does not (that I'm aware) require/insist/whatever App developers to follow the same application shutdown process between File > Exit and Window Close ('X'). that using X didn't cause problems for some users does NOT mean _ALL_ OBS Studio users follow same/similar workflow, plugins, etc, so one can NOT assume similar outcome UNLESS a developer on that aspect of code, or someone who has reviewed the related code, says on way or the other
The question, for those of us with enough experience to recall clean vs not-so-much applications Exits, is whether OBS Studio's Control Dock 'Exit' and the Window 'X' initiate the same closedown... or if there is a meaningful end-user difference (as would relate to saving settings, changes, plugins, etc). If there is no difference, then great... just nice to have something authoritative published for end-users documenting that there isn't a risk to what has historically (for Windows OS) been sometimes a less-graceful/thorough/identical shutdown method.
Warchamp7
Forum Admin
The Exit button and the X button in OBS behave the same and I'm not personally aware of any application that works otherwise.
Any software that performs an unclean shutdown when clicking the X compared to any other standard option sounds like a bug with that application.
It is stupid for the devs to remove this button or the panel. People who don't use it can opt to turn it off. I rely on those quick buttons, and I immediately noticed that the 'exit' button was missing. I need it back.
There are a lot of programs that do not close with 'X' anymore. Instead, they only close the window but remain running in the background. It seems to me a misguided trend in software dev these days. A very annoying example is steam. You have to right-click the icon in the notification are to fully exit steam. 'X' only closes the current window, but steam remains running in the background.
Of course, everything after Win8 sucks and Win10/11 as much ugly garbage as 8 was. More and more user options and functionality are being removed with each iteration.
konsolenritter
Active Member
I'm concerned about the passing of the Exit-Button as well. The fact that other software doesn't possibly have an exit button is no excuse, Looking at other software doesnt mean that it turns OBS better. That is comparing apples and oranges.
I mostly use OBS in maximized mode on windows. So there isn't even the "X". Using Alt-F4 is counterintuitive because its the last-man-standing for the last 25 years for me if (and when) windows struggles with closing something or its last desktop explorer instance.
So the solely single possibility for me is the upper left menu. No improvement, really. IMHO.
(I'm programming Labview applications for industrial use even on heavy huge machines. Even there is typically (nearly always) a red colored rectangled button in the lower right saying "EXIT" in the meaning of "you may quit here the controlling software of the machine... if you're sure what you're doin here...". Well. If there are ongoing uninterruptible actions in the very moment that button may be grayed-out and deactived to prevent accidential use, but the button is always there in such software. Well. Its sometimes named "SHUTDOWN". But the purpose is the same: To have a clear reachable and defined way to shut down and finalize specific main routines. Using "X" on windows may mean minimizing only. "Is the software still active and in control...?" - "No clue..")
I mostly use OBS in maximized mode on windows. So there isn't even the "X". Using Alt-F4 is counterintuitive because its the last-man-standing for the last 25 years for me if (and when) windows struggles with closing something or its last desktop explorer instance.
So the solely single possibility for me is the upper left menu. No improvement, really. IMHO.
(I'm programming Labview applications for industrial use even on heavy huge machines. Even there is typically (nearly always) a red colored rectangled button in the lower right saying "EXIT" in the meaning of "you may quit here the controlling software of the machine... if you're sure what you're doin here...". Well. If there are ongoing uninterruptible actions in the very moment that button may be grayed-out and deactived to prevent accidential use, but the button is always there in such software. Well. Its sometimes named "SHUTDOWN". But the purpose is the same: To have a clear reachable and defined way to shut down and finalize specific main routines. Using "X" on windows may mean minimizing only. "Is the software still active and in control...?" - "No clue..")
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AndryS1
New Member
As mentioned earlier, it would be nice to at least add the option to bring it back. I have been using OBS for over 7 years, and my muscle memory makes me exit using this button. (Well, that is, open the settings now.)
Sure, you can close it with the X button, but since OBS has a tray mode, I have a subconscious feeling that this may hide it rather than close it. This is what Discord, Steam, Skype, Teams, Telegram, torrent clients, and many other programs do.
I have an option that I use with almost all programs: File -> Exit, but it is on the other side of the screen, and the active area I used was mainly at the bottom (Controls, sound settings, and scene elements).
“It takes up a lot of space” is the main argument, but why not make a customizable Controls panel? Let the user customize what they want to see there: Replay buffer, Virtual Camera, Stream, Recording, Exit. Not everyone uses everything at once, but many find it convenient to have these things in one place.
Sure, you can close it with the X button, but since OBS has a tray mode, I have a subconscious feeling that this may hide it rather than close it. This is what Discord, Steam, Skype, Teams, Telegram, torrent clients, and many other programs do.
I have an option that I use with almost all programs: File -> Exit, but it is on the other side of the screen, and the active area I used was mainly at the bottom (Controls, sound settings, and scene elements).
“It takes up a lot of space” is the main argument, but why not make a customizable Controls panel? Let the user customize what they want to see there: Replay buffer, Virtual Camera, Stream, Recording, Exit. Not everyone uses everything at once, but many find it convenient to have these things in one place.
Couin
New Member
Hi,
I updated OBS and see the Exit button is missing :(
I always use it to quit the program... I know there are other methods for exiting but it's not the question... There is enough room in the Controls dock to keep it (or make optional to remove it, and also make optional to remove Studio Mode and Virtual Camera buttons).
obsproject.com
WTF ?! How to Start/Stop stream and recording without this dock?
I updated OBS and see the Exit button is missing :(
I always use it to quit the program... I know there are other methods for exiting but it's not the question... There is enough room in the Controls dock to keep it (or make optional to remove it, and also make optional to remove Studio Mode and Virtual Camera buttons).
OBS Studio 31.1 Beta
Disclaimer: This is a test build, not a full release. Please ensure you make a backup of your scene collection and profile. This build may contain bugs or broken functionality. For production usage, we still recommend using the latest stable build of OBS. If you are willing to test this build...
WTF ?! How to Start/Stop stream and recording without this dock?
oreharvester
New Member
since they removed the exit button, i've persistently been getting a 'start in safe mode' error window every time i start obs now because they apparently didnt give us a safe way to exit the software? why make a ui change like this anyway? i've actually started looking for a replacement software because obs is buggy now.