Quick Start Guide

1. Run the Auto-Configuration Wizard

First things first, let's start by setting up the best settings for your recordings and streams. The Auto-Configuration Wizard optimises OBS Studio for your needs, whether you're streaming fast-paced gameplay or recording high-fidelity video.

It takes into account what you want to do in OBS Studio, your computer's hardware resources, and your network conditions (if you're streaming).

The wizard shows the first time you run OBS Studio. If you wish to use it again, click on the Tools menu → Auto-Configuration Wizard.

2. Add Sources to your Scenes

When you start OBS Studio, you start with a blank scene by default. You can add all kinds of Sources — to show images, text, video, your webcam, game play, desktop, etc.

At the bottom of the main window is the Sources Dock. Click on the + symbol to add a source of your choice. Here are a few basic Sources to get you started:

	Display Capture Source and Window Capture Source for Windows and Linux, and macOS Screen Capture Source for macOS — capture your desktop or a single window
	Game Capture (Windows only) to capture 3D games with the highest performance
	Video Capture Source to capture your webcam and/or capture cards

For more information on the various sources, check the Sources Guide

3. Set up your Audio

By default, OBS Studio is set to capture your desktop audio and microphone. You can verify this by looking at the volume meters in the Audio Mixer (pictured left) at the bottom of the main OBS Studio window.

If they aren't moving, or you suspect the wrong device is being captured, click on Settings → Audio and select the devices manually.

4. Test your Settings

Double check that all your settings are how you want them in Settings → Output. Then, click Start Recording or Start Streaming on the Controls Dock (pictured left).

We strongly encourage running a test for a few minutes to make sure that there are no issues, rather than just jumping in to your first stream or recording.

5. There is no Step 5!

Once you're satisfied, you can go on to creating great content. That's all there is to it!