How to Use OBS to Record on a PC or Mac

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.

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This wikiHow article teaches you how to use OBS Studio to record your screen in Windows or macOS.

• Click + under “Sources" in OBS and then select Display Capture.
• Click OK within the display preview that pops up. This preview should show your desktop.
• Click Start Recording and then click Stop Recording when you are satisfied with your capture.

Recording your Screen

• If you want to record yourself playing a game, see this method.

Select the display you want to record. If you only have one video card or monitor, there’s no need to make any changes. To record a different display, select it from the “Display” drop-down menu now.

• Desktop audio: This controls the sounds coming from your computer (apps and music) during the recording.
• Mic/Aux: This controls the microphone or an external input. If you’re using a mic to speak over your recording, make sure this slider is up. If not, just move the slider all the way to the left.

Click Start Recording . It’s near the bottom-right corner of OBS. The recording will begin immediately.

• The video file is saved in your Videos folder. To access this folder, press ⊞ Win + E to open the File Explorer, then click your Videos folder in the left column.
• To change the default saving location, click Settings at the bottom-right corner of OBS, click Browse… next to “Recording Path,” then select a different folder.
• You may then have to click on the Output tab on the left column.

Recording a Game

Open the game you want to record. OBS Studio can record you playing any DirectX or OpenGL video game. [1] X Research source

Open OBS Studio on your PC or Mac. It’s in the All Apps area of the Start menu on Windows, and the Applications folder on macOS.

• If you keep the default, know that switching away from the full-screen game (such as when you press Alt + Tab ↹ ) will black out the screen until you re-open it.
• To capture only the video game, click the “Mode” menu, select capture specific window, then select your game.

• Desktop audio: This controls the volume of the sound coming from the game, as well as any other open apps.
• Mic/Aux: This controls the microphone or an external input. If you’re using a mic to speak over your recording, make sure this slider is up. If not, just move the slider all the way to the left.

Click Start Recording . It’s near the bottom-right corner of OBS. The recording will begin immediately.

• The video file is saved in your Videos folder. To access this folder, press ⊞ Win + E to open the File Explorer, then click your Videos folder in the left column.
• To change the default saving location, click Settings at the bottom-right corner of OBS, click Browse… next to “Recording Path,” then select a different folder.

Community Q&A

It should come as an .exe or a .dmg, which means that clicking on it should launch it without the help of any external programs.

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It may not be in a format supported by your video player. Try converting it to a different file type.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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