Nothing shows up in OBS
OBS Studio is just black in the browser source; potentially you hear audio, but nothing else.
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OBS Studio is just black in the browser source; potentially you hear audio, but nothing else.
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Check OBS hardware acceleration settings
Enable or disable "Browser Source Hardware Acceleration" in OBS advanced settings
Run OBS as Administrator (for Windows users)
This can resolve permission-related issues affecting video capture
Try a different network connection
Switch between WiFi and cellular, or use a VPN to bypass potential network restrictions, or disable any VPN in use
Your stream ID changed, entered incorrectly, or other setting / parameter is incorrect
Try using a different browser to publish with; try Firefox, Edge, Chrome, or even the .
Switch to Ethernet or try to / Internet connection
Increase the , especially if
Ensure your computer is not overloaded, especially in
If issues only exist for guests in a room, consider using or increase the
Ensure that the "Enable Browser Source Hardware Acceleration" checkbox is checked in the advanced settings.
If you get black video when it's checked:
Try unchecking the Hardware Acceleration checkbox (may be choppy and use more CPU)
Run OBS Studio as an Administrator
Update OBS Studio to the newest version (fully uninstall old version first)
If using OBS 64-bit, try the 32-bit version instead
Enable Compatibility Mode for OBS (right-click OBS icon → properties)
Ensure you have started in Administrator mode
Old versions of OBS, such as OBS v24 to v26.0 do not natively support VDO.Ninja, but version 26.1.2 and newer does.
For Android smartphones, try using Firefox instead of Chrome if having issues
For Samsung A-series smartphones (especially Galaxy A12), try different browsers or the native Android app
Restart your smartphone if it suddenly stops working properly
Commonly when this happens the video output might be just black
Check the stats while using VDO.NInja by adding &stats to the VDO.Ninja URL
If video is choppy, ensure there is no packet loss and that your computer is not overloaded
If in Iran, China, Russia, or other sanctioned/restricted country, WebRTC may be blocked; try using a VPN or self-host VDO.Ninja instead.
If behind a corporate firewall, try switching to cellular network or talking to your IT department
If using PFSense or a PiHole:
Try bypassing it or using a different network
Whitelist the IP address of the remote camera source
Allow webRTC-related UDP traffic to prevent frame loss
Disable any anti-virus or other security software temporarily for testing
Make sure you have not disabled webRTC in your browser settings
If using Brave or other privacy focused browser, ensure the VPN isn't turned on
Try a different browser in general, or a different computer/network
If on cellular, try switching to a different network
If issues persist on one network type, try another (WiFi vs. cellular)
Try with or without a VPN, such as speedify.com, to see if it helps.
Speedify does offer a 1GB free usage tier I believe that's suitable for testing
Update your graphics card drivers, especially after a fresh install
Switch the GPU used by OBS if using an NVidia GPU (via Nvidia control center)
For laptops:
Check this guide: https://obsproject.com/wiki/Laptop-Troubleshooting#for-nvidia-based-laptops
Disable power-saving mode
Connect power directly to wall outlet
If your computer is running at high CPU/GPU load:
Lower browser source resolution to 1280x720 or even 640x360
Try using H264 codec (add &codec=h264 to the view links)
Specify custom frame rate of 30 in browser source options
Try adding &meshcast to your push link to use the SFU service
Try different video codecs by adding parameters:
&codec=h264 (often best for performance)
&codec=vp9 (may help with specific devices)
If hardware acceleration is unchecked, check it and restart
If it's checked but not working, try unchecking it
In OBS Settings → Advanced menu, try toggling "Browser source hardware acceleration"
Consider using Cloud-hosted version of OBS (Paperspace or AWS with Parsec)
WHIP protocol may have NAT traversal issues (not fully supported yet)
Try alternative connection methods if WHIP fails to connect
Restart all devices involved (computer, phone, router) before extended troubleshooting
If a device was working before but suddenly isn't, try a simple restart first
For persistent issues, consider trying an entirely different device or browser
Consider network congestion during peak hours as a possible cause of intermittent issues
If you're experiencing issues with PFSense, check its logs for blocked connections
Make sure you haven't limited the frame rate in the OBS browser source to something like 30-fps
Always update to the latest browser versions as WebRTC support improves with each update
Use the Electron Capture app if you are using a non-compatible version of OBS. > <
Run the speed test at or to verify the connection works
Use diagnostic tools at , https://browserleaks.com/webrtc, or https://networktest.twilio.com/ to ensure WebRTC is enabled
Download Electron Capture app instead of using OBS browser source:
Can't publish WHIP via OBS outside your LAN? .
Try an older version of VDO.Ninja, such as
