Nothing shows up in OBS

OBS Studio is just black in the browser source; potentially you hear audio, but nothing else.

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 native app.

Switch to Ethernet or try to improve your WiFI / Internet connection
Increase the video bitrate, especially if streaming a game
Ensure your computer is not overloaded, especially in larger group rooms
If issues only exist for guests in a room, consider using &meshcast or increase the total room bitrate

VDO.Ninja Troubleshooting Guide

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.
- Use the Electron Capture app if you are using a non-compatible version of OBS. > Get it here <

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

Run the speed test at https://vdo.ninja/speedtest or https://vdo.ninja/check to verify the connection works
Use diagnostic tools at https://vdo.ninja/browsercheck, https://browserleaks.com/webrtc, or https://networktest.twilio.com/ to ensure WebRTC is enabled
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"
Disabling or enabling the hardware acceleration in OBS can sometimes fix choppy or missing video.

Download Electron Capture app instead of using OBS browser source: http://electroncapture.app
Consider using Cloud-hosted version of OBS (Paperspace or AWS with Parsec)

WHIP protocol may have NAT traversal issues (not fully supported yet)
Can't publish WHIP via OBS outside your LAN? Download our patched OBS version. [source]
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
Try an older version of VDO.Ninja, such as https://vdo.ninja/v27.4/

Last updated 3 months ago

Was this helpful?