How to download OBS

You have decided to open a channel on YouTube to give vent to your passion for video games and in addition to posting reviews and unboxing of the new titles purchased, you would also like to make live videos and upload the recordings of your gameplay. Unfortunately, having never had to deal with streaming broadcasts and screen recordings, you have no idea how to do this. How do you say? This is exactly how things are and you would like me to help you. Well, if so, I recommend you try using OBS.

If you have never heard of it, OBS (acronym for Open Broadcaster Software) is an open source program that allows you to both record locally and broadcast live on the Internet, with the ability to change scene according to your needs. It also allows you to set the audio and video sources to record, also choosing their quality and output format (MP4, MKV, FLV and MOV). It is easy to use and also allows automatic configuration so as not to waste too much time in setting the recording and transmission parameters.

If you think it might actually be the right solution for you, don’t waste any more time and get to know this software right away. Come on, make yourself comfortable, take five minutes free and let me tell you how to download OBS to your computer. Read carefully my guide on the subject and you will find all the information you need to download and install the program. I wish you a big good luck!

Index

• Preliminary information
• How to download and install OBS Studio
  • How to download OBS on PC
  • How to download OBS on Mac
• How to use OBS

Preliminary information

Before getting to the heart of the guide, going to explain how to download OBS , there is some preliminary information that it is my duty to provide you to allow you to have a perfectly clear idea about this program and avoid problems.

First, know that OBS is available for both Windows and macOS (as well as Linux ). To work on each of these operating systems, the computer must meet the following minimum requirements , otherwise it is not possible to install the program or otherwise use it correctly.

Windows

• Operating system: Windows 8.1, Windows 10 or Windows 11
• GPU: DirectX 10.1 compatible

macOS

• Operating system: macOS “High Sierra” (10.13) or later
• CPU: Intel or Apple Silicon
• GPU: Compatible with OpenGL 3.3

For further details, I suggest you consult the specific information web page that you find on the OBS website.

How to download and install OBS Studio

At this point, I’d say we’re there: you can finally take action and, therefore, go and find out how to download and install OBS studio . Find out how to proceed on both PC and Mac right below.

How to download OBS on PC

If you are interested in understanding how to download OBS on PC , then on Windows, first of all connect to the official website of the program and click on the Windows button under the heading OBS Studio to start downloading the installation file.

Alternatively, click on the Download item in the top menu and, in the new open page, make sure that the Windows logo is selected (otherwise you can do it yourself). Now, scroll down the page and choose the download solution that best suits your needs by clicking on one of the options visible on the right: Download Installer (to download the latest version of OBS), Download installar (32 bit) (for the program download for 32-bit Windows versions ), Download via Bittorrrent (to download the OBS Torrent file) or Download ZIP(to start downloading a ZIP package containing the OBS installation files, which works only on 64-bit Windows ). Furthermore, please note that by clicking on the Previous Releases button , you can access the previous versions of the software and download the one of your interest.

If you chose to download the OBS installer, once the download is complete you are ready to install the software. Then open the OBS-Studio- [version] -Full-Installer-x64 / 32.exe file you just obtained and click on the Yes button in the window you see appearing on your desktop, to allow OBS to make changes to your computer. Then, click on the Next button (twice in a row) and on the Install button . Then wait for the progress bar relating to the completion of the installation to reach 100% and press the Finish button to complete the setup.

Then wait for the program to start automatically, if this does not happen you can proceed “manually”, selecting the relative shortcut added to the desktop or the one present in the Start menu that you can also use to run OBS the following times.

If, on the other hand, you have chosen to download the program in ZIP format, right-click on the OBS-Studio- [version] -Full-x64.zip file you just obtained, select the Extract all option from the menu that opens and click on the button Extract in the window you see appear on the desktop, to extract the OBS installation files. You can also use programs to open ZIP files other than the default Windows function.

Now, open the folder you just extracted, click on the bin folder inside it, then click on the 64bit folder , then locate the OBS64.exe file and double-click on it to start the program without installing it. Then press the Run button in the window you see appear and that’s it.

If, on the other hand, on the Download OBS Studio page of the official website of the program you have clicked on the Download via BitTorrent button , make sure you have installed on your computer one of the programs to download files from the BitTorrent network, such as qBittorrent. Then click twice on the OBS-Studio- [version] -Full-Installer-x64 / 32.exe file to add it to one of the aforementioned programs and wait for the download to complete, then repeat the installation procedure described above .

How to download OBS on Mac

Let’s see, now, how to download OBS on Mac . First of all, always go to the official website of the software , then click on the macOS [version] button on the main page under the heading OBS Studio , in order to start the download.

Alternatively, click on the word Download at the top and, in the new page displayed, make sure that the macOS logo is selected (otherwise you can do it yourself). At this point, scroll down the page and choose the download solution you prefer by clicking on one of the options on the right: Download Installer (to download the latest version of OBS) or Download via Bittorrrent (to download the OBS Torrent file ). If you then want to get the previous versions of the software, click on the Previous Releases button to access the page that contains them.

After completing the procedure to download OBS, if you had opted to download the installer, double-click on the obs-mac- [version] file. dmg.pkg got just now and, through the window which opened on the desktop, drag the ‘ icon of OBS on’ icon in the Applications folder .

Subsequently, reach the macOS Applications folder through the Finder , right-click on the OBS icon in it, select the Open item from the context menu and then press the Open button , in order to start the program going to circumvent the limitations imposed from Apple to non-certified developers (operation that must be carried out only at the first start).

Then wait for the OBS window to appear on the screen. The next times you can instead start the program by simply selecting the OBS icon added to the Launchpad.

Afterwards, remember to deactivate the OBS installation package, by clicking on the Eject symbol that you find in its correspondence in the Finder sidebar , by dragging the program icon on the desktop to the Trash on the Dock bar or by right clicking on it and by choosing the Eject “OBS-Studio [version]” item from the menu that appears.

If, on the other hand, you had chosen to download OBS from the BitTorrent network, double click on the obs-mac- [version] -dmg.torrent file to open it automatically with one of the programs for downloading files from the BitTorrent network. Once the OBS installer has been downloaded from the BitTorrent network, double-click on the file obtained and put into practice the installation procedure described above.

How to use OBS

After completing the procedure to download OBS Studio you will surely be wondering how to use the program. The operation of the software is quite simple and is practically identical on both Windows and macOS.

Therefore, first of all complete the initial configuration procedure that is proposed to you at the first start. From the Wizard Automatic Configuration window that appears in addition to the main software window , indicate what you want to use OBS for by choosing from one of the following options: Optimize for live broadcasts, recordings are less important , Optimize only for recordings, I don’t do direct or I ‘ll use only the virtual camera .

Then, click on the Next button , specify the video settings you want to use via the Basic Resolution and Framing menus (if you do not have specific needs, you can also leave the parameters already set), press the Next button again and wait for the encryption is completed, then click the Apply settings button.

At this point, what you need to do to start recording with OBS is to set up the video and audio sources and click the Start Recording button . To proceed, locate the Scenes box at the bottom and make sure there is at least one scene. If not, click the (+) button and then hit the OK button to create the scene needed for recording.

Next, click on the (+) button relative to the Sources box , select one of the available options and adjust its properties. If, for example, you want to make a recording of your computer’s desktop, choose the Capture screen option .

In the Audio Mixer section visible at the bottom you can manage the sounds captured by the microphone and those played by your computer, setting the audio and applying any filters. Finally, if you have created more than one scene, you must know that you can switch between them and choose whether to apply transition transitions that you can set using the drop-down menu in the Scene transitions box.

Before starting the recording, by clicking on the Settings button you can also set the video resolution, audio channels, create keyboard shortcuts and much more. When you are ready to record, click on the Start Recording button , while clicking on the Stop Recording button you can stop the recording and save it on your computer.

If, on the other hand, you want to broadcast live on the Internet, keep in mind that OBS is already set up to do so on platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook etc. To do this, therefore, all you have to do is click on the OBS Settings button , select the Direct option in the left sidebar of the additional window that opens, select the service of your interest from the appropriate drop-down menu on the right, enter the stream key in your possession, configure any other options, click the OK button to save the changes and click the Start transmission button .

For further information on the use of OBS, I recommend reading my guides dedicated specifically to how Open Broadcaster Software works and how to record with OBS.