How to Stop OBS From Freezing or Shuttering

Highlights

• The OBS Studio freezing or lagging is a common GPU or Graphics card issue.
• To stop OBS from freezing, update the graphics card, lower the GPU consumption, and adjust the OBS settings to be compatible with your PC specifications.
• The best alternative to OBS Studio is the lightweight EaseUS RecExperts. The software is a professional screen recorder with excellent features and works with all types of PCs.

OBS Studio makes screen recording and live streaming pretty easy. For gamers, OBS is the first choice game recording to showcase their skills. But, lately, the OBS Studio has been freezing constantly and halting the video recording abruptly. If you are also facing the same issues with the app on Windows 10/11, we have solutions to fix it. Learn how to stop OBS from freezing with simple fixes and get back to recording your game in no time.

Why Does Freezing Occur When You Record With OBS

If your OBS freezes or lags, a few reasons contribute to this. To understand the fixes we will apply, let us first understand the possible reasons to avoid such OBS lags in the future.

• Outdated Graphics Drivers: If your drivers are outdated or faulty, you cannot capture your screen in USD quality, and the app tends to lag or freeze.
• Outdated Network Adapter Drivers: Faulty or outdated Network Adapter drivers result in network issues, affecting OBS video recording.
• Unstable Network Connection: For streaming or playing, you need a stable network connection for OBS, or else the freezing will happen.
• Overloading the GPU consumption: If there is an overload on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) due to the other applications, it impacts the OBS performance.
• Issues with Windows Firewall: The Windows Defender may interfere with the app or its functions, considering it a threat.
• Bitrate: If the OBS video bitrate is high, the app needs considerable resources to maintain the quality.
• Video Resolution: Recording or Streaming high-resolution games strains the system resources, slowing down the performance.
• Windows Incompatibility: If the OBS version is incompatible with the Windows version, you cannot run it properly.

How to Fix OBS Freezing Issues

Now, all you have to do to fix the OBS freezing while recording is to follow the practical solutions. The fixes below try to tackle the possible reasons.

1. Update the Graphics Card Drivers

OBS is a high-end software requiring seamless graphic card functionality to capture high-quality everything on screen. If the drivers are outdated or faults, it may impact OBS performance. Some users even complained of OBS not recording full screen game due to obsolete cards. Let us see how to update the drivers.

Step 1. Search for the Device Manager app on your device.

Step 2. Expand the Display Adapters.

Step 3. Right-click on the Graphic card of your device and select Update.

Step 4. Click on Search Automatically for drivers. Restart the PC to see if the issue gets resolved.

2. Update the Network Adapters Drivers

If OBS freezes while playing or streaming, the network adapter drivers can also be a reason. The incompatibility between the app and drivers will hamper the app's performance.

Step 1. Open Device Manager on your PC.

Step 2. Expand the Network Adapters to see the list of adapters available.

Step 3. Right-click on your network adapter and click Update Driver.

Step 4. Restart your system after installing the latest drivers.

3. Check the Internet Connection

While live streaming on OBS, if there is a constant Shuttering or freezing problem, the issue may be due to unreliable internet. The abrupt fps drop also indicates the same. So, it is viable to check your connection speed using the tools. You can also power cycle your router or modem to see if it works.

Hold your router's power button, and disconnect the ethernet and power. Wait a few seconds and restart the modem to see if the issue is gone. If the internet speed is not good, contact your service provider.

4. Lower the OBS GPU Consumption

If there is a mismatch between the resources needed to run the OBS smoothly and the available resources, you can face freezing on OBS. The OBS cannot render the game scenes or live streaming. Let us see how we can lower the GPU consumption of OBS.

Step 1. Open OBS software on the PC.

Step 2. Click on the Sources at the bottom, and right-click on the Game Capture option. Now, select the Properties.

Step 3. Find the Limit Capture Framerate box and check it. Later, click OK to save the changes.

Step 4. Restart the app to see if the freezing and lagging go away.

5. Check the Firewall & Security Settings

There are chances that your system's Firewall (Windows Security) may interfere with some features of OBS or the entire app. So, please check the Firewall and Network settings and allow the app to pass through. Let us see how we can do it.

Step 1. Press Windows + I to open the Settings.

Step 2. Navigate to Privacy & Security > Windows Security> Firewall & Network Protection.

Step 3. Tap the Allow an app through the firewall.

Step 4. Click on Change Settings > Allow an app.

Step 5. Now, add the OBS app from the listed apps to bypass the firewall, and click OK.

Now, check if the OBS freezing issues are resolved. If not, you can follow the same method and remove it from Firewall Protection.

6. Change the OBS Settings to suit your computer

OBS's full screen recorder is primarily used by many for gameplay recording and live streaming. Many users set the bitrate and resolution very high to achieve HD quality. But if you are playing high-end games and recording them simultaneously, it could put extreme pressure on the CPU and Graphics card. If they cannot render the image on screen, you will experience an OBS frozen screen. So, the solution is to lower the bitrate and adjust the resolution to ensure the system allocates resources appropriately.

Step 1. Launch the OBS on your PC or laptop.

Step 2. Open Settings and navigate to the Output section.

To lower Bitrate:

Step 3. The optimal bitrate for low to mid-end PCs is around 4000kbps for video and 320 Kbps for audio. Use the navigation and change the bitrate to avoid the OBS freezing.

To adjust resolution:

Step 4. Go to the Video section, and use the Base Resolution and Common FPS values to alter the resolution and frame rate according to your PC.

7. Run the OBS App in Compatibility Settings

Sometimes, your Windows version may not be compatible with the OBS to run smoothly. We can try running OBS in compatibility settings to see if it works.

Step 1. Open the OBS Studio file location, right-click on it, and select Properties.

Step 2. Navigate to the Compatibility tab.

Step 3. Check the Run this program in compatibility mode for option and select your operating system under Compatibility mode.

Step 4. Click on Run compatibility troubleshooter. Once done, click on OK, and Apply to save the changes.

8. Reinstall the OBS

If nothing works for you, you may have to reinstall the app.

Step 1. Press Windows + R at once to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Enter appwiz.cpl and click OK.

Step 3. Right-click on OBS Studio and click Uninstall.

Step 4. Go to the Official OBS Studio website and download the latest version.

Bonus Tip: Recording with a Screen Recorder

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OBS Studio is a resource-intensive app and is complex to use. While it offers great customization to record gameplay videos, you may face constant issues while running the game and OBS simultaneously. If the problems with OBS persist, you need lightweight screen recorder software to capture your gameplay in HD resolution.

EaseUS RecExperts is an unlimited screen recorder, that is simple to use and has all the necessary features to make gameplay walkthroughs, informative videos, etc. With the help of multiple screen recording modes, schedule recording, and webcam overlay, you can capture the gameplay and yourself at once. Even more, the software captures the system and microphone audio simultaneously.

Once you finish recording, edit the video, reduce the unwanted noise, and download the output in various formats. Use the free trial now to record your screen now.

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Key Features:

• Capture your screen in 4K/8K resolution with up to 144 fps.
• Flexible modes to record screen and webcam are available.
• Captures the desktop and microphone audio.
• Allows video and audio editing to make professional videos.

You can share this article with more people who also encounter the OBS freezing issues.

Conclusion

Running high-end games or apps and screen recording them with resource-intensive software can affect your system performance. The same issue may halt your game recording with OBS, so learn how to stop OBS from freezing in this post. If you use a low-end PC and want to capture your screen for gameplay, tutorials, or informative content, the best way is to use EaseUS RecExperts.

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How to Stop OBS From Freezing FAQs

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions on how to stop OBS from crashing or freezing. If you have similar queries, I hope this will help you.

1. How do I stop OBS from crashing?

To stop OBS from crashing:

Step 1. Update the Graphics card drivers.

Step 2. Adjust the resolution, bitrate, and FPS

Step 3. Modify OBS compatibility.

Step 4. Lower GPU consumption.

Step 5. Reinstall OBS Studio.

2. How do I make OBS run smoother?

To run the OBS smoother, keep your graphic cards up to date. Also, configure the FPS, resolution, and bitrate according to your system specs.

3. What is the best FPS setting for OBS?

The best FPS setting for OBS is 60 FPS. For live streaming and recording, 60fps is quite viable to capture with high quality. If you have a low-end PC, you can switch to 30 FPS.