OBS Studio

Your OBS Studio recorder is downloading

OBS Studio is on its way from the official GitHub release for Windows x64. The next hour covers finishing the Nullsoft installer, building one scene, wiring audio, picking an encoder, testing a short record, setting hotkeys, and updating through the same door you used to install.

By OBS Studio editorial team Current release OBS Studio 32.2.2, published August 14, 2026

Download OBS Studio 32.2.2

Pick your system and the download starts.

Windows

Download Windows x64 installer OBS-Studio-32.2.2-Windows-x64-Installer.exe · 152 MB · August 14, 2026

Prefer the command line? Paste into PowerShell or Windows Terminal:

winget install -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudio

Windows x64; default install %ProgramFiles%\obs-studio.

Star the repository. A star on obsproject/obs-studio helps other Windows users find the real repository next to lookalike names. Follow releases. Subscribe to /releases.xml so you see new Windows x64 installer assets when OBS Project publishes them.

The first hour with your recorder

Work the eight steps in order so you do not redo the scene later. Finish the installer before you chase plugins. Build one scene before you touch stream keys. Confirm audio meters before a long take. Pick an encoder only after a test file plays back. Hotkeys come after you know Start Recording works. Updates use the same winget id or GitHub exe you already trust. Longer install context: install on Windows, winget, and for this computer.

OBS Studio main window with scenes, sources, audio mixer, and preview of a live layout on Windows.
Official still: the Windows mixer and preview after a local install. Official obsproject.com still, captured 2026-09-02.

Showing steps for your system. Switch:

  1. Finish the Windows installer. If you used winget, wait until winget install -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudio exits cleanly. If you ran OBS-Studio-*-Windows-x64-Installer.exe, complete the Nullsoft prompts. Windows may show SmartScreen or UAC naming OBS Project / OBS Studio. Allow the machine-scope setup. Default location is %ProgramFiles%\obs-studio.
  2. Open OBS Studio and keep the first scene. Launch from the Start menu. Auto-configuration may offer a quick encoder and resolution guess. Accept a sensible default for now, or skip and set Output later. You need one scene in the Scenes dock before sources appear on the canvas.
  3. Add a protective source choice. Prefer Window Capture for the first test instead of the whole desktop. That keeps passwords and other windows out of the take. Name the source clearly. If the preview is black, switch between Window, Display, and Game Capture until the canvas fills. Details: first scene guide.
  4. Wire the companion pieces: mic and desktop audio. Watch the mixer meters. Add Audio Input Capture for your microphone if it is silent. Desktop audio should move when a video plays. Filters can wait. You only need levels that peak without clipping on a short talk test.
  5. Bring an existing layout habit in. If you used Game Bar clips, pick the same window you used to capture with Win+G and recreate it as a source in OBS Studio. Nothing imports automatically from Game Bar. Walkthrough: move off Game Bar and switch from Game Bar.
  6. Turn off the capture that now conflicts. If Game Bar or another recorder still binds the same hotkey or hooks the same game, disable background recording for that take so OBS Studio owns the capture. You can leave Game Bar installed; just avoid two encoders writing the same window at once.
  7. Set comfort controls: encoder and hotkeys. In Settings, Output, choose a recording folder you own. For NVIDIA GPUs, NVENC may appear when the driver supports it; read current release notes rather than freezing a driver number. Map Start Recording and Stop Recording to keys you will remember.
  8. Test record, then plan updates. Hit Start Recording, speak for ten seconds, stop, and play the file from the folder you set. Confirm video and mic. Update OBS Studio later with winget upgrade -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudio or the current GitHub x64 installer. Same door you used today.

After the first hour, two habits matter. First, change one thing at a time: source type, then audio, then encoder, then hotkeys. Second, update through winget or GitHub Releases only, matching OBS-Studio-*-Windows-x64-Installer.exe or the winget id OBSProject.OBSStudio.

Where to go next

Frequently asked questions

The download did not start. What now?

Use the download control again, or take OBS-Studio-*-Windows-x64-Installer.exe from the current tag on GitHub Releases. The stamp shows the current release tag. Winget users can run winget install -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudio in Windows Terminal instead. Match the Windows x64 installer or winget id OBSProject.OBSStudio against the current GitHub release before you change anything else.

Do I need an account for OBS Studio?

No account is required for local recording. Streaming to Twitch, YouTube, or another platform uses that platform login. OBS Project does not require an app account before the first file lands on disk. That answer stays tied to OBS Studio on Windows x64, the current GitHub release, and the winget id OBSProject.OBSStudio mapped in this guide.

How do I know the file is genuine?

Match the publisher name OBS Project and the filename pattern OBS-Studio-*-Windows-x64-Installer.exe from github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases, or install via winget id OBSProject.OBSStudio whose InstallerUrl points at that GitHub exe. Check the release date on the tag shown in the stamp. Longer checks: download-safe.

Should I import a scene collection right away?

Not on the first hour. Build one simple scene and confirm a test file plays. Import or copy scene collections after you trust the recording path and audio meters. That avoids debugging someone else's layout before OBS Studio has produced one good local file.

Is there a mobile companion app?

OBS Studio is a desktop app for Windows here. Camera and audio sources are local devices on the PC. Remote control and companion tools exist in the wider ecosystem; start with the desktop window, then read the wiki before adding third-party remotes.