How to Show an App in OBS Studio? A Step-by-Step Guide

by

Whether you’re live streaming gameplay, hosting a webinar, demonstrating software, or recording a tutorial, knowing how to show an app in OBS Studio is an essential skill. OBS Studio is one of the most powerful and flexible broadcasting tools available today—and it’s completely free. While its interface may look intimidating at first, displaying an app on your stream or recording is actually straightforward once you understand the basics.

TLDR: To show an app in OBS Studio, you need to create a new Scene and add the appropriate Source—usually Window Capture, Display Capture, or Game Capture. Select the specific application from the source properties and adjust your settings for optimal performance. Fine-tune audio, resolution, and layering to ensure everything looks professional. With a few simple steps, you’ll be streaming or recording your app seamlessly.

Understanding the Basics of OBS Studio

Before diving into the steps, it’s important to understand how OBS Studio works. OBS is built around two core components:

  • Scenes – These are collections of sources. Think of a scene as a layout or workspace.
  • Sources – These are the individual elements that appear in your scene, such as apps, images, webcams, text, or audio.

To show an app, you simply add it as a Source within a Scene. OBS gives you several options to capture apps, and choosing the right one depends on what kind of application you’re trying to display.

Image not found in postmeta

Step 1: Create or Select a Scene

When you open OBS Studio, you’ll see the Scenes panel in the lower-left corner.

  1. If you don’t already have a scene, click the + button under the Scenes panel.
  2. Name your scene (for example, “App Demo” or “Streaming Layout”).
  3. Click OK.

If you already have a scene set up, simply click on it to select it before adding your app.

Tip: You can create multiple scenes for different purposes—one for gameplay, one for tutorials, and another for presentations.

Step 2: Choose the Right Capture Method

Now comes the important part: selecting the correct way to capture your app. OBS provides three main methods:

1. Window Capture (Best for Most Apps)

This is the most common method for displaying software, browsers, productivity tools, and non-fullscreen applications.

  • Click the + button under the Sources panel.
  • Select Window Capture.
  • Name the source and click OK.
  • From the dropdown list, choose the app window you want to display.
  • Click OK.

When to use it: Tutorials, coding demonstrations, PowerPoint presentations, browser windows, or productivity apps.

2. Display Capture (Captures Your Entire Screen)

Display Capture records everything on your monitor—your desktop, taskbar, and any active applications.

  • Click the + under Sources.
  • Select Display Capture.
  • Choose the monitor (if using multiple screens).
  • Click OK.

When to use it: When your app doesn’t appear in Window Capture or frequently switches between windows.

Warning: Viewers will see everything on your screen, including notifications and background apps.

3. Game Capture (Best for Games)

If your app is a game running in fullscreen mode, Game Capture is the ideal choice.

  • Add a new source.
  • Select Game Capture.
  • Choose “Capture specific window.”
  • Select your game from the dropdown menu.

When to use it: Fullscreen games or applications that use hardware acceleration.

Step 3: Adjust and Resize the App Window

Once added, your app will appear in the OBS preview area. You can adjust it by:

  • Clicking and dragging the red bounding box corners to resize.
  • Dragging inside the box to reposition it.
  • Holding Alt while dragging to crop edges.

This is especially helpful if you want to:

  • Remove unnecessary margins.
  • Create split-screen layouts.
  • Add a webcam overlay next to the app.

To maintain proportions while resizing, hold the Shift key.

Step 4: Check Audio Settings

If your app produces sound—like a media player, browser video, or game—you need to ensure OBS captures it.

Go to:

  1. Settings → Audio
  2. Under “Desktop Audio,” select your primary output device.

You should now see audio levels moving in the Audio Mixer panel when the app plays sound.

Pro Tip: To capture audio from a specific app only, consider using tools like virtual audio cables for advanced audio routing.

Step 5: Optimize Resolution and Performance

Showing an app smoothly requires proper configuration.

Navigate to Settings → Video and check:

  • Base Canvas Resolution – Match this to your monitor resolution.
  • Output Resolution – Set this based on streaming platform requirements (e.g., 1920×1080).
  • FPS – 30 FPS for tutorials, 60 FPS for games.

If you experience lag:

  • Lower the output resolution.
  • Reduce FPS.
  • Close unnecessary applications.

OBS can be resource-intensive, so optimizing these settings ensures smoother performance.

Step 6: Layer Your Sources Like a Pro

Sources in OBS behave like layers in a graphic design program. The source at the top of the list appears in front.

For example:

  • App Window (bottom layer)
  • Webcam (above app)
  • Text overlay or logo (top layer)

You can drag sources up or down in the Sources panel to rearrange them.

This allows you to create professional layouts for:

  • Live coding sessions
  • Online lessons
  • Product demos
  • Gaming streams

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

App Is Not Showing Up

  • Make sure the app is open before selecting it.
  • Run OBS as an administrator.
  • Try switching from Window Capture to Display Capture.

Black Screen Issue

  • Check if OBS and the app use the same GPU (important for laptops).
  • Update your graphics drivers.
  • Switch capture method.

Lag or Stuttering

  • Lower encoder settings under Settings → Output.
  • Use hardware encoding (NVENC or AMD) if available.
  • Reduce background processes.

Advanced Tips for Professional Results

Once you’ve mastered the basics, consider these enhancements:

  • Filters: Right-click your source to add color correction, cropping, or scaling filters.
  • Transitions: Add smooth transitions between scenes for polished streams.
  • Hotkeys: Set keyboard shortcuts under Settings → Hotkeys to switch scenes or start recording quickly.
  • Studio Mode: Use Studio Mode to preview changes before going live.

Studio Mode is especially useful for avoiding mistakes during live broadcasts.

When to Use Multiple Scenes

Instead of one scene, you can create multiple scenes for:

  • Starting Soon screen
  • Main app demonstration
  • Break screen
  • Ending screen

Switching between them creates a more dynamic and professional viewing experience.

Final Thoughts

Showing an app in OBS Studio may seem complex at first, but it’s surprisingly simple once you understand how Scenes and Sources work together. In most cases, adding a Window Capture source is all it takes. From there, resizing, layering, and optimizing settings give you complete control over how your application appears to viewers.

Whether you’re a gamer, educator, business professional, or content creator, mastering this skill opens the door to high-quality streams and recordings. OBS offers unmatched flexibility—so experiment with layouts, tweak your settings, and build a setup that fits your personal style.

With a little practice, you’ll be displaying apps in OBS Studio like a pro.