OBSPLUGINS
How to install OBS plugins safely, and which ones are worth it
Install OBS plugins without downloading anything sketchy: installer or manual copy, the OBS 32 Plugin Manager, and four open source plugins streamers use.
Short answer
Before you start
- An up-to-date OBS Studio (32.2.2 is the stable release as of 9 October 2026)
- Windows 10 or 11, or macOS 13 or newer
- Admin rights on your computer so you can install software
- The exact plugin name, so you don't land on a knockoff
- OBS fully closed before you install anything
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Step by step
- 01
Download plugins only from obsproject.com or the official GitHub
OBS Knowledge Base: Plugins Guide ↗You saw a plugin in a video, searched for it, and got a site covered in giant Download buttons. Close that tab. OBS plugins are made by the community, not the OBS team, and the official list lives on the OBS forum at obsproject.com/forum/plugins.
Open the plugin's page on that forum and click Go to download. If that link takes you to the author's official GitHub, you're still in a safe place. If a site asks you to pay for OBS, it's a scam. OBS is free, and its own help page says so.
What you should see: You're on an obsproject.com/forum/resources page that shows the plugin name, its version, and the Minimum OBS Studio Version and Supported Platforms fields.
- 02
Check your OBS version against the plugin's minimum
OBS Studio GitHub: 32.0.0 release notes ↗Open OBS and go to Help, Check For Updates. As of 9 October 2026 the stable release is 32.2.2, from 14 August. Version 33.0 is still a release candidate.
Then look at Minimum OBS Studio Version on the plugin page. Your OBS has to be that version or newer. It cuts the other way too: since 32.0, OBS won't load plugins built for a newer OBS than the one you're running. The official guide lists two more reasons a plugin won't work: it doesn't exist for your operating system, or it isn't built for your processor type.
What you should see: OBS says you're on the latest version or offers an update, and the plugin's minimum version is the same as yours or lower.
- 03
Close OBS, then run the installer
Nicole Rojas | YouTube | 1:33 ↗A lot of popular plugins come with an installer, a .exe on Windows or a .pkg on a Mac. That's the easy route, because the installer puts every file where it belongs.
Quit OBS completely before you open the installer. Nicole shows this in her countdown timer video: if OBS is still open, the installer tells you to close it. Windows may warn you about an unrecognized app. Before you click Run anyway, make sure the file came from the official page you opened in step 1 and that the filename matches the official release. If it doesn't, don't run it. Nicole's video is in Spanish.
What you should see: The installer finishes without the warning that OBS is still running.
- 04
Got a ZIP instead? Copy the folder yourself
OBS Knowledge Base: Plugins Guide ↗Some plugins only ship as a .zip. On Windows, the folder OBS recommends is C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins. Paste that path into the File Explorer address bar and copy the plugin's folder inside. That folder needs a bin folder with a 64bit folder in it for the .dll, and a data folder with a locale folder in it for the .ini files.
The old location, C:\Program Files\obs-studio\obs-plugins\64bit, still exists, but OBS warns that plugins there will stop working in a future version. On a Mac, the folder is ~/Library/Application Support/obs-studio/plugins, and each plugin is a bundle ending in .plugin.
What you should see: A new folder named after the plugin shows up in C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins, or in the Mac plugins folder.
- 05
Open OBS and find the plugin where it belongs
Nicole Rojas | YouTube | 2:03 ↗Open OBS and look for the plugin based on what it does. A dock, like the countdown timer, shows up in the Docks menu. A source shows up when you click + under Sources. A filter shows up when you right-click a source and pick Filters.
If it isn't there, Nicole names two causes: OBS is out of date, or you installed with OBS open. Uninstall the plugin, update OBS, and reinstall with OBS closed. She also hit this with portable OBS, where none of those docks appeared for her.
What you should see: The new plugin's name appears in the Docks menu, or in the source list or filter list.
- 06
Check the OBS 32 Plugin Manager
OBS Studio GitHub: Plugin Manager ↗OBS 32.0 added a basic plugin manager. Go to Tools, Plugin Manager. The Installed section lists your plugins with a checkbox next to each one.
Untick a box and that plugin stays on disk but doesn't load. OBS tells you it needs a restart to apply the change. In 32.2.2 the Browse and Updates sections are still greyed out as Coming Soon, so the manager doesn't download or update anything yet. Finding and updating plugins is still on you and the forum.
What you should see: The Plugin Manager window opens on the Installed section, and your new plugin is in the list with its box ticked.
- 07
Remove a broken plugin without breaking OBS
OBS Studio GitHub: Safe Mode and Plugin Manager strings ↗If OBS crashes or won't open after you install something, the new plugin is suspect number one. Go to Help, Restart in Safe Mode. Safe Mode starts OBS with third-party plugins, scripting and WebSockets turned off. If OBS offers Safe Mode on its own after a crash, say yes.
Once OBS is running, untick the plugin in Tools, Plugin Manager, or remove it for good: close OBS and delete its folder from C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins (check C:\Program Files\obs-studio\obs-plugins\64bit too), or its .plugin bundle from the Mac folder. Then go to Help, Restart in Normal Mode.
What you should see: OBS opens in normal mode with no SAFE MODE label in the title bar, and the plugin is gone from the Plugin Manager.
- 08
Countdown timer: a countdown for your starting soon screen
OBS Forums: Ashmanix Countdown Timer ↗Ashmanix Countdown Timer drives a countdown through a text source and lives in a dock. When it hits zero it can switch scenes or show a message. It's open source under the GPL-2.0 license.
One thing changed since Nicole's video. Version 2.2.0, released 10 May 2026, needs OBS 31.1.0 or newer, and on Windows it no longer has a .exe installer. You copy the plugin folder into C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins yourself. If you had an older version from the old installer, remove it first. The countdown timer guide covers the rest.
What you should see: Countdown Timer shows up under Docks, and when you press play with your text source selected, the numbers tick down in the preview.
- 09
Aitum Vertical: a vertical stream for TikTok and Instagram
OBS Forums: Aitum Vertical ↗Aitum Vertical adds a second, vertical canvas inside the same OBS, with its own scenes. Its forum page pitches it for TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Live content. The forum page lists OBS 29.0.0 as the minimum, but Aitum's own page says OBS 32+. On OBS 32 you're covered. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and the latest version is 1.6.6, released 6 October 2026. The code is open source (GPL-2.0).
There's a .exe installer for Windows and a .pkg for Mac. Install it with OBS closed, and the Docks menu gains vertical docks for scenes, sources and transitions, as Nicole shows in her vertical streaming video. The vertical streaming guide picks up from there.
What you should see: The Docks menu lists the vertical docks, and opening the Vertical dock shows a tall, narrow preview.
- 10
Source Record: record your camera and gameplay as separate files
OBS Forums: Source Record ↗Source Record adds a filter that records a single source on its own, separate from your stream. That gets you your camera in one file and your game in another, which makes editing a lot easier. Version 0.4.8 came out on 26 March 2026, needs OBS 26.0.0 or newer, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It's GPL-2.0 too.
To install it, grab the Windows .exe installer or the Mac .pkg from the 0.4.8 release on the author's GitHub (github.com/exeldro/obs-source-record/releases), and skip the forum text that tells you to copy a ZIP into Program Files. After installing, right-click the source, choose Filters, click + under Effect Filters and pick Source Record. If it's not in the list, update OBS from Help, Check For Updates. The guide on recording webcam and gameplay separately has the full setup.
What you should see: Source Record appears in the effect filter list in your source's Filters window.
- 11
Move: transitions that slide your sources
OBS Forums: Move ↗Move is a transition that glides each source to its new position when you switch scenes, instead of a hard cut. It's by Exeldro, who also makes Source Record. Version 3.2.1 is from 10 February 2026. The forum page lists OBS 25.0.0 as the minimum, but the 3.2.0 release notes say it needs OBS 31.1 or newer from that version on. On OBS 32 you're covered.
Run the installer, open OBS, click + in the Scene Transitions dock and pick Move. The cog in the same dock sets how things move. And that's it: your plugins came from safe places, and you know how to pull one out when it misbehaves.
What you should see: Move appears in the Scene Transitions dropdown, and switching scenes makes your sources slide across the preview.
If something does not work
- You installed the plugin and it's not under Docks, Sources or Filters
- Check Help, Check For Updates first, because an older OBS won't load a plugin that needs a newer one. If you're current, uninstall the plugin, quit OBS completely and install again.
- OBS opens with a Plugin Load Error window
- OBS lists the plugins that failed and asks you to update or remove them. Grab the latest version from the plugin's forum page, or delete its folder if there's no build for your OBS. Plenty of plugins get abandoned. Don't get attached.
- OBS crashes or won't open after you installed something
- Use Help, Restart in Safe Mode, or accept the Safe Mode prompt OBS shows after a crash. That starts OBS without third-party plugins, so you can switch off the last one you installed in Tools, Plugin Manager. If OBS behaves after that, you found the culprit.
- Your Mac plugins stopped loading after an OBS update
- Since 32.2, an Intel build of OBS running on an Apple Silicon Mac updates itself to the Apple Silicon build. Third-party plugins won't load until you replace them with Apple Silicon versions. Look for a universal or arm64 .pkg on each plugin's page.
- The countdown timer acts weird or shows up twice after updating
- Version 2.2.0 switched from an installer to a manual copy on Windows, and leftover files from the old version interfere with the new one. Remove the old install and keep only the folder you copied into C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins.
Test before you go live
- Every plugin you run came from obsproject.com or the author's official GitHub.
- Your OBS is the current stable release, or at least meets each plugin's minimum.
- No plugin has old copies sitting in two different folders.
- Only the plugins you actually use are ticked in Tools, Plugin Manager.
- You know how to get into Safe Mode if a plugin stops OBS from opening.
- You tested the countdown, the vertical scene or the Move transition before the stream, not live.
Cómo agregar un countdown timer a tu stream con un plugin gratis
Related video from Nicole (in Spanish) ↗Common questions
How do I add a plugin to OBS?
Download it from its page on the obsproject.com forum, close OBS and run the installer. If it only comes as a ZIP, copy its folder into C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins on Windows or ~/Library/Application Support/obs-studio/plugins on a Mac. Then open OBS and look for it under Docks, Sources or Filters, depending on what it does.
How do I browse OBS plugins?
Use the OBS Studio Plugins list on the official forum at obsproject.com/forum/plugins. Each listing shows the minimum OBS version and supported platforms. The Browse tab in the OBS 32 Plugin Manager is still marked Coming Soon in 32.2.2, so the forum is the place for now.
Is OBS Studio free, and is downloading it safe?
Yes to both. OBS is open source with no watermarks or ads, and its help page says a download from obsproject.com gets you the latest version, safe and free of malware. If anyone charges you for OBS, it's a scam. Plugins are separate community projects, which is why you stick to the official forum or the author's GitHub.
How do I uninstall an OBS plugin?
To switch it off, untick it in Tools, Plugin Manager and restart OBS. To remove it completely, close OBS and delete its folder from C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins (or C:\Program Files\obs-studio\obs-plugins\64bit for older installs), or its .plugin bundle on a Mac. If OBS won't open, get in through Safe Mode first.
Do OBS plugins work in Streamlabs?
Not reliably. Everything in this guide and its sources is about OBS Studio, the app you download from obsproject.com. Before putting a plugin in any other app, check the plugin's page for which app and version it supports.
How many plugins should a new streamer install?
Only the ones that fix a problem you actually have. Each plugin is another thing to update when OBS updates, and another suspect when OBS crashes. Get your basic scenes, camera and mic working first (the guide to configuring OBS for streaming in 10 minutes walks you through it), then add a countdown or a vertical canvas when you need it.
