OBS Studio Download: Get the Official Free Recorder

The official download page is obsproject.com/download. From there the project links every official channel: direct installers, the Microsoft Store and Steam for Windows, Steam for macOS, Flathub for Linux, and its GitHub repository for source code and previous releases. Each of these is free. OBS Studio is developed in the open on GitHub and distributed under the GNU General Public License v2 or later.

There is no paid edition of OBS Studio. If a site asks for money, a license key or a "premium unlock" for OBS, it is not the real project. Re-hosted copies on download portals may also include extra installers, which is why we only ever link to the official page.

At the time of writing the download page lists OBS Studio 32.2.2. The options are:

• Windows: an installer or a .zip, plus Microsoft Store and Steam listings. The page states that the Windows release supports Windows 10 and 11.
• macOS: separate installers for Apple Silicon (arm64) and Intel (x86_64) Macs, supporting macOS 13.0 and newer, plus a Steam listing.
• Linux: the official route is the Flatpak on Flathub, with a PPA for Ubuntu 24.04 and newer.

Windows 7 or 8 users: the current release does not list support for these systems. Avoid "OBS for Windows 7" downloads from unofficial sites; old builds no longer receive security fixes and re-hosted copies cannot be trusted. If your PC cannot run a supported Windows version, a lighter built-in recorder may be the safer stop-gap.

Not sure which Mac you have? Open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. A chip name starting with "Apple M" means Apple Silicon; an "Intel" processor means the Intel build.

1. Go to obsproject.com/download and choose your operating system.
2. Download the installer for your platform (or open the Microsoft Store, Steam or Flathub listing linked from that page).
3. On Windows, run the installer and follow the prompts. On macOS, open the .dmg and drag OBS into Applications, then grant Screen Recording and Microphone permission when macOS asks.
4. On first launch, OBS offers an auto-configuration wizard. Choose whether you mainly want to record or stream, and let it test your hardware to suggest settings.
5. Do a ten-second test recording before anything important.

If the installer will not start, our fixes for missing VCRUNTIME140.dll and "This app can't run on your PC" cover the most common Windows causes.

OBS organises everything into scenes (layouts) made of sources (things to capture). For a basic tutorial recording:

• In the Sources panel, add Display Capture for the full screen or Window Capture for one app.
• Check the Audio Mixer. Desktop audio and your microphone appear as separate meters, so you can set their levels independently.
• Optionally add a Video Capture Device for a webcam overlay and resize it in the preview.
• Press Start Recording, and Stop Recording when done. The output folder is set under Settings, Output.

A practical tip: recording to the MKV format protects you if OBS or your PC crashes mid-session, because the file up to that point stays playable. Afterwards, use File, Remux Recordings to convert it to MP4 for editing. For trimming and polishing, see our video editor guide.

Recording and encoding video at the same time is demanding. OBS can use hardware encoders built into many graphics cards and processors (NVIDIA NVENC, AMD and Intel Quick Sync), which takes most of the load off your CPU. If recordings stutter, pick a hardware encoder in Settings, Output, lower the output resolution or frame rate, and close heavy background apps. Keeping your graphics driver current from the GPU maker's site also helps.

If you only need still images rather than video, a dedicated capture app is quicker; our screen capture software guide compares the best options.

The genuine OBS Studio is safe and widely used, and because its source code is public anyone can inspect it. The risk comes from imitations: look-alike domains in search ads, "OBS downloader" executables, and bundles that add toolbars or crypto miners. Type obsproject.com yourself, compare the file name and size with what the official page shows, and scan anything you are unsure about. Our guides on avoiding fake download buttons and scanning downloads for malware explain both habits.