Fix OBS Capture Card Custom Resolution Resets

This article provides a straightforward troubleshooting guide to resolve the frustrating issue where OBS Studio resets your capture card’s custom resolution to default every time the application is launched. Below, you will find the most effective solutions to lock in your preferred resolution, ranging from adjusting OBS administrator privileges and recreating corrupted sources to configuring hardware-specific companion software.

Run OBS Studio as an Administrator

Windows sometimes restricts OBS Studio from saving configuration changes to its settings files due to folder permission limitations. Running the program as an administrator ensures OBS has the required permissions to write and save your custom resolution profiles.

  1. Right-click on your OBS Studio shortcut.
  2. Select Properties.
  3. Go to the Compatibility tab.
  4. Check the box next to Run this program as an administrator.
  5. Click Apply and then OK.

Recreate the Video Capture Device Source

If a specific scene or source configuration file becomes corrupted, OBS may fail to load your saved properties upon startup. Re-adding the device fresh often resolves this.

  1. Open OBS Studio and locate your capture card under the Sources dock.
  2. Right-click the capture card source and select Remove.
  3. Restart OBS Studio.
  4. Click the + icon in the Sources dock and select Video Capture Device.
  5. Choose Create New, name it, and select your capture card.
  6. Change the Resolution/FPS Type to Custom, set your desired resolution, and close the properties window.

Use the Capture Card’s Companion Software

Many capture cards (such as those from Elgato, EVGA, or AVerMedia) rely on proprietary companion software to dictate their default hardware states. If OBS cannot override the card’s internal settings, you must change them at the hardware level.

  1. Close OBS Studio completely.
  2. Open your capture card’s official software (e.g., Elgato 4K Capture Utility).
  3. Access the device settings and manually set the input/output resolution to your preferred format.
  4. Save the settings, close the utility, and reopen OBS Studio.

Toggle the “Deactivate when not showing” Option

Enabling this setting forces OBS to drop and re-establish the connection to the capture card whenever the source is hidden or when OBS launches, prompting it to reload your custom configuration.

  1. Double-click your capture card source in OBS to open its Properties.
  2. Scroll down to find the Deactivate when not showing checkbox.
  3. Check this box, click OK, and restart OBS.

Check USB Bandwidth and Port Connections

If a USB-based capture card does not receive enough bandwidth or power, it will automatically revert to a safe, lower-resolution default on startup to prevent system crashes.