Fix OBS Window Capture Mouse Cursor Offset

When capturing a specific window in OBS Studio, you may encounter a frustrating bug where your mouse cursor appears misaligned or significantly offset from its actual position on the screen. This article provides quick, actionable solutions to resolve this cursor alignment issue, focusing on adjusting Windows display scaling, changing the OBS capture method, and toggling application-specific settings.

Method 1: Change the OBS Capture Method

The default “Automatic” capture method in OBS can sometimes miscalculate cursor coordinates, especially after Windows updates. Forced selection of a specific graphics API usually resolves this.

  1. Open OBS Studio and locate your Window Capture source in the “Sources” dock.
  2. Double-click the source to open its Properties.
  3. Locate the Capture Method dropdown menu.
  4. Change it from Automatic to Windows 10 (1903 and up). If you are on an older operating system, try BitBlt (Windows 7 and up).
  5. Click OK and test the cursor position.

Method 2: Adjust Windows Display Scaling (DPI)

If you use multiple monitors with different resolutions, or if your primary monitor has display scaling set above 100%, Windows may fail to translate the cursor coordinates correctly to OBS.

  1. Right-click on your desktop and select Display settings.
  2. If you have multiple monitors, select the monitor where the captured window is located.
  3. Scroll down to the Scale and layout section.
  4. Change the dropdown menu under Scale to 100% (Recommended).
  5. If you prefer to keep your scaling higher, ensure that both of your monitors are set to the exact same scaling percentage (e.g., both at 125%).
  6. Restart OBS Studio for the changes to take effect.

Method 3: Override High DPI Scaling in OBS Properties

You can force Windows to let OBS handle its own DPI scaling, which prevents the operating system from artificially shifting the cursor canvas.

  1. Close OBS Studio.
  2. Right-click the OBS Studio shortcut on your desktop (or the .exe file in your installation directory) and select Properties.
  3. Navigate to the Compatibility tab.
  4. Click the Change high DPI settings button at the bottom.
  5. Check the box under High DPI scaling override that says Override high DPI scaling behavior.
  6. Set the Scaling performed by: dropdown menu to System (Enhanced) or Application.
  7. Click OK, then Apply, and restart OBS.

Method 4: Disable Hardware Acceleration in the Captured App

If the cursor offset only occurs when capturing specific applications like Google Chrome, Discord, or Spotify, the app’s hardware acceleration is likely conflicting with the capture hook.

  1. Open the settings menu of the app you are trying to capture.
  2. Search for Hardware Acceleration (usually located under “System”, “Advanced”, or “Performance” settings).
  3. Toggle the option Off.
  4. Relaunch the application and refresh your Window Capture source in OBS.