How to Capture Specific Monitor in OBS Triple Setup

Capturing a single screen in a multi-monitor configuration can be challenging, but OBS Studio makes it easy to isolate and record or stream just one display. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough on how to select and capture a specific monitor from a triple-monitor setup using the Display Capture source in OBS.

Step 1: Add a Display Capture Source

  1. Open OBS Studio.
  2. Navigate to the Scenes box in the bottom-left corner and select the scene where you want to add the monitor.
  3. Move to the Sources box next to it, click the + (Add) button at the bottom, and select Display Capture from the list.
  4. In the pop-up window, choose Create New, give the source a recognizable name (e.g., “Left Monitor” or “Main Monitor”), and click OK.

Step 2: Select Your Target Monitor

  1. A Properties window will automatically open after creating the source.
  2. Locate the Display dropdown menu.
  3. Click the dropdown to see the list of your active monitors. In a triple-monitor setup, these will usually be labeled by their resolution and system index (e.g., Display 1: 1920x1080 @ 0,0).
  4. Select the specific monitor you want to capture from the list. The preview window above the dropdown will update to show the desktop of the selected monitor.
  5. If you want your mouse cursor to be visible to your viewers, ensure the Capture Cursor checkbox is ticked.
  6. Click OK to save the settings.

Step 3: Align the Capture to Your Canvas

If the selected monitor has a different resolution than your OBS canvas, it may appear too small or spill over the edges. * To quickly fit the captured monitor to your screen, right-click the source in the preview window, go to Transform, and select Fit to screen (or press Ctrl + F on Windows / Cmd + F on Mac).

Alternative: Window Capture

If you only want to capture a specific application running on one of your three monitors rather than the entire desktop, you can use Window Capture instead. 1. Click the + button in the Sources box and select Window Capture. 2. Name the source and click OK. 3. In the Window dropdown, select the specific application you want to capture. This method prevents notification pop-ups or other background activities on that monitor from being seen by your audience.