How to Fix OBS Studio Global Hotkeys Not Registering

If you are playing competitive shooter games and find that your OBS Studio global hotkeys—such as start/stop recording, mute, or replay buffer—fail to work, you are likely experiencing a privilege conflict caused by aggressive anti-cheat software. This article provides a straightforward guide to diagnosing and resolving this issue, ensuring your shortcuts function seamlessly while gaming.

Run OBS Studio as an Administrator

The most common reason hotkeys fail in competitive shooters (like Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, or Apex Legends) is that these games run with elevated administrator privileges or use kernel-level anti-cheat systems. When a game runs with higher privileges than OBS, Windows blocks OBS from intercepting keyboard inputs.

To fix this, you must run OBS Studio as an administrator:

  1. Close OBS Studio completely.
  2. Right-click the OBS Studio shortcut on your desktop or start menu and select Properties.
  3. Go to the Compatibility tab.
  4. Check the box that says Run this program as an administrator.
  5. Click Apply and then OK.

Running OBS as an administrator elevates its permission level, allowing it to register keystrokes even when a high-privilege game is active in the foreground.

Adjust OBS Hotkey Focus Behavior

OBS Studio has a built-in setting that determines how hotkeys behave when the program is not the active window. Ensure this setting is configured correctly:

  1. Open OBS Studio.
  2. Click on Settings (bottom right) and navigate to the Advanced tab.
  3. Scroll down to the Hotkeys section.
  4. Set the Hotkey Focus Behavior to Never discard or Disable hotkeys when main window is in focus (depending on your preference, though “Never discard” is recommended for global use).
  5. Click Apply and OK.

Switch to Borderless Windowed Mode

Some competitive shooters utilize exclusive fullscreen modes that restrict background applications from capturing any inputs.

If your hotkeys still do not work after running OBS as an admin, open your in-game video settings and change the display mode from Fullscreen to Borderless Windowed (sometimes called Windowed Fullscreen). This allows Windows to share keyboard inputs more freely between the game and background applications.

Disable Conflicting Overlays and Software

Other background applications with overlay features can intercept and block hotkeys before they reach OBS. Try disabling overlays in the following programs:

Additionally, if you are using custom keyboard software (like Razer Synapse, Logitech G HUB, or Corsair iCUE), ensure that those programs are also running with administrator privileges, as they manage the macro keys or profiles assigned to your OBS shortcuts.