How to Group Text Sources in OBS Studio

Managing a large live stream or recording setup in OBS Studio can quickly become overwhelming, especially when dealing with fifty or more individual text sources. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough on how to use the “Group” context menu in OBS Studio to organize your text sources into neat, collapsible folders, keeping your Sources dock clean and efficient.

Step 1: Select Your Text Sources

When dealing with fifty different text sources, selecting them one by one is inefficient. You can select multiple sources at once using standard keyboard shortcuts in the Sources dock:

• To select a continuous range: Click on the first text source in the list, hold down the Shift key, and click on the last text source. This will highlight all sources between the two.
• To select specific individual sources: Hold down the Ctrl key (or Cmd on Mac) and click on each text source you want to include in the folder.

Step 2: Access the Group Context Menu

Once you have highlighted the text sources you want to organize:

1. Right-click on any of the selected text sources in the Sources dock.
2. In the context menu that appears, hover over or click on Group Selected Items.

An alternative shortcut is to press Ctrl + G (or Cmd + G on Mac) after selecting your sources.

Step 3: Name Your New Folder

OBS Studio will instantly place the selected text sources into a new group, which acts as a virtual folder.

1. A text field will appear in your Sources dock prompting you to name the group.
2. Type a clear, descriptive name (for example, “Lower Thirds,” “Stream Alerts,” or “Credits”) and press Enter.

Step 4: Manage Your Group Folder

Now that your text sources are grouped, you can easily manage them to declutter your workspace:

• Collapse/Expand: Click the small arrow icon to the left of the group name to collapse the folder and hide the fifty sources from view, instantly cleaning up your Sources dock. Click it again to expand and edit individual text sources.
• Show/Hide All: Click the eye icon next to the group folder name to toggle the visibility of all fifty text sources on your screen at once.
• Add More Sources: To add a new text source to an existing group, simply drag and drop the source directly into the expanded group folder.
• Remove Sources: To remove a text source, drag it out of the group folder and drop it elsewhere in your Sources list.