How to Read Live Text Files in OBS Studio

Setting up a live-updating donation tracker in OBS Studio is a great way to engage your audience during a stream. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step tutorial on how to use the “Text (GDI+)” source in OBS to read and automatically display a text file generated by external donation trackers or alert services in real-time.

Step 1: Locate Your Donation Tracker’s Text File

Before configuring OBS, you need the local text (.txt) file generated by your external donation tracker (such as Streamlabs, Streamelements, or a local app like Ko-fi Streamer Companion).

1. Open your donation tracker application or setting panel.
2. Locate the setting for File Outputs or Local Files.
3. Identify the path to the specific text file that records your latest donation (e.g., most_recent_donation.txt). Keep this file location handy.

Step 2: Add a Text (GDI+) Source in OBS Studio

1. Launch OBS Studio.
2. Go to the Sources dock at the bottom of the screen.
3. Click the + (Add) button and select Text (GDI+) from the dropdown menu.
4. Name the source (e.g., “Live Donation Tracker”) and click OK.

Step 3: Link the Text File to OBS

1. In the Properties window that appears for your new text source, look for the checkbox labeled Read from file and check it.
2. A File path field will appear. Click the Browse button next to it.
3. Navigate to the folder where your external donation tracker saves its text files.
4. Select the correct .txt file and click Open.

The text from the file will immediately display in the preview window.

Step 4: Customize the Text Appearance

While still in the Properties window, you can customize how the donation text looks on your stream:

• Font: Click Select Font to choose your font family, style, and size.
• Color: Scroll down to select the text color, gradient options, and background opacity.
• Outline: Enable the outline option to add a border around the text, making it easier to read over busy stream backgrounds.
• Alignment: Set the vertical and horizontal alignment to ensure the text stays in place when it updates.

Once you are satisfied with the look, click OK.

Step 5: Test the Live Updates

Position and resize the text box on your OBS canvas. To test the connection, trigger a test donation in your external tracker dashboard, or manually open the .txt file on your computer, type in some text, and save the file.

OBS Studio monitors this file constantly; the moment the file is updated and saved by your tracker, the text on your stream will change instantly.