How to Run Multiple Instances of OBS Studio

Yes, you can run multiple instances of OBS Studio at the same time on a single computer. This capability is highly useful for creators who need to stream to multiple destinations with different layouts, record a clean feed while streaming a dirty feed, or monitor different video inputs simultaneously. This guide explains how to open multiple OBS instances on Windows and macOS, how to configure them using separate profiles to avoid conflicts, and the hardware performance factors you need to consider.

Running Multiple Instances on Windows

By default, launching OBS Studio while it is already open will trigger a prompt asking if you want to launch another instance. You can simply click “Launch Anyway” to open a second window.

If you want to automate this process or prevent the prompt from appearing, you can use a command-line parameter:

1. Right-click on your OBS Studio shortcut and select Properties.
2. Locate the Target field.
3. Go to the very end of the text in the Target field, add a space, and type --multi.
4. The end of the Target field should look like this: ...obs64.exe" --multi.
5. Click Apply and then OK.

Using this modified shortcut will now instantly open a new, independent instance of OBS Studio every time you click it.

Running Multiple Instances on macOS

On macOS, the operating system prevents you from opening multiple windows of the same application by default. To bypass this, you must use the Terminal:

1. Open the Terminal application.
2. Type the following command and press Enter: open -n -a "OBS"
3. To open a third or fourth instance, simply run the same command again.

Managing Profiles and Scene Collections

When running multiple instances, they will share the same active Profile and Scene Collection by default. If you make changes in one instance, it can overwrite the settings of the other. To prevent this, you must assign different profiles and scene collections to each instance:

1. In the first OBS window, go to the top menu and select Profile > New to create a profile dedicated to your first task (e.g., “Streaming”).
2. Go to Scene Collection > New and name it accordingly.
3. In the second OBS window, select or create a different profile (e.g., “Recording”) and a separate scene collection.

To automate this so each shortcut opens a specific setup, you can add additional launch parameters to your Windows shortcut Target field: --profile "YourProfileName" --collection "YourSceneCollectionName"

Hardware and Performance Considerations

Running more than one instance of OBS Studio significantly increases the load on your computer’s hardware.

• GPU Overload: Encoding video is resource-intensive. If you use hardware encoders like NVIDIA NVENC or AMD AMF, ensure your graphics card supports multiple simultaneous encoding sessions. Consumer GPUs often have a limit on the number of concurrent encoding streams.
• CPU and RAM Usage: If you use software encoding (x264), your CPU usage will multiply with each instance. Monitor your Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (macOS) to ensure your CPU usage stays below 80% to avoid dropped frames.
• Camera Conflicts: A web camera or capture card can generally only be used by one program at a time. If Instance A is using your camera, Instance B will display a blank screen for that source. To share video sources between instances, use the OBS Virtual Camera or the NDI plugin.