Is OBS safe to use on your computer

OBS is a professional software for video recording and live streaming. But is OBS safe to use? Read carefully this page to figure out the answer and more information.

OBS is the abbreviation of Open Broadcaster Software. As a screen recording and broadcast software, OBS has gradually become the first choice of broadcasters for screen recording and live broadcasting thanks to its perfect functionality, low resource consumption and strong compatibility. However, since problems like privacy leakage and data theft occur from time to time, an increasing number of OBS users wonder whether OBS is safe.

If you are one of those who are wondering "Is OBS safe", you can find an answer on this page.

Is OBS really safe for your computer?

Table of Contents

• What is OBS Studio
• Is OBS safe [Quick Answer]
• How to screen record with OBS
• Alternative to OBS for safe screen recording
• FAQs

What is OBS Studio

What's the meaning of OBS? Is OBS Studio safe? You probably have these questions when you first saw this software.

OBS, or Open Broadcaster Software, is a free and open-source video recording and live video streaming software. It supports the cross-platform recording of Windows, Mac and Linux systems. Due to its versatility, OBS is widely used in various fields like the production of video games, educational tutorials, presentations and so on.

Pros and cons of OBS

The extensive use of OBS in screen recording and live broadcasting is mainly because of its powerful functions. But there are indeed some shortcomings of this program. Here are the pros and cons of OBS before going through the quick answer of "Is OBS safe."

Pros:

• Directly record the entire screen including what you see and what you hear.
• Ability to capture online videos and record YouTube live stream, podcasts and more.
• There are powerful configuration options, allowing you to add or duplicate new sources and adjust their properties.
• Free and open source. There are many script plug-ins that anyone can freely download and use. Viewing and modifying the source code is available as well. So there's no need to worry about whether OBS is safe or not.
• You can push HD resolution live streaming in OBS so that the picture will be clearer.

Cons:

• The operation interface is a little bit complex and it takes time to learn how to use.
• Window capture needs to be set up and has limited functions. Some incompatible windows may not be captured by OBS.
• OBS video takes up a lot of computer memory.
• The program has a lot of editions and it may crash unexpectedly sometimes.

Is OBS safe

Yes! OBS Studio is definitely safe as long as you download it from obsproject.com, its official website. As you know, OBS is an open source software, which means anyone can inspect, modify and enhance its source code. Under the inspection of others, programmers can improve OBS and keep it safe by adding features to it or fixing parts out of order.

Even though someone has tried to install a virus in the program to steal information, many OBS contributors immediately discovered and fixed it. So you don't need to be anxious about "Is OBS Studio safe to use" or other security problems. In a word, OBS is safe for you to use.

How to screen record with OBS

OBS Studio is a relatively mainstream free and open source video recording and live broadcast software, which provides a wealth of functions and features, comparable to some popular commercial software of the same kind. If you're thinking of using a low-cost solution for screen recording or live streaming, OBS is a good choice.

Since you've got the positive answer to "Is OBS Studio safe" question, if you tend to use OBS Studio to record screen on Mac or PC securely, do as follows.

1. Download OBS from the official site. When you run OBS for the first time, you are prompted to run the Auto-Configuration Wizard, simply click the second option and Next to continue.

2. Before you start recording, there will be a blank screen and you'll need to set it up manually. Press the + button at the bottom menu and choose Display Capture. Then, the program will capture your screen.

3. When you are ready, hit on Start Recording. The microphone is available for recording by default. You can pause or stop recording while recording, and the video is automatically saved when you stop recording by clicking the same button.

4. To find where are OBS recordings, select File > Show Recordings to open and edit the saved video recordings.

Alternative to OBS for safe screen recording

We've shown you some very simple steps to safely screen record on OBS. However, most of the first-time users and video green hands are baffled by its complicated System configuration. Concern of "Is OBS Studio safe" also affects their usage. Given this, we'd like to offer you a more handy application, AppGeeker Screen Recorder.

Screen Recorder is an easy-to-use tool to satisfy all your video shooting needs with a few clicks. These following features absolutely enhance your screen recording experience in safety:

• Capture anything on your computer & phone screen - audio, game, webcam, etc.
• Customize the screen selection of your recording.
• Add annotations and edit the video within the app.
• Export and save the recording in multiple formats.
• Wide compatibility with all Windows and macOS computers.
• Create simultaneous recording of screen and webcam with system and mic audio.

FAQs

Is OBS free to use?

Yes, OBS Studio is totally free. As mentioned above, OBS is a free and open source software to record a video and start live streaming, sharing the permission for people to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. You can freely download the latest version from the OBS official website.

Does OBS Studio have a virus?

OBS is an open source program for everyone. As a result, there are many questions from users like "Is OBS safe" or "Does OBS have a Virus". In fact, some attackers once sent something malicious to the software when the file is operable, but the hassle was solved in a short time.