Installing OBS Studio on Windows 10 is a straightforward job that most people finish in under ten minutes, including the download. This guide covers the current release, OBS Studio 33.0.1, released on October 29, 2026, and follows the process in the order you will actually do it: checking your PC, getting the official installer, running it, answering the first-launch wizard, and proving it works with a short test recording. OBS Studio is free and open-source software under the GPLv2 licence or later, so there is no payment, licence key, trial, or account to create. If you use Windows 11 instead, see our separate guide to installing OBS Studio on Windows 11.
Before you install on Windows 10
First, confirm your PC runs Windows 10 and find out whether its processor is x64 or ARM64. Press the Windows key and I to open Settings, then choose System and About. The page shows your edition, such as Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro, and a "System type" line. Most Windows 10 PCs say "x64-based processor" and use the standard installer; a few say "ARM64-based processor" and need the ARM64.ZIP archive instead, which is a portable, extracted build rather than an installer. Getting this right before you download saves the most common wasted effort in this whole process.
Next, check the practical details. Make sure you are signed in with an account allowed to install software; on a shared family PC or a work computer you may need an administrator password when Windows asks. Close programs you do not need, especially video calling apps that hold the camera or microphone, and save open work. Plug a laptop into power, and check you have a few hundred megabytes free for the program, plus much more free space for recordings, since video files grow fast. It is also worth installing any pending Windows updates before you begin, because updates can fix display and driver problems that would otherwise look like OBS Studio faults. OBS Studio's needs depend on what you record and which encoder you use, so there is no single minimum specification to quote; the official OBS Project pages are the place to check requirements for your workload.
Getting the right installer for Windows 10
Download OBS Studio only from the official OBS Project channels: the download page at obsproject.com/download or the releases page at github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases. For most Windows 10 PCs the file is the x64 installer, OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-x64-Installer.exe, at 178.0 MB, linked directly below. OBS Descargar is an independent guide site, not the official OBS Project site, and this link goes straight to the official file.
Download OBS Studio 33.0.1 for Windows (x64 installer, 178.0 MB)
Save it to Downloads and wait for the browser to report the download as complete. Then check the file name and size before running it: a file much smaller than 178.0 MB is incomplete and should be deleted and downloaded again. If your PC is ARM64, use the ARM64 archive instead, OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-arm64.zip (190.9 MB) from the GitHub releases page, and extract it to a folder; it is not an installer, so do not expect a setup wizard. A browser warning that the file "is not commonly downloaded" is a standard warning for executable files; choose Keep only if you are certain the file came from the official source. For more detail on choosing between the two files, see our guide to downloading OBS Studio for Windows.
Installing OBS Studio step by step
The installer is a simple wizard with no bundled extras and no account screens. Read each step as it appears and you will be done in a minute or two.
- Open Downloads and double-click OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-x64-Installer.exe.
- If User Account Control asks whether to allow changes to your device, choose Yes.
- If Windows SmartScreen appears, confirm you want to run the file, provided it came from the official source.
- On the welcome screen, click Next.
- Read the licence agreement and click Next to accept it.
- Confirm the destination folder; the default location is normally correct.
- Click Install and wait for the progress bar to finish.
- Click Finish, and choose whether to launch OBS Studio immediately.
If the installer asks you to close a program, close it and click Retry instead of cancelling. Do not start a second copy of the installer while the first is running, and do not switch the PC off partway through. When it finishes, OBS Studio appears in the Start menu under the letter O, and you can right-click it and choose Pin to Start or Pin to taskbar so it is easy to find. If you are installing on a PC that other people use, remember that the program will be available to other accounts on the same computer, while your scenes and settings stay in your own user profile.
First launch and the setup wizard
When you open OBS Studio for the first time, it offers an auto-configuration wizard. The wizard asks whether you mainly want to stream or record, then tests your hardware and suggests settings. Accept its suggestions for now; they are starting points, not final answers, and you can change them later in Settings. The best settings depend on your hardware, encoder, and connection, and the wizard cannot know whether you will record fast-moving games, quiet slide presentations, or camera footage. If you only want to record, choose the recording option; streaming can be set up later without reinstalling.
After the wizard, the main window opens. It has panels for scenes, sources, audio, and controls, with a large preview in the centre showing what a recording would capture. Nothing is recording or streaming yet, and nothing starts until you press a button, so take a minute to look around without worry. If Windows asks whether OBS Studio may use your camera or microphone, allow access for the devices you plan to use. On Windows 10, those permissions live in Settings under Privacy, then Camera and Microphone; if a device does not appear in OBS Studio later, that is the first place to check.
Your first scene and test recording
A scene is a layout built from sources, and your first one can be simple. A default scene already exists in the Scenes panel. In the Sources panel, click the plus button and add a Display Capture source to record the whole screen, or a Window Capture source for a single application. Name the source clearly, for example "Main screen", so you can recognise it later. Then check audio: add an Audio Input Capture source for your microphone, and watch the audio meters as you speak. If a meter stays flat, that source is not hearing anything, and you should check the device selection before recording.
Now prove it works with a short test. Imagine you are a teacher recording a five-minute lesson, or a small business owner recording a product demonstration: open the application you want to show, click Start Recording, talk through it for about thirty seconds, then click Stop Recording. Open the file from the File menu by choosing Show Recordings, and watch it through. Check the picture is sharp, the sound is clear, and nothing important is cut off at the edges. If something is wrong, change one setting at a time and test again. Our guide to recording your screen with OBS and our guide to how to use OBS Studio take you further once the test looks good.
Keeping OBS Studio updated on Windows 10
New versions of OBS Studio appear from time to time with fixes and improvements. To update, download the new installer from the official source and run it over the existing installation; your scenes, sources, and settings are kept, so there is no need to uninstall first. Before a major update, back up your profiles and scene collections from within OBS Studio so you can restore your setup if anything goes wrong. Keep a note of which version you are running, shown in the Help menu under About, so you can tell at a glance whether you are up to date.
To remove OBS Studio, open Settings, go to Apps, find OBS Studio in the list, and choose Uninstall. Windows removes the program files, and your recordings stay where they are, because they are separate files in your recordings folder. If you used the ARM64.ZIP build, there is no uninstaller: delete the extracted folder and any shortcut you made. Your settings may remain in your user profile after uninstalling; delete them only if you are sure you will not reinstall, since removing them erases your scenes and sources.
Windows 10 settings worth checking
Windows 10 keeps camera and microphone permissions in Settings under Privacy. If OBS Studio cannot see your camera or hear your microphone, check there first, and make sure no other application is using the device at the same time; a video calling app left open in the background is a frequent cause of a black camera preview. Also check that Windows has not muted desktop audio, and that the correct playback device is selected, since OBS Studio records the sound Windows is actually playing.
Choose a recordings folder with plenty of free space, ideally on a drive that is not nearly full, and organise recordings into folders per project so you can find them later. Keep Windows updated and keep your graphics drivers current through the manufacturer's own update tool, since both affect capture quality. If you plan to stream, test with a short recording first and read our guide to setting up a live stream in OBS; streaming settings are starting points, and results depend on your hardware, encoder, and connection.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is the wrong file for the processor: the x64 installer on an ARM64 PC, or the ARM64 archive on an x64 PC. Check System type in Settings first, and remember the ARM64 file is a.ZIP to extract, not an installer. Another common mistake is downloading from a copycat site: if the address is not obsproject.com or github.com/obsproject, or the page asks you to install a download manager, leave and use the official link.
People also get stuck at the administrator prompt on shared or work PCs, so check you have an administrator password before you start. A further mistake is installing while a video calling app holds the camera or microphone, which causes confusing "device busy" errors at first launch; close those apps first. Finally, resist changing several settings at once after a bad test recording. Change one thing, test again, and you will know what fixed it.
Troubleshooting
If the installer will not start, check the downloaded file: the name should be OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-x64-Installer.exe and the size about 178.0 MB. A much smaller file is incomplete; delete it and download again. If the file looks right but nothing happens, right-click it and choose Run as administrator, and make sure no other copy of the installer is already running.
If SmartScreen blocks the installer, read the message before deciding. For a file from the official source with the correct name and size, you can proceed; for a file from anywhere else, do not. If OBS Studio installs but will not open, restart the PC first, since that clears temporary locks on devices and files. If it still will not open, read our guide to fixing OBS Studio when it will not open before reinstalling, because a reinstall rarely fixes what a restart or a settings reset would solve.
If the program opens but a capture is black, close other apps using the camera or display, check camera permissions in Settings under Privacy, and try Window Capture instead of Display Capture to narrow the problem down. If a test recording has no sound, watch the audio meters while you speak, confirm the right microphone is selected, and check that desktop audio is not muted in Windows.
Frequently asked questions
Is OBS Studio free to install on Windows 10?
Yes. OBS Studio is free and open-source software under the GPLv2 licence or later. There is no payment, licence key, or paid edition, and the installer from the official source is the complete program.
Does the same installer work on Windows 10 and Windows 11?
Yes. The x64 installer, OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-x64-Installer.exe, works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. The installation steps are nearly the same; the guides differ mainly in where settings and permissions live in each version.
Do I need an administrator account?
You need permission to install software, which usually means an administrator account or an administrator password when Windows asks. On a work or school PC, ask whoever manages the computer if the prompt stops you.
How do I update OBS Studio on Windows 10?
Download the new installer from the official source and run it over the existing installation. Your scenes, sources, and settings are kept, so you do not need to uninstall first. Export your settings as a backup before a major update.
Where are my recordings saved?
Recordings are saved to the folder shown in Settings under Output. You can open that folder from the File menu by choosing Show Recordings. Uninstalling OBS Studio does not delete your recordings.
Conclusion
Installing OBS Studio on Windows 10 comes down to a short checklist: confirm your Windows version and processor type, download the official 33.0.1 installer, run it with administrator permission, accept the first-launch wizard's starting settings, and verify everything with a short test recording. From there you can build scenes, add sources, and start recording properly. Continue with how to use OBS Studio and recording your screen with OBS, and if the program will not open, our guide to fixing OBS Studio when it will not open is the place to start.