Installing OBS Studio on Windows 11 takes only a few minutes, and most of that time is the download itself. This guide covers the current release, OBS Studio 33.0.1, released on October 29, 2026, and walks through every step in order: preparing your PC, downloading the official installer, running it, answering the first-launch wizard, and making a short test recording. OBS Studio is free and open-source software, released under the GPLv2 licence or later, so there is no payment, licence key, or account to create. If you have not downloaded the installer yet, the steps in Section 2 will get it for you.
What you need before installing
Before you start, confirm you are running Windows 11 and know whether your processor is x64 or ARM64. Press the Windows key and I to open Settings, then go to System and About: the page shows your edition and a "System type" line. Most Windows 11 PCs say "x64-based processor" and need the standard installer; a smaller number, mainly newer Snapdragon laptops, say "ARM64-based processor" and need the ARM64.ZIP archive instead, which is a portable, extracted build rather than an installer. Our guide to downloading OBS Studio for Windows explains how to check and which file to pick.
You also need an account that is allowed to install software. On a home PC the main account normally has that permission, but on a work or school PC you may need an administrator password, so it is worth knowing that before you begin. Close other applications, especially video calling apps that use your camera or microphone, save any open work, and plug a laptop into power so it does not sleep during the installation. Make sure you have a few hundred megabytes free for the program itself, and much more free space if you plan to store recordings on the same drive, since video files grow quickly.
Downloading the installer for Windows 11
The installer comes from the official OBS Project distribution channels, so download it from obsproject.com/download or from the project's GitHub releases page at github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases. For most Windows 11 PCs the file is the x64 installer, OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-x64-Installer.exe, at 178.0 MB, available directly at the link below. OBS Descargar is an independent guide site, not the official OBS Project site, and the link takes you straight to the official file.
Download OBS Studio 33.0.1 for Windows (x64 installer, 178.0 MB)
Save the file to your Downloads folder and wait until the browser reports the download as complete. Then check the name and size: if the file is much smaller than 178.0 MB, the download stopped early and you should delete it and try again. If your PC has an ARM64 processor, do not use this installer; download the ARM64.ZIP archive instead, OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-arm64.zip (190.9 MB), from the GitHub releases page, and extract it to a folder rather than trying to install it. If your browser warns that the file "is not commonly downloaded", that is a standard warning for executable files; choose Keep, provided you are certain the file came from the official source.
Running the installer step by step
With the installer downloaded, the installation itself is a short, guided process. There are no bundled extras to decline and no account to create, so you can move through it calmly and read each screen as it appears.
- Open your Downloads folder and double-click OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-x64-Installer.exe.
- If Windows shows a User Account Control prompt asking whether to allow changes to your device, choose Yes.
- If Windows SmartScreen appears, confirm you want to run the file, provided you downloaded it from the official source.
- On the welcome screen, click Next to continue.
- Read the licence agreement and click Next to accept it.
- Confirm the destination folder; the default location is normally the right choice.
- Click Install and wait for the progress bar to finish.
- Click Finish. You can choose to launch OBS Studio straight away or open it later from the Start menu.
A normal installation finishes in under a minute on most PCs once the files start copying. If the installer asks you to close a program that is using a file it needs, close that program and click Retry rather than cancelling. Do not run the installer a second time while the first copy is still running, and do not turn the PC off mid-installation. When the installer closes, OBS Studio appears in the Start menu, and you can also pin it to the taskbar by right-clicking its Start menu entry and choosing Pin to taskbar.
The auto-configuration wizard and first launch
The first time you open OBS Studio, it offers an auto-configuration wizard. The wizard asks whether you mainly want to stream or record, then tests your hardware and suggests settings. You can accept its suggestions and change them later, which is the right attitude: the wizard gives starting points, not final answers, because the best settings depend on your hardware, encoder, and internet connection. If you only plan to record for now, choose the recording option; you can set up streaming later without reinstalling anything.
When the wizard finishes, the main OBS Studio window opens. It looks busy at first, with panels for scenes, sources, audio, and controls, but you only need a small part of it to start. Take a moment to look at the layout: scenes are on the lower left, sources sit next to them, and the large preview area in the centre shows what your viewers or your recording will see. Nothing is recording or streaming yet, and nothing will start until you press a button, so you can explore the menus without worry. If a camera or microphone prompt appears, allow access for the devices you plan to use; you can change these permissions later in Windows Settings under Privacy and security.
Setting up your first scene and test recording
A scene is a layout made of sources, and your first scene can be very simple. In the Scenes panel, a default scene already exists; in the Sources panel, click the plus button and add a Display Capture source to record your screen, or a Window Capture source to record one application. Give the source a clear name, such as "Main screen", so you can recognise it later. Then add an audio source if needed: your microphone appears as an Audio Input Capture source, and your computer sound is usually picked up automatically as desktop audio. Speak a few words and watch the audio meters move; if a meter stays flat, that source is not hearing anything yet.
Now make a short test recording, which is the fastest way to confirm everything works. Click Start Recording, do something on screen for about thirty seconds while speaking, then click Stop Recording. OBS Studio saves the file to the recordings folder shown in Settings under Output, and you can open it from the File menu by choosing Show Recordings. Watch the test clip all the way through: check the picture is sharp, the sound is clear, and nothing important is cut off at the edges. If something looks wrong, change one setting at a time and test again, rather than changing several things at once. Our guide to recording your screen with OBS goes deeper, and how to use OBS Studio explains scenes and sources in more detail.
Updating and uninstalling OBS Studio
OBS Studio releases new versions from time to time, and updating on Windows 11 is straightforward: 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. Before a major update, it is sensible to back up your profiles and scene collections from within OBS Studio, so you can restore your setup if anything goes wrong. That way, if anything goes wrong, you can restore your setup instead of rebuilding it from scratch.
To remove OBS Studio, open Windows Settings, go to Apps, then Installed apps, find OBS Studio in the list, and choose Uninstall. Windows removes the program files; your settings folder may remain, and you can delete it if you are sure you will not reinstall. If you installed the ARM64.ZIP build instead, there is no uninstaller: simply delete the extracted folder and remove any shortcut you created. Either way, your recordings are separate files in your recordings folder and are not deleted by uninstalling the program.
Windows 11 tips for a smooth setup
Windows 11 keeps camera and microphone permissions under Settings, then Privacy and security. If OBS Studio cannot see your camera or hear your microphone, check there first: make sure the app has permission and that no other application is using the device at the same time. A video calling app left running in the background is a common cause of a camera that appears black in OBS Studio, and closing it usually fixes the problem immediately.
Keep Windows itself up to date, since updates can fix driver and display issues that affect capture, and keep your graphics drivers current through the manufacturer's own update tool. Choose a recordings folder with plenty of free space, and give your recordings clear file names or folders per project so you can find them later. Finally, if you plan to stream, test your connection with a short private stream or a test recording first; streaming settings are starting points, and results depend on your hardware, encoder, and connection. Our guide to setting up a live stream in OBS explains the next steps.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is installing the wrong build for the processor: the x64 installer on an ARM64 PC, or the ARM64 archive on an x64 PC. Check the System type line in Settings before downloading, and remember the ARM64 file is a.ZIP to extract, not an installer to run. Another common mistake is downloading from a copycat site instead of the official OBS Project pages. If the address is not obsproject.com or github.com/obsproject, or the page asks you to install a download manager first, leave and use the official link.
People also run into trouble by skipping the admin question: on a work or school PC, the installation stops at the User Account Control prompt if you do not have an administrator password, so sort that out first. A related mistake is trying to install while another program is using the camera or microphone, which leads to confusing "device busy" errors on first launch; close video calling apps before you start. Finally, do not change several settings at once after a bad test recording. Change one thing, test again, and you will know exactly what fixed it.
Troubleshooting
If the installer will not start, check the file first: confirm the name is OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-x64-Installer.exe and the size is about 178.0 MB. A much smaller file is an incomplete download; delete it and download again. If the file looks right but nothing happens when you double-click it, right-click the file and choose Run as administrator, and check that no other copy of the installer is already running.
If Windows SmartScreen blocks the installer, read the message carefully. For a file downloaded 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 your PC first, since a restart clears temporary locks on devices and files. If it still will not open, see our guide to fixing OBS Studio when it will not open before reinstalling, because a reinstall rarely fixes a problem that a restart or a settings reset would solve.
If you can open OBS Studio but your screen capture is black, the usual cause is a permission or a device already in use. Close other apps that use the camera or display, check camera permissions in Settings under Privacy and security, and try a Window Capture source instead of Display Capture to narrow the problem down. If there is no sound in a test recording, check the audio meters while you speak, confirm the right microphone is selected, and make sure desktop audio is not muted in Windows.
Frequently asked questions
Is OBS Studio free to install on Windows 11?
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.
How long does installation take on Windows 11?
The download takes a few minutes depending on your connection, and the installation itself usually finishes in under a minute once the files start copying. The whole process, including the first-launch wizard, normally takes less than ten minutes.
Do I need an administrator account to install OBS Studio?
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 User Account Control prompt stops you.
Can I install OBS Studio on Windows 11 ARM64?
Yes, but use the ARM64 build, OBS-Studio-33.0.1-Windows-arm64.zip (190.9 MB), from the GitHub releases page. It is a.ZIP archive, not an installer: extract it to a folder and run OBS Studio from inside that folder.
Will installing OBS Studio delete my recordings?
No. Installing or updating OBS Studio does not delete your recordings, which are separate files in your recordings folder. Uninstalling the program does not delete them either, but it is still wise to keep copies of recordings you care about.
Conclusion
Installing OBS Studio on Windows 11 is a short, guided process: check your processor type, download the official 33.0.1 installer, run it with administrator permission, accept the first-launch wizard's starting settings, and confirm everything with a short test recording. From there you can build scenes, add sources, and move on to recording or streaming. If you want to go further, read how to use OBS Studio and recording your screen with OBS, and if anything goes wrong, our guide to fixing OBS Studio when it will not open is a good place to start.