How To Fix OBS Dropped Frames in 2023

If you’re a streamer who uses OBS, you know how frustrating it can be to experience dropped frames while broadcasting. Not only does it make your streams look choppy and unprofessional, but the constant interruptions can also strain your viewers' enjoyment of your content.

The good news is that there are effective ways to resolve this issue and maintain high-quality streaming. In this blog post, we'll provide some tips on how to fix OBS dropped frames in 2023, so that you can ensure smooth streaming performance without interruption!

What Are Dropped Frames in OBS?

When you're streaming, "dropped frames" occur when your connection to the streaming server isn't stable, or if your upload speed can't keep up with the set bitrate. This can cause the program to drop some of the video frames to compensate, and if too many frames are dropped, you may end up getting disconnected from the streaming server.

To avoid this issue, it's important to understand that internet speed tests such as SpeedTest and Fast can only provide a rough estimate of your internet speed, and may not accurately reflect your ability to stream. While a speed test may show that you have a 5 Mb/s upload, it doesn't necessarily mean that you can upload to anything at a stable 5Mb/s. Connections across the internet rarely maintain such a consistent speed, so it's best to rely on other factors to determine your stable bitrate.

Your "stable" bitrate is likely around 70-75% of your "estimated" speed test upload, assuming that you're not being throttled by your internet service provider.

What Causes Dropped Frames in OBS?

If you're experiencing dropped frames, it is highly unlikely for OBS Studio to be the culprit. Consider this if you recently updated your version of OBS Studio and think that might be causing the issue. There are possible explanations for dropped frames including:

• Your firewall, antivirus, or security software is interfering with the connection.
• You're behind a firewall or proxy that's limiting your upload speed.
• Your ISP is experiencing issues like packet loss, latency, congestion, or a temporary outage.
• Your router is slow, damaged, or misconfigured.
• Other devices on the same network are using a lot of upload bandwidth (e.g. large file uploads, downloads, torrents actively being seeded).
• Somebody else is streaming on the same network.

If you think any of these may be the cause of your dropped frames in OBS, troubleshooting the issue will be necessary.

How To Fix OBS Dropped Frames in 2023

Here are some possible solutions to fixing your OBS dropped frames in 2023.

1. Check Your Hardware
2. Lower Your Bitrate
3. Update Your Network Driver
4. Disable Your Firewall and Antivirus
5. Close Applications You Aren’t Using
6. Change Stream Servers
7. Turn Off VPN, Proxy, etc.
8. Enable Network Optimizations
9. Switch to Ethernet

1. Check Your Hardware

The first step is to check your hardware for any faults that could be causing problems. Here are some basic checks you can perform:

• If you suspect that your router may be malfunctioning, try bypassing it and connecting your modem directly to your computer using an ethernet cable. This will help you determine if the router is the issue.
• You can also try using a different ethernet cable to see if that solves the problem.
• It's always a good idea to use a wired connection instead of WiFi when streaming, as wired connections tend to be more stable.

If your hardware passes these checks and is functioning properly, the issue may lie elsewhere, such as with your network driver or OBS settings. Keep reading for more solutions that correspond to these potential issues.

2. Lower Your Bitrate

One of the common causes of dropped frames is an unsuitable bitrate when streaming. If your bitrate is too high for your upload bandwidth, OBS won't be able to maintain a stable bitrate and you might encounter dropped frames. To solve this issue, you can reduce the bitrate level to a suitable level. Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Launch OBS Studio and click on "File," and then "Settings" in the main interface to access the Settings.
   
   
2. In the Settings window, click on "Output" on the left side of the screen, and then find the "Streaming" option. Within the "Streaming" option, you'll see "Video Bitrate". Use the input field to select a suitable bitrate level.
   
   
3. If you want to optimize your bitrate settings further, you can click on "Advanced" and then "Network". Here, you can enable the option "Dynamically change the bitrate to manage congestion (Beta)" which will help you maintain a stable bitrate while streaming.
   
   

By following these steps, you should be able to adjust your bitrate settings to prevent dropped frames while streaming on OBS. Note that this option won't fix bitrate issues if other factors are causing problems.

3. Update Your Network Driver

Your network driver is responsible for communicating with your router and stream server, so if it's outdated or not functioning properly, it could be causing dropped frames. To update your network driver:

1. Press the Windows + X keys on your keyboard and choose “Device Manager” from the context menu.
2. Expand the “Network adapters” category, and then right-click on your current network adapter. Select “Update driver” from the context menu.
   
   
3. Choose how you want to update your driver. You may either let Windows find a driver for you automatically or manually select a new driver file on your computer.

4. Disable Your Firewall and Antivirus

Antivirus software and firewalls are notorious for interfering with network connections, so if you're having trouble streaming, it's worth disabling them temporarily to see if that helps. Keep in mind that this is only a temporary solution, as your antivirus and firewall are important for protecting your system from malicious attacks.

5. Close Applications You Aren’t Using

If you have multiple applications running, and some are utilizing your network connections like torrent clients or web browsers, they can interfere with OBS. This can lead to frame dropping during streaming. To avoid this issue, make sure to close any unnecessary applications that might be using up your system resources in the background such as torrent clients or apps that constantly update themselves.

To completely exit an app, you can use Task Manager. Open it by pressing Windows + X and selecting "Task Manager" from the context menu. Then, select the application you want to close, right-click on it and select “End Task”.

6. Change Stream Servers

If you're experiencing connection issues or dropped frames while streaming, switching to a different server may help. By default, OBS selects the server that is closest to you or has the best ping. However, this may not always be the best option for a stable connection.

To switch servers, follow these steps:

1. Open OBS and go to “File” > “Settings.”
2. Select the “Stream” tab and choose the service you want to use. Then, click on “Connect Account (recommended)” and log in with your username and password.
   
   
3. After logging in, choose a different server from the drop-down list.
   
   
4. Finally, click the “Apply” button, and then click OK to save the changes.

You can test different servers until you find one that provides a stable and smooth streaming experience.

7. Turn Off VPN, Proxy, etc.

If you're using a VPN or proxy while streaming, that might be causing dropped frames. To ensure a stable connection, disable any VPNs or proxies you're using before streaming.

To disable your VPN, use the application you use and simply click on the button that turns the service off. For your proxy configuration, follow these steps:

1. Open the search bar in your taskbar by clicking on the magnifying glass icon. You can also bring it up with the Windows + S keyboard shortcut.
2. Type in “Internet Options” and click on the first search result.
   
   
3. Switch to the Connections tab once the pop-up window shows up, and then click on LAN Settings.
   
   
4. Once in the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window, make sure that the “Use a proxy server for your LAN” option is not enabled. If the option is enabled, simply click on the checkbox once to make it empty.
   
   
5. After disabling the proxy server, click OK and restart your computer.

8. Enable Network Optimizations

Enabling the optional network optimizations setting in OBS can help address issues like dropped frames and disconnections while streaming. This setting changes how OBS interacts with your network and includes detailed logging of network events to help with troubleshooting.

It's important to note that this feature is only available on Windows. To enable network optimizations:

1. Open OBS Studio then open the “File” menu and click on “Settings.”
2. Here, switch to the “Advanced” tab, and scroll down until you see the “Network Settings.” Make sure that “Enable network optimizations” is checked.
   
   
3. Click the “Apply” button, and then click OK to exit the window.

After turning this feature on, see if you’re able to stream without major issues with dropped frames.

9. Switch to Ethernet

Streaming over a Wi-Fi connection is convenient, but it can also be unreliable and cause dropped frames. If you're streaming over Wi-Fi, switching to an Ethernet connection will give you a more reliable connection with fewer dropped frames. To do this, simply connect your PC directly to your modem or router using an Ethernet cable.

If you don't have the option of streaming via Ethernet, you should try to implement the other optimizations in this article. We also recommend reaching out to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to ensure that your connection is stable and fast enough for streaming.

Conclusion

Dropped frames can be one of the most frustrating issues for streamers. While it's impossible to completely eliminate them, following our recommendations should help you reduce or even prevent dropped frames while streaming on OBS. If none of these work, then you may need to invest in additional hardware such as an Ethernet connection or a more powerful CPU and GPU.

If you run into any other problems while streaming on OBS, we recommend reaching out to their support team for assistance. You may also want to get in touch with your ISP to make sure your connection is stable before streaming. Good luck!

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