OBS Virtual Camera Screen Share: How to Send Your Screen as a Camera Feed

The short answer

Yes, you can share your screen through OBS Virtual Camera. In OBS, add a screen or window capture source to a scene, click Start Virtual Camera, then choose "OBS Virtual Camera" as the camera in your video-call app or browser. Other participants see your screen as if it were your webcam image.

One distinction changes what this means in practice. The virtual camera replaces your camera feed. It does not use the call app's built-in screen-share feature. That has consequences for sound, sharpness and layout, which are covered below so you can decide whether it is the right method for your call.

Virtual camera or the app's own screen share?

Aspect | OBS Virtual Camera | Built-in screen share in the call app

How others see it | As your camera tile, like a webcam image | As a dedicated shared-screen view, usually given more space

Your face | Replaced, unless you add your webcam to the same OBS scene | Your webcam usually stays visible separately

Computer audio | Not carried by the virtual camera; needs separate routing | Some apps offer an option to include system sound

Composition | Full control: overlays, cropping, combined layouts, scene switching | Limited to choosing a screen, window or tab

Text sharpness | Processed as camera video, so fine text can look softer | Typically optimized for readable screen content

Choose the virtual camera when you want a composed layout, such as your webcam in a corner over a slide, or when the platform has no usable screen-share option. Choose the app's native screen share when the priority is crisp, readable text or sharing a document in detail.

Step-by-step: share your screen through OBS Virtual Camera

• 1. Open OBS Studio and select the scene you want to use, or create a new one with the + button under Scenes.
• 2. Under Sources, click + and add Display Capture (sometimes called Screen Capture, depending on the operating system and OBS version) to show a whole monitor, or Window Capture to show a single application window.
• 3. Pick the monitor or window in the source properties and confirm that the OBS preview shows your screen.
• 4. Resize or crop the source so it fills the canvas. Right-click the source and use the Transform options, such as Fit to screen, if it looks too small or offset.
• 5. Optional: add a Video Capture Device source for your webcam and position it over the screen capture if you want to appear on screen too.
• 6. In the Controls panel, click Start Virtual Camera.
• 7. Open your call app or browser-based meeting, go to its video or camera settings, and select OBS Virtual Camera.
• 8. Leave OBS running for the whole call. Closing OBS or stopping the virtual camera ends the feed.

Menu names and button placement can differ between OBS versions and operating systems. No version-specific details were available for this guide, so if a label does not match exactly, look for the closest equivalent.

Verify that it actually works

Three separate things need to work, and one does not guarantee the next:

• Camera access: the call app lists OBS Virtual Camera and is allowed to use it. If it does not appear in the list, the app cannot see the device yet.
• Video capture: the app's preview shows your screen rather than a black frame, a blank image or the OBS logo.
• Call quality: participants can read what you show. A preview on your own machine does not prove this, because the call service compresses video before sending it.

The most reliable check is a short test call with a second device or a colleague. Ask them to read a line of small text from your screen. If they struggle, enlarge the content on your screen, zoom into the relevant area in OBS, or switch to the app's native screen share.

If it does not work

OBS Virtual Camera is missing from the camera list

• Make sure you clicked Start Virtual Camera in OBS before opening the camera settings.
• Fully quit and reopen the call app or browser. Many apps only check for cameras at launch.
• In a browser, check the site's camera permission and make sure the virtual camera is selected rather than your physical webcam.
• On macOS, the virtual camera may require you to approve a system extension in System Settings before it becomes available.
• On Linux, the virtual camera relies on the v4l2loopback kernel module; if it is not installed or loaded, the option may be missing or fail to start.

The screen capture is black or empty

• On macOS, grant OBS permission under Screen Recording (or Screen & System Audio Recording) in Privacy & Security settings, then restart OBS.
• On Windows laptops with two graphics processors, Display Capture can show black if OBS runs on a different GPU from the one driving the display. Setting OBS to the matching graphics processor in Windows graphics settings is a common fix; switching from Display Capture to Window Capture, or vice versa, can also help.
• On Linux desktops using Wayland, use the PipeWire-based capture source and approve the system's screen-sharing prompt.
• Some apps and protected video content block capture deliberately; in that case a black window is expected.

The image looks mirrored

Many call apps mirror your self-view preview only on your own screen. Participants usually see the image the correct way round. Confirm with the test call before flipping anything; if you flip it in OBS to fix your own preview, you may reverse it for everyone else.

Participants cannot hear computer audio

This is expected: OBS Virtual Camera sends video only. Your microphone still works through the call app as normal. To send sound from videos or apps on your computer, either use the call app's native screen share with its share-sound option, if available, or route audio through a separate virtual audio device and select it as the microphone in the call app. Check both that the call app detects the input and that a test listener actually hears clear sound, since a moving input meter does not prove the audio is intelligible.

Limitations to keep in mind

• Your screen replaces your camera image unless you build both into the OBS scene.
• Call services may crop or reframe camera feeds, so content near the edges can be cut off; keep important material toward the centre.
• Whatever is visible in the captured area is shared, including notifications and private windows. Window Capture limits exposure better than Display Capture.
• Running OBS alongside a call uses extra processing power; on slower computers this can affect smoothness.

Evidence gap: no tested measurements, version-specific behaviour or platform-specific results were supplied for this guide, so it does not state resolutions, frame rates or performance figures. Check your own OBS output settings and run a test call to confirm the result on your setup.