Setting up and selecting an OBS virtual camera

The short answer

To set up the OBS virtual camera, install OBS Studio, build a scene that shows your camera, and click Start Virtual Camera. Then open your video-calling app and choose "OBS Virtual Camera" as the camera. One limitation matters for speech: the virtual camera sends video only. It carries no sound from OBS. You still have to pick a microphone separately in the calling app, or route OBS's audio through a separate virtual audio device if you want OBS's audio processing applied to your voice.

No version-specific documentation or test results were supplied for this guide. The menu names below describe recent OBS Studio releases in general terms. Labels and locations can change between versions and operating systems, so check them against the version you have installed.

Getting OBS and the virtual camera

OBS Studio is free, open-source software from the OBS Project. Download it from the project's official website or its official code repository, and avoid third-party download sites that repackage it. Recent versions include the virtual camera, so you don't need a separate "OBS camera" download or plugin. The standalone virtual-camera plugin that older guides mention was meant for versions released before the feature was built in.

• Platform notes:
• Windows: the virtual camera is installed along with OBS Studio.
• macOS: recent versions install the virtual camera as a system extension. The first time you start it, macOS may ask you to approve the extension in System Settings, usually under Privacy & Security or the login items and extensions area. You may also have to restart the calling app before the camera shows up.
• Linux: the virtual camera depends on the v4l2loopback kernel module. Your distribution may install it alongside OBS, or you may need to install it yourself.

Steps to start the virtual camera and capture your voice

• Before you start:
• OBS Studio installed and opened at least once.
• The camera connected and recognized by the operating system. For a mirrorless camera, that means either an HDMI capture device or the camera maker's webcam utility.
• A microphone you plan to use: the webcam's built-in mic, a USB mic, or a headset.
• Every other app that might grab the physical camera closed, because many cameras can only be used by one app at a time.

• 1. In OBS, add a source under Sources. Choose Video Capture Device (on macOS it may be called Video Capture Device or Camera) and select your webcam, capture device or camera utility.
• 2. Check the base and output resolution and the frame rate in Settings > Video. The virtual camera uses OBS's output settings, so set them to something your calling app can handle.
• 3. Click Start Virtual Camera in the Controls area.
• 4. Open the calling or recording app. In its video or camera settings, choose "OBS Virtual Camera".
• 5. In the same app's audio settings, choose the microphone directly. This might be the webcam's mic, a USB mic, a headset, or a virtual audio device if you're using OBS for audio (see below). Don't expect audio to come through the virtual camera.
• 6. If the app offers a preview or test call, use it before the real session.

Checking that your speech is being captured

First, confirm the picture in the app matches the OBS program view. Then speak at a normal volume and watch the app's input level meter. It should move with your voice and settle when you stop talking. If the app has a test recording or echo-test call, play the result back and listen for clipped words, a distant or hollow sound, or the audio drifting out of sync with your lips. If the meter doesn't move, the app is set to the wrong input or the operating system is blocking microphone access. Check the app's input selection and the system's microphone privacy setting.

Choosing how your voice reaches the call

Because the virtual camera has no audio, you need to decide how your microphone signal gets into the calling app. You have two practical options.

Route | How it works | When it fits | Trade-offs

Direct microphone selection | The calling app uses the physical mic as its input | Most calls, and anyone who wants the simplest setup | OBS filters don't touch the voice. The app applies its own processing.

OBS audio through a virtual audio device | OBS captures the mic, applies filters, and sends the result to a virtual audio cable, which the app then uses as its microphone | You want OBS filters such as noise suppression, gain or a compressor applied to your voice | Extra setup, a risk of added delay or echo, and a separate third-party virtual audio driver may be needed

Choosing the microphone directly is the safer default. Calling apps usually apply their own echo cancellation and noise suppression. If you also run OBS filters on the same voice, you may get double processing, which can make speech sound watery or cause the start of words to be cut off. If you do route audio through OBS, consider reducing or turning off the app's noise suppression, then compare test recordings.

To use the OBS route, add the microphone as an audio input source in OBS. Then set that source's monitoring to send audio to a virtual audio device, and choose that device as the microphone in the calling app. The OBS monitoring device is set under the Audio section of Settings, and per-source monitoring is set in Advanced Audio Properties. Note that many virtual audio drivers are separate downloads from other developers. Don't send monitoring to your speakers during a call, or other people may hear an echo.

Mirrorless cameras and audio

When a mirrorless camera feeds OBS through an HDMI capture device, the HDMI signal may carry audio from the camera's own microphone or from a mic plugged into the camera. In that case the capture device can also appear in OBS as an audio source. This audio still won't pass through the virtual camera. To use it in a call, you'd need the virtual audio device route described above. Whether a particular camera sends audio over HDMI, and with how much delay, depends on the camera and the capture device. No specifications were provided here, so check the documentation for your hardware. If the picture lags behind a separate USB mic, OBS lets you add a sync offset to the audio source in Advanced Audio Properties to line it up again. This only works when the audio is routed through OBS.

Changing what the virtual camera shows

By default the virtual camera outputs OBS's main program view, so switching scenes in OBS changes what the call sees. Recent versions also have a settings button next to Start Virtual Camera that lets you pick a different output: the program view, the preview, a specific scene, or a single source. Depending on your version, you may need to stop and restart the virtual camera before a change in output type takes effect. Changes to resolution or frame rate in OBS's video settings may require the same, and the calling app may also need to re-select the camera.

Common problems

• "OBS Virtual Camera" doesn't appear in the app: start the virtual camera in OBS first, then restart the app. On macOS, confirm the system extension was approved.
• The app shows a black frame or the OBS logo: the virtual camera isn't running, or the selected output has no visible sources.
• The physical camera shows as busy in OBS: another app is using it. Close that app, or set the other app to use the virtual camera instead.
• No voice in the call: the app is using the wrong microphone or none at all. Remember that the virtual camera never carries audio.
• Echo or doubled voice: OBS monitoring is going to your speakers, or the same mic is reaching the call by two routes at once.

Gaps in the available evidence

This guide is based on documented OBS behavior and general audio-routing principles. It does not include measured latency, voice-quality comparisons between routes, or tested results for particular webcams, mirrorless cameras or capture devices. Menu paths were not checked against a specific OBS release, so confirm them in your installed version.