How to Use Streamlabs Virtual Webcam in Discord

Yes, you can send your Streamlabs scene to Discord as if it were a webcam. Streamlabs Desktop, formerly called Streamlabs OBS, includes a Virtual Webcam feature. A virtual webcam is a software camera. Instead of showing a physical lens, it shows whatever Streamlabs is producing. That can be your real webcam with overlays, filters, text, or a full scene. Once the virtual webcam is running, you choose it in Discord's camera settings. Discord then treats it like any other camera.

Some things don't change. You still turn on Discord's Video button during a call. Your microphone is still set separately. The virtual webcam carries picture only, not Streamlabs audio. Discord's Go Live screen sharing is a separate feature. It is not the same thing as using Streamlabs as your camera.

Before you start

• Install Streamlabs Desktop and build at least one scene that shows what you want people to see.
• If your scene uses a physical webcam, add it inside Streamlabs as a video capture source. Discord will not use that webcam directly.
• Install Discord's desktop app, or use Discord in a browser that can see your system's cameras.
• Make sure your operating system allows apps to use the camera. Details are in the permissions section below.
• Note that menu names and feature availability can differ between Streamlabs versions and between Windows and macOS. If a step below doesn't match what you see, look for the closest option labeled Virtual Webcam or Virtual Cam.

Step 1: Turn on the virtual webcam in Streamlabs

• 1. Open Streamlabs Desktop and go to Settings.
• 2. Find the Virtual Webcam section.
• 3. If you're offered an option to install the virtual camera, run it. Accept any system prompt that appears. Installing creates the camera device.
• 4. Where available, choose what to send. Options can include the full program output, a specific scene, or a single source.
• 5. Start the virtual webcam.
• 6. Keep Streamlabs open. The virtual webcam only produces video while Streamlabs is running and the feature is started.

Success check: Streamlabs should show that the virtual webcam is active. The wording may be a status message, or the start control may change to a stop option. This tells you the virtual camera is running. It does not yet prove that Discord can see it.

Step 2: Select it as your camera in Discord

• 1. If Discord was already open, fully quit it and reopen it. Close it from the system tray too, not just the window. Apps often only detect new cameras when they start up.
• 2. Open User Settings with the gear icon, then go to Voice & Video.
• 3. Under Video Settings, open the Camera dropdown.
• 4. Choose the entry that belongs to Streamlabs. Its name typically includes Streamlabs or Virtual Webcam. Don't choose your physical webcam.
• 5. Use the Test Video button to open a preview.

Success check: the preview should show your Streamlabs scene, not your raw webcam and not a black box. Seeing the device in the dropdown shows Discord has camera access. A moving preview shows video is actually being captured. Neither one tells you how the video will look to others on a real call. That depends on your connection and on Discord's own processing.

Step 3: Turn the camera on in a call and confirm

Join a voice channel or start a direct-message call, then click the Video button. The best way to check is to ask someone else in the call what they see. You can also join from a second device. Check that text and overlays are readable and that the image isn't frozen. Note that your own preview may look mirrored even though other people see it the normal way. Ask them before you flip anything in Streamlabs.

Don't forget your microphone

Discord doesn't get audio from the virtual webcam. In Voice & Video, set Input Device to the microphone you want to use. Then run the mic test, or talk and watch the input meter. If the meter moves, Discord is picking up sound. Whether your voice is clear is a separate question. A short test call or a recording will tell you that. No supplied evidence gives a verified target input level for this setup. Aim for a meter that clearly responds to normal speech without staying pinned at the top. Confirm by ear with another listener.

Check permissions if the camera is missing or blocked

• Windows: open Settings, then Privacy & security, then Camera. Make sure camera access is on and desktop apps are allowed to use the camera.
• macOS: open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Camera. Make sure Discord is allowed. Restart Discord after changing it.
• Browser version of Discord: allow camera access for the Discord site when the browser asks. If you blocked it before, change it in the site permissions. Then pick the Streamlabs camera in Discord's settings.

Fixes for common problems

• Streamlabs camera not in Discord's list: make sure the virtual webcam is installed and started in Streamlabs. Then fully restart Discord.
• Black or blank video: check that Streamlabs is still open, the virtual webcam is started, and the scene you're sending isn't empty. Also confirm Discord is set to the Streamlabs camera, not a physical one.
• Physical webcam shows an error or goes dark: a webcam often works with only one app at a time. Let Streamlabs use the physical webcam, and point Discord only at the virtual webcam.
• Wrong scene appears: change the output choice in the Virtual Webcam settings. If it sends the main program output, switch scenes in Streamlabs.
• Image looks stretched or cropped: match the canvas or output shape in Streamlabs to the layout you want. Discord may also crop or scale the video.

Backgrounds and effects: which tool does what

There are three different ways to change what's behind you. A physical background is whatever is really behind you, such as a wall or a backdrop. A Streamlabs effect is something you build into your scene, such as an overlay, a frame, or a filter. It reaches Discord already baked into the video. Discord's own video background options are applied after that, on top of whatever camera it receives. Using both at once can give odd results, such as two backgrounds stacked on each other. Pick one place to do your effects. Editing a background in a still photo is a separate task and has no effect on live video.

What this guide can't confirm

No version-specific evidence was supplied for this article. That means it can't confirm several details. These include exact menu wording in your Streamlabs release, whether the virtual webcam is offered on your operating system, or the exact device name Discord will show. It also can't confirm resolution or frame-rate limits in Discord. If your screens differ from the steps above, Streamlabs' current help documentation is the authoritative source for your version.