How to Transfer Streamlabs Scenes to Another Computer

Streamlabs Desktop, the app formerly called Streamlabs OBS, saves your layouts as scene collections. To move them to a new computer, you need the collection data and the media files it points to on the new machine. After that, you reconnect your hardware. There are two practical routes. You can sign in to the same Streamlabs account and let its cloud backup restore your collections, or you can copy the collection files yourself.

Before you start

Choose a route first. The account route depends on Streamlabs' online backup, so what it restores is decided by the service and can change between app versions. Check the current Streamlabs documentation if you need to know exactly what is included. The manual route runs entirely on your own computers and storage.

• Install the current version of Streamlabs Desktop on the new computer. If the old computer still works, update it too, so both read the same collection format.
• Have your Streamlabs login ready, along with the streaming platform account it is linked to.
• Find the local media your scenes use, such as images, videos, overlay files, alert sounds and fonts. Scenes refer to these files by their location on disk. The files themselves are not stored inside the collection.
• Write down or screenshot your current output settings: bitrate, encoder, resolution, frame rate and recording format.
• Have a way to move files that you control, such as a USB drive, a network share or your own cloud folder.

Step-by-step instructions

Option 1: Restore through your Streamlabs account

• 1. On the old computer, open Streamlabs Desktop while signed in. Leave it running for a short while so recent changes to your collections can sync.
• 2. On the new computer, install Streamlabs Desktop and sign in with the same account.
• 3. Open the scene collection switcher in the Scenes area and check whether your collections are listed.
• 4. Switch to the collection you want and review each scene.

If your collections do not appear, or the old computer is no longer available but its drive is, use the manual method below.

Option 2: Copy scene collection files manually

Streamlabs Desktop stores scene collections as JSON files in its application data folder. On Windows, type %appdata% into the File Explorer address bar, then open slobs-client and then SceneCollections. On macOS, look for the slobs-client folder under Application Support in your user Library folder. Confirm that the folder exists on your system before you change anything.

• 1. Close Streamlabs Desktop on both computers so it cannot rewrite files while you copy them.
• 2. On the old computer, copy the entire SceneCollections folder. Include the manifest file that lists your collections.
• 3. Copy the media files your scenes use. If you keep the same folder structure and drive letter on the new computer, you will have fewer sources to relink.
• 4. On the new computer, start Streamlabs Desktop once and then close it, so the app creates its own folders.
• 5. Rename the new computer's SceneCollections folder to keep it as a backup. Then paste the copied folder in its place.
• 6. Start Streamlabs Desktop and select your collection from the scene collection switcher.

If the new computer is already signed in to an account that has its own collections, syncing may merge with or replace the files you pasted. To undo the change, close the app and restore the folder you renamed.

Scene collections contain scenes and sources. Your output configuration may not come with them. Open Settings on the new computer and re-enter or confirm the bitrate, encoding, resolution, frame rate and recording format. If the new computer has a different graphics card, the hardware encoder you used before may not be available. In that case, pick an encoder the new hardware supports.

Check the output

• Click through every scene and confirm each source loads. A missing file usually shows up as a blank or empty source.
• Open the properties of each camera, microphone and capture source, and select the device again if needed. Device identifiers differ between computers, so these sources often need to be reassigned.
• Check widgets such as alerts and chat. Widgets loaded from your Streamlabs account should work after you sign in, but any alert sounds or images stored locally need the files you copied.
• Make a short local recording and play it back. Check audio levels, audio and video sync, resolution and the recording format before you go live.
• Compare the output settings with the notes you took on the old computer.

If the new computer uses a different display resolution or canvas size, sources may appear shifted or scaled. Adjust their position and size in each scene, or set the base canvas resolution to match the old setup.

Common problems and next steps

Collections are missing after signing in

Make sure you signed in to the same Streamlabs account on both computers, not a different platform login. If the collections still do not appear, copy the SceneCollections folder manually as described above.

Images, videos or overlays show as missing

The saved file paths no longer match the new computer. Open the source properties and browse to the new file location. Alternatively, recreate the original folder structure and drive letter so the paths work again.

Webcam is black or microphone is silent

Select the device again in the source properties. Then check the operating system's privacy settings: Windows and macOS both require apps to have permission to use the camera and microphone. Also close any other app that may be holding the camera.

Game or window capture shows a black screen

Game and window capture sources are tied to a specific window or program, so select the target again on the new computer. On laptops with two graphics processors, capture can fail when the app and the captured program run on different GPUs. Check your system's graphics settings if a capture stays black.

Dropped frames or choppy video on the new computer

Check the encoding settings first. Try an encoder suited to the new hardware, a lower bitrate or a lower frame rate, then make another test recording.

Once everything works, keep a backup copy of the SceneCollections folder and your media files in one place. Your next move will then only take a single copy step.