Why Is My OBS Virtual Camera Flipped?

The short answer

In most cases, OBS is not flipping your video. Video-calling apps commonly mirror your self-view, the small preview of yourself, so it behaves like a mirror. Other participants usually see the unmirrored image that OBS sends. A real flip happens only when something in the chain mirrors the picture before it reaches the call. That could be a transform on an OBS source, your webcam's own driver or companion software, or a mirror setting in the calling app that changes what others receive.

Start by finding out where the flip appears. If only your own preview looks reversed, nothing needs fixing. If other people also see reversed text or a reversed layout, the flip is real and you need to find which stage introduced it.

Check whether the flip is real

Hold up a sheet with a few printed words, or put readable text in your OBS scene. Then compare these views:

• The OBS preview or program view: this is what OBS sends to the virtual camera.
• Your self-view in the calling app: this is often mirrored for display only.
• What another participant sees, or a recording made by the calling app: this is the most reliable check of what the virtual camera actually delivers.

If the text reads correctly in OBS and for the other participant but appears backwards in your self-view, the calling app is mirroring your preview locally. If the text is backwards in OBS itself, the flip happens before or inside OBS.

Where a real flip usually comes from

Location | What to look for | Who sees the flip

Calling app self-view | A mirror option for your own video, often on by default | Usually only you

OBS source transform | A horizontal or vertical flip applied to the webcam or another source | Everyone receiving the virtual camera

Webcam driver or vendor software | A mirror or flip toggle in the camera's own utility or device properties | Everyone, and it may also affect other apps using the camera directly

OBS filters or scene layout | A filter, plugin or nested scene that mirrors content | Everyone receiving the virtual camera

In OBS, you can open the webcam source's transform options by right-clicking the source. A flip applied there persists until you undo it, so if you see horizontal flip in that menu, apply it again to cancel it. If OBS shows the image mirrored even with no transform applied, check the webcam's own software. Some cameras mirror their output at the device level. Menu labels differ between OBS versions, operating systems and camera vendors, and the evidence for this guide does not confirm exact paths for any specific version, so treat these locations as places to look rather than exact steps.

Recent OBS releases also let you choose what the virtual camera outputs, such as the full program, a specific scene or a single source. If you picked a single source, adjustments you made to how that source sits in a scene may not appear in the output. If the result doesn't match your OBS preview, check this setting.

Should you flip it to make your self-view look right?

Usually not. If you add a flip in OBS so your self-view looks unmirrored, everyone else will see a mirrored image, with reversed text on signs, shirts, whiteboards or slides. If the mirrored self-view bothers you, turn off self-view mirroring in the calling app where that option exists. That changes only what you see.

What this means for your microphone and speech

Flipping or mirroring affects only the picture. It does not change how your voice is captured. The OBS Virtual Camera carries video only, so the calling app does not receive your audio through it. That includes a webcam microphone you added as an audio source in OBS. In the calling app, select the microphone you want as a separate input, such as the webcam's built-in mic or another device. If you want OBS-processed audio in the call, you need a separate audio route, such as a virtual audio device. This guide's evidence does not cover a specific method for that.

To confirm your speech is captured by the intended input, use the calling app's microphone test or input level meter. Speak at a normal volume and check that the meter responds when that specific device is selected. If the level stays flat, the app is probably using a different input than you expect.

Gaps in the available evidence

No version-specific documentation, measurements or test results were available for this article. The points about self-view mirroring and the video-only nature of the virtual camera describe widely documented general behavior. Exact control names, default settings and menu locations vary by OBS release, operating system, webcam model and calling app. Check them in the versions you use.