If you searched "OBS Studio download for PC," you are likely comparing it against paid screen recorders before committing to a workflow. OBS Studio is built by the nonprofit OBS Project and stays free forever because it is released under the GPLv2 license with community-driven development. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, so the same scene setup and plugins travel with you across machines. This guide gets you to the correct installer for your PC and explains a few setup details that trip up first-time users.
Cross-Platform Scenes and Plugins
OBS Studio's scene collections and plugin configurations are stored in portable JSON/INI files, so you can copy your setup between a Windows desktop and a macOS laptop without rebuilding scenes from scratch. The core app has no watermark, no recording time limit, and no paywall for multi-track audio.
Hardware encoding (NVENC, QuickSync, AMF) is detected automatically at first launch, but on older GPUs you may need to fall back to the software x264 encoder for stable recording.
Who ends up using OBS Studio
Streamers, educators, and gamers pick OBS Studio when they need professional-grade recording without a subscription.
- Twitch and YouTube streamers building multi-scene layouts with webcam and game capture overlays
- Teachers and trainers recording screen-capture lectures and tutorials for online courses
- Gamers capturing gameplay clips for highlight reels without paying for capture software
Before you install
A couple of things worth knowing about OBS Studio before you request the link: it covers Windows, macOS and Linux, so pick the right build for the machine you're setting up. And on pricing, OBS Studio is open source, so the installer is free with no trial timer, feature lock, or upsell screen to click past. It's developed and maintained by OBS Project.
System requirements
- WindowsWindows 10 or 11 (64-bit); older 7/8.1 builds usually still run but no longer get official support
- macOSa recent macOS release — check the download page for the current minimum version, since Apple Silicon vs Intel builds sometimes differ
- Linuxmost current 64-bit distributions; look for a native .deb/.rpm/AppImage or a package in your distro's own repository
Heavier workloads (large files, high-res media, big projects) will naturally want more RAM and a faster CPU/GPU than the bare minimum.
Quick steps
- Pick the installer matching your OS: Windows, macOS, or a Linux package/Flatpak
- Run the Auto-Configuration Wizard on first launch to set resolution and bitrate
- Add a Display or Game Capture source and hit Start Recording or Start Streaming
OBS Studio: the honest trade-offs
- No watermark or recording time limit at all
- GPU-accelerated scene rendering with hardware encoder support
- Highly extensible through plugins for advanced streaming setups
- Overwhelming settings menus for first-time streamers to learn
- Heavy multi-source scenes still strain older CPUs and GPUs
The download here points to the OBS Project's own distribution channel, so you are getting the same signed build listed on obsproject.com — nothing repackaged.
Other Screen Capture & Recording downloads people search for
Browse the full Screen Capture & Recording category →
Keeping OBS Studio up to date
Since OBS Studio is open source, most Linux distributions keep it current through their own package manager. On Windows/macOS, re-running the installer from the official site (or an updater built into the app, if it has one) gets you the latest release. Sticking to the developer's own distribution channel — which is what this page links to — means you're never stuck on an old build with unpatched bugs just because a mirror site stopped updating its copy.
Features, install steps, alternatives and more detail live on the main OBS Studio page.
Frequently asked questions
Will OBS Studio slow down my PC while recording?
It uses noticeably fewer resources than most commercial recorders because it renders scenes directly on the GPU, though heavy scenes with filters can still add load.
Does OBS Studio put a watermark on recordings?
No, recordings and streams are completely watermark-free regardless of how you use the software.
