Show your YouTube live chat in OBS
Show your YouTube live chat on stream without screen-capturing a browser window. Add it to your overlay once and it appears whenever you go live.
Vision account required. You build the overlay in the editor. · Updated
How it works
What you need for a YouTube chat overlay
Add a Chat layer to a Vision overlay, set the channel's platform to YouTube and enter your channel handle, channel URL or live stream link. Vision finds your live stream automatically. Save the overlay and add it to OBS as a browser source.
- OBS Studio and a Vision account (the Free plan works)
- Your YouTube handle (like @yourchannel), channel URL or stream link
- A YouTube live stream: chat only appears while you're live
Step by step
Add YouTube live chat to OBS
Add the Chat layer
Open your overlay in Vision. Click Add Chat in the left toolbar and click on the canvas, or use Add Layer → Chat & Interaction → Chat.
Switch the channel to YouTube
Select the layer and click Channels. Set the platform of the channel to YouTube and enter your handle, for example @yourchannel. A channel URL, a channel ID or a link to a specific live stream work as well.
Style the chat
Click Designer to open the Chat Designer. Choose font, colors and spacing, limit Max messages and pick in and out animations. Super Chats, Super Stickers and gifted memberships appear as highlighted messages.
Add the overlay to OBS
Save the overlay. Click Insert Overlay and use Drag & Drop in OBS, or copy the link and add it in OBS under Sources → + → Browser with the overlay's size.
Go live and check
Start your YouTube stream. Vision looks for your live stream and connects on its own, so chat appears shortly after you go live. Send a test message and check it in OBS.
Why chat only appears while you're live
YouTube live chat belongs to a live stream, not to the channel. When you enter a handle, Vision searches for the stream that's currently live and checks again every few seconds until it finds one.
If you schedule streams in advance, you can also paste the link of that specific stream. Either way, the overlay can stay in OBS permanently.
YouTube and Twitch in one chat
Streaming to YouTube and Twitch at the same time? Add a second channel under Channels with Twitch as the platform. Both chats are merged into one feed, and you can give each channel its own background color.
Platform icons show viewers where each message comes from, and can be switched off in the settings.
Troubleshooting
If something is not working
- No messages? Make sure you're live on YouTube and that the handle or link points to the right channel.
- Chat appears late? Vision checks for your live stream every few seconds, so give it a moment after you go live.
- Chat shows in Vision but not in OBS? Save the overlay and check the browser source link.
FAQ
YouTube chat in OBS: common questions
Do I need to connect my Google account?
No. Enter your handle, channel URL or stream link. Vision reads the public live chat.
Does it work before I go live?
The overlay can be in OBS already, but messages only appear once your live stream has started.
Are Super Chats shown?
Yes. Super Chats, Super Stickers and gifted memberships appear in the chat.
Can I show YouTube and Twitch chat together?
Yes. Add both channels to the same Chat layer and the messages are merged into one feed.
