OBS Virtual Camera shows the wrong scene: check its output mode
OBS Virtual Camera can send Program, Preview, a fixed scene, or one source. Choose the feed you want before enabling your camera in a call.
Open the gear beside Start Virtual Camera and inspect the output mode. A fixed Scene or Source will not follow your main scene changes. Preview sends the Studio Mode preview, including edits you have not sent to Program. For normal scene switching, choose Program.
In this guide
OBS Studio Virtual Camera on supported desktop systems. Covers the scene sent as video, not microphone routing or camera detection in a meeting app.
Check which output the virtual camera sends
Keep the meeting camera off while changing this setting. Preview mode can reveal unfinished scenes or a private desktop to other participants.
What each mode does
The OBS virtual camera guide describes four choices:
| Mode | Feed sent to the receiving app |
|---|---|
| Program | The main output |
| Preview | The Studio Mode preview, including work in progress |
| Scene | One chosen scene, independent of the main output |
| Source | One chosen source |
A fixed Scene can be useful when a call needs its own layout while you record something else. It also explains why clicking another main scene may appear to do nothing in the meeting app.
Check the receiving app's preview
- Select the intended mode and start Virtual Camera.
- In the meeting app's private camera preview, select OBS Virtual Camera.
- Switch between two harmless, visibly different sample scenes if you chose Program.
- Confirm that the receiving preview shows the scene you expect before enabling video for others.
If it still shows the wrong picture, check that the app has not selected your physical webcam or another virtual camera.
If the right scene arrives but an overlay or webcam is missing, inspect that scene's contents. The source visibility guide covers hidden, covered, and misplaced sources.
For a mismatch that remains after these checks, use the support links in the OBS guide and describe the selected mode, receiving app, and what its private preview shows.
Sources
Based on official documentation; not independently tested. Sources checked Sep 27, 2026. How we review guides
Something out of date? Let us know.
Related fixes
OBS microphone records in one ear: inspect the source before downmixing
Check the microphone meters and a saved recording, then downmix only if a single voice occupies one side of a stereo input.
An OBS source is missing from the scene: check visibility, order, and position
A source can be working but hidden, covered, or outside the canvas. Check the scene layout before recreating it.
OBS microphone cuts off quiet words: check the gate before adding more filters
Quiet speech can fall below a gate or expander threshold. Isolate the filter that removes it before adding more processing.