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OBS Browser Source Not Showing? Fix the Blank Overlay Before You Go Live
A practical checklist for fixing blank OBS browser sources, broken overlays, cache problems, wrong dimensions, transparency issues, and Streamable widget URLs.
Written by Manav Bokinala
Do not debug everything at once
A blank browser source can be caused by the URL, the dimensions, the page itself, OBS cache, scene visibility, network access, or audio/video permissions. The mistake is changing all of them at the same time.
Work from the outside in: URL first, then source size, then OBS refresh/cache, then page behavior.
Step 1:Open the URL in a normal browser
Copy the exact browser source URL and open it in Chrome or Safari. If it does not load there, OBS is not the problem.
For private widget URLs, make sure you copied the display URL and not a dashboard URL that requires a logged-in session.
Step 2:Set width and height manually
OBS Browser Source has its own viewport width and height. A page can be loading correctly but appear cropped, tiny, or off-screen because the source is the wrong size.
For full overlays, match the OBS canvas. For chat and alerts, use the dimensions the overlay was designed for.
Step 3:Refresh cache of the current page
OBS includes a button to refresh the cache of the current browser source page. Use it after changing overlay CSS, updating a widget, or switching between test and production URLs.
If cache refresh fixes it, write that down. It means the page was fine, but OBS was holding stale browser state.
Step 4:Check visibility and scene nesting
Make sure the browser source eye icon is on, the parent group is visible, and the source is not hidden behind a full-screen image, video, or color source.
If the same source appears in multiple scenes, test it in a simple blank scene. A clean test scene removes most layout noise.
Step 5:Be careful with shutdown-on-hide
The OBS setting 'Shutdown source when not visible' unloads the page when the source is hidden or not in the active scene. That can be useful for simple pages, but it can break overlays that need to keep state.
If an overlay works only after you switch scenes twice, this setting is a suspect.
The Streamable-specific check
In Streamable Cloud Hosted OBS, check that the widget URL belongs to the right account, the cloud server is running, and the source is placed in the active scene. If a moderator or producer changed scenes, the source may be fine but not currently visible.
Use a test scene with only the browser source. If it appears there, the problem is scene composition. If it does not, the problem is URL, dimensions, cache, or page access.
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Optional: Deep-Dive FAQ
Open only if you still need extra troubleshooting context.
Why is my OBS browser source blank?
Most blank browser sources come from a bad URL, wrong dimensions, hidden source, stale cache, or a page that requires a browser session OBS does not have.
How do I refresh an OBS browser source?
Open the source properties and use the refresh cache option, or toggle refresh behavior depending on whether you want the page to reload on scene activation.
Should I use shutdown source when not visible?
Use it for simple overlays only. Avoid it for chat, alerts, audio, or anything that needs to keep state across scene switches.