Where hotkeys live in OBS
Open Settings → Hotkeys. Every bindable action is listed with a search box at the top. Click a field, press the key combination you want, and it’s assigned. Two rules keep hotkey setups sane:
- Avoid keys your game uses. Alt-combos (Alt+1, Alt+2…) rarely collide with games. Plain F-keys collide more often than people expect.
- Assign hotkeys per scene, not just globally. In the scene list, right-click a scene → no — instead scroll to the scene’s name in Settings → Hotkeys; each scene has its own “switch to scene” binding.
The essential five
| Action | Suggested key | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Switch to Starting Soon | Alt+1 | Pre-show and post-show bookend. |
| Switch to Gameplay | Alt+2 | The scene you live in. |
| Switch to BRB | Alt+3 | Breaks without stopping the broadcast. |
| Mute mic | Alt+Shift+M | Coughs, doorbells, private calls. |
| Start/stop recording | Alt+Shift+R | Local recording control without alt-tabbing. |
Add save replay buffer (Alt+Shift+S) once you enable the replay buffer feature — it’s the fastest way to grab a highlight clip the moment it happens, per the VOD workflow.
Mute delay: why your mute hotkey “lags”
OBS applies mic audio after your filters (noise gate, suppression). Muting clicks instantly but audible sound can trail for a beat. If you need an instant cut, add Filters → Noise Gate with a short close threshold rather than relying on mute for surgical timing.
Stream Deck: what it actually adds
The Elgato Stream Deck is a physical pad of LCD keys. Its OBS plugin ships with the Stream Deck app and exposes one-touch buttons for scenes, mute, recording, source visibility toggles, and more. What it adds over hotkeys:
- No key conflicts with whatever game you’re playing.
- Visual state: the button lights up to show which scene is live.
- Multi-actions: one button switches the scene, unmutes, and starts the countdown timer.
A Stream Deck is genuinely useful but it is not required. A well-chosen set of five hotkeys covers the same ground for free. Buy the pad when the desk layout (not curiosity) is your bottleneck.
Free alternatives before buying hardware
- Touch Portal / Macro Deck: a tablet or phone as a button pad over your network. Free tiers exist; setup is app-to-plugin pairing with OBS on the same machine.
- OBS websockets + a small macro pad script: for tinkerers; OBS’s WebSocket lets any local tool trigger actions.
- A second phone running the OBS app or an NDI tool: niche, but works for remote scene control while testing.
Layout pattern that scales
- Row 1 — scenes: one button per scene, ordered to match your real stream flow.
- Row 2 — audio: mic mute, desktop mute, music pause.
- Row 3 — production: record start/stop, replay save, screenshot.
- Leftover keys: chat window focus, alert test button.
Design the pad around the broadcast order, not around what the software demos first. You will press row 1 far more often than anything else.
Testing before stream day
- Run a 2-minute test recording and hit every hotkey you assigned at least once.
- Watch the recording back to confirm each switch, mute, and save actually happened.
- Pay special attention to the mic mute: confirm it mutes the broadcast, not just the local monitor.
Hotkey mistakes discovered during a live stream are the classic “I was muted for ten minutes” story. The 2-minute test removes that risk entirely.