If you tried everything in this guide and are still having issues, please make a post on the forums or stop by the OBS Discord server.

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GPU selection for NVIDIA based laptops

• This guide will show you how to select the graphics card OBS is running on using the native control panel from NVIDIA.
• It is valid if you are running Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10 prior to version 1903.
• If you run Windows 10 1903 or newer, use this guide instead.

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Setup

• Close OBS if it is currently open
• Go to the NVIDIA Control Panel by right clicking on your desktop, and then clicking on "NVIDIA Control Panel"

• Click on "Manage 3D Settings" if it is not already selected

• Under the Program Settings tab, click the "Add" button under where it says "Select a program to customize:"

• click "Browse" at bottom of the dialog to search for OBS

• Navigate to the .exe path for OBS and add it to the list. Default paths are:
  • 64-bit OBS (default): C:\Program Files\obs-studio\bin\64bit\obs64.exe
  • 32-bit OBS: C:\Program Files (x86)\obs-studio\bin\32bit\obs32.exe
• Make sure it is selected in the drop down list

• Then below, look for "Select the preferred graphics processor for this program". Then set the option, depending on which mode you need:

For Display Capture

• Choose "Integrated Graphics. Close the control panel and start OBS.

For Window Capture / Game Capture

• Choose "High performance NVIDIA processor". Close the control panel and start OBS.