How To Change The Default Save Location In Obs Studio Mac

How To Change The Default Save Location in OBS Studio on Mac

Are you wondering where OBS Studio stores your recordings and streams on a Mac? By default, the application saves files to the Movies folder, which can quickly fill up your drive if you record often. In this tutorial, I will show you how to change the default save location in OBS Studio for macOS, step by step.

Why Change the Save Location?

Struggling to find where your video files are saved is a common frustration for new OBS users. Changing the folder to a dedicated drive or a cloud‑synced directory offers several benefits:

• Free up space on your internal SSD.
• Organize recordings by project or date.
• Speed up workflow by keeping files on a fast external SSD.
• Backup automatically if you choose a cloud folder.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

1. OBS Studio installed on your Mac (version 28 or later is recommended).
2. Administrator privileges to modify application settings.
3. A destination folder ready – this could be on an external drive, a network share, or any location you prefer.

Step‑by‑Step Guide to Change the Default Save Location

In this tutorial, you will learn how to redirect both recordings and replay buffers to a new folder.

1. Open OBS Studio. Launch the app from your Applications folder or Dock.
2. Access Settings. Click OBS in the menu bar, then choose Preferences. (On newer versions, the button may be labeled Settings.)
3. Navigate to the Output tab. In the left sidebar, select Output. This tab controls where recordings and replay buffers are saved.
4. Locate the Recording Path field. Under the Recording section, you’ll see a text box labeled “Recording Path.” This shows the current default folder.
5. Change the path. Click the Browse button next to the field. In the file dialog, navigate to the folder you want to use, then click Open. The new path will appear in the text box.
6. Set the Replay Buffer path (optional). If you use the replay buffer feature, repeat the same process in the “Replay Buffer” section, selecting a folder for temporary clips.
7. Apply and close. Click Apply and then OK to save your changes.
8. Test the new location. Start a short test recording. When you stop, OBS will save the file to the folder you selected. Verify that the file appears there.

Tips for Choosing the Right Destination

Want to know the best practices for selecting a save location? Consider these factors:

• Drive speed. Recording high‑resolution video benefits from fast SSDs. An external Thunderbolt SSD can handle 4K streams without dropping frames.
• Folder organization. Create subfolders such as