How to Remove a Donation Alert from a Stream Recording and Keep It in the Live Broadcast

Why a Donation Alert Ends Up in the Recording

In OBS Studio, a donation alert is usually added as a browser source on top of the game, camera, and other scene elements. When a new donation comes in, the source displays an animation, the sender's name, and the message, and plays a sound. OBS combines all sources into a single final frame that is sent to viewers and simultaneously recorded to the computer.

That's why turning off the source with the eye icon removes the alert not only from the file but also from the live broadcast. The same applies to deleting the browser source, disabling it, or moving it outside the canvas. Within the same OBS scene, standard settings can't show a source to viewers while completely excluding it from the video recording.

First, determine exactly what needs to be removed. If only the donation sound is a problem in the recording, it's enough to separate the audio tracks. If you also need to remove the visual, you'll need a separate composition for recording, a second capture path, or processing of the finished video. A stream recording on the platform also receives the finished broadcast image, so local recording settings won't automatically remove the alert from the VOD.

How to Remove the Donation Sound from a Local Recording

For audio, you can use separate OBS audio tracks. With this option, viewers will hear the alert in the live broadcast, while the local file will contain only the sources selected for recording. The donation visual will remain if the browser source is visually present in the scene.

Open the OBS mixer and go to "Advanced Audio Properties" via the gear icon. For regular sources that should be in both the broadcast and the recording, enable the first and second tracks. For the donation alert source, leave only the first track. In the output settings, set the first track for streaming and select only the second track for recording.

In this scenario, the first track serves as the mix for the live broadcast. The second becomes the clean mix for the local file without the alert sound. Check that the donation sound actually comes from the browser source and isn't mixed into the general Desktop Audio. If it's already part of the overall system mix, OBS won't be able to separate it with a simple track toggle. In that case, you need to capture the alert sound separately or set up separate application routing.

Do a quick test: trigger a test alert, record a short clip, and check the file. Some players show the wrong audio track, so also open the recording in an editor. This method only works for audio. The visible overlay will remain in every frame of the recording.

How to Get a Clean Video Recording Without the Alert

To make the donation visible in the broadcast but absent from the video, you need two different compositions. One is sent to viewers and contains the browser source with the alert. The second is recorded to the computer and includes the game, camera, and necessary elements but doesn't contain that source.

In practice, this can be set up in several ways. The most straightforward option is to use a separate recording path: a second OBS instance, a separate computer, or a capture device. The clean chain captures the game and other necessary sources directly, while the main OBS continues broadcasting with the donation alert. The second instance may run into restrictions accessing the camera, microphone, and game capture, so each source needs to be checked individually.

If you don't want to run two full broadcasting scenes, you can use a tool or plugin to record a single source or scene. In OBS projects, solutions like Source Record are used for this. They let you record a selected scene without the overall overlay if the composition is set up correctly. Before using it regularly, check compatibility with your OBS version, the CPU and GPU load, and whether the camera and audio are present in the final file.

A convenient setup is to create a separate "Recording" scene. In it, you keep the game capture, camera, frames, and other elements that should appear in the video. The browser source with donations isn't added to this scene. It's important to remember that simply toggling the eye icon on the alert in the main scene won't work: it will disappear for viewers too. The clean recording must be built from a separate set of sources or a separate output.

What to Do If the Stream Is Already Recorded

If the alert is already baked into the video, the area it covered can't be fully restored. The editor doesn't know what was underneath the animation, name, or message. You can only hide or replace that section in the finished file.

If the overlay is at the edge of the frame, it can be removed by cropping. When the alert appears in one place over the game, a mask, blur, or opaque block is used. For a fixed position, it's enough to cover the area with a single element. If the alert moves, the mask will need to be animated with keyframes.

Handle the audio separately. The segment can be cut, muted, or replaced with a background track if that doesn't break the meaning of the video. When publishing on a platform, editing individual sections of an already uploaded video is sometimes available, but the set of such features depends on the platform. It's safer to keep the original and edit a copy in a video editor.

If the goal is to remove donations from a recording on Twitch, YouTube, or another platform, check which file you're dealing with. A local recording and a broadcast replay on the platform are different objects. The VOD gets the same video image that viewers saw, so an audio track or recording setting on the computer won't hide the visual alert in the broadcast archive.

Checking Before a Real Broadcast

First, trigger a test donation and make sure the animation, name, and message appear in the live broadcast. Then start recording and repeat the test. After stopping, check not only the beginning of the file but also the place where the alert appeared: sometimes a browser source is connected to the scene through a group or a copy that's easy to forget.

If the donation sound is still in the recording, check Desktop Audio and other system sources. The same signal may come from both the browser source and the general audio capture at the same time, which is why disabling one track doesn't help. If the visual is still in the recording, the alert is in the same video composition as the broadcast. In that case, you need a separate scene, a separate output, or post-processing.

Don't rely only on viewing the file in a file explorer. Open it in the same editor or player you'll use to edit the video. Check the resolution, camera and microphone sync, the presence of the required audio track, and system load. A short test before going live usually reveals a problem faster than trying to fix a multi-hour recording.

Also keep moderation in mind. Hiding the alert from a recording doesn't protect against an unwanted message in the live broadcast: viewers may see it or save the clip themselves. Message filtering, display delay, and manual approval of questionable donations remain separate settings.

Quick Summary: What to Do Step by Step

1. Determine whether you need to remove only the sound or the entire visual alert.
2. For sound, set up separate audio tracks: keep the alert on the broadcast track but exclude it from the recording track.
3. For a clean visual, create a separate scene or use a separate recording path without the browser source with donations.
4. Trigger a test alert and check the live broadcast, the local file, and the audio.
5. If the recording is already done, hide the alert with cropping, a mask, blur, or audio editing.