Restoring OBS scenes after a crash without rebuilding your profile

Why you can restore scenes separately from your profile

In OBS, the profile and the scene collection are stored separately. The profile typically holds stream, output, video, and other general settings. The scene collection includes the scenes themselves, sources, filters, transitions, and their layout.

That's why missing scenes don't mean you need to create a new profile. If you delete or replace the entire settings folder, you can lose your working stream settings and other preferences. Start by checking the scene collections and individual files instead of reinstalling OBS or resetting your profile.

After a crash, the program may open an empty collection, show an older saved version, or fail to load a corrupted file. The recovery steps depend on the cause, but usually it's enough to find an intact copy of the collection and connect it to your current profile.

Check the collection inside OBS

Open OBS and go to the scene collection menu. The list may contain several entries with different names. Select your previous collection and check whether the scenes, sources, filters, and transitions have appeared.

Sometimes after a crash OBS starts with a new empty collection while your working one remains in the list. In that case you don't need to change the profile at all: just select the right collection. If the name isn't there, don't recreate the scenes and don't save an empty version over the old files.

If the collection opens but some scenes are missing, check the other names in the list. Also check whether OBS was launched in portable mode or with a different data folder. Different settings directories can contain different sets of collections.

Find the folder with your collection files

Before working with files, fully close OBS. Make sure the program isn't still running in the background. Then copy the entire OBS settings folder to a separate location. This preserves your original data in case the version you choose turns out to be corrupted or you need to repeat the recovery.

Scene collections are usually stored in the basic/scenes folder inside the OBS settings directory. On Windows that's %APPDATA%\obs-studio\basic\scenes, on macOS it's ~/Library/Application Support/obs-studio/basic/scenes, and on Linux it's ~/.config/obs-studio/basic/scenes. If OBS is running in portable mode, look for the config/basic/scenes folder next to the program's executable file.

If that directory doesn't exist, check whether a different data folder or a separate copy of OBS is being used. Don't delete any files you find until you've backed up the entire folder.

Choose an intact copy of the collection

The collections directory contains files with the .json extension. Their names are often tied to the collection names, so start with the name and modification date. Open the file properties and compare the dates, but don't assume the newest copy is intact without checking: it may have been written during the crash itself.

A backup with the .json.bak extension sometimes sits next to a corrupted file. Such a file isn't guaranteed to exist. Also check older copies of the folder, file system history, computer backups, and cloud storage version history.

Auto-save or cloud backups of the scenes folder, if configured, may contain a newer version than the local file. Download such a copy separately first and compare it with your current data. Don't sync it over your working folder until you've checked it.

Don't edit the original JSON by hand. Copy the suitable file to a separate folder. If you're using a .json.bak file, make a copy of it and change the extension to .json only on the copy. Leave the original file untouched.

Import the collection without switching profiles

The safest option is to import the saved JSON through the scene collection menu in OBS. Choose the import command, select the copy of the file, and give the restored collection a clear name. The menu item names may differ slightly depending on your version and interface language.

After importing, select the new collection in the OBS menu. You don't need to change your current profile: its settings stay the same, and the program will use the selected scenes. Don't import a profile or replace the entire settings folder if your only goal is to restore scenes.

In some cases you can place the JSON copy in the basic/scenes folder and then restart OBS. It's best to rename the copy first, for example to recovered.json, so you don't confuse it with your current collection. Importing through the interface is usually easier and reduces the risk of accidentally overwriting a working file.

If the restored collection doesn't appear, check the file extension. With hidden extensions in Windows, you may end up with a name like recovered.json.json. Also check that the file is in the data directory of the OBS installation you're actually launching.

If the file won't open, try another copy. An older JSON may work if the latest one was written during the crash. Don't replace all your files with it at once: test each version on a copy of the directory. Don't try to fix a broken JSON by randomly deleting lines — that can destroy the collection's structure.

Check your sources after recovery

The collection stores the scene structure and source settings, but it doesn't embed local images, videos, music, and other files. OBS remembers the path to them. If a file was moved, renamed, or is on a disconnected drive, the source will show an error even though the scene itself is restored.

Open the properties of the problem source and point it to the correct media file path. If there are many such files, first restore the original folder structure or connect the right drive — this can fix several links at once. After moving media, check scenes with videos, images, music, and browser sources.

For capture devices, check the connection, system permissions, and the selected camera or capture card. If the device has changed its name or is plugged into a different port, select it again in the source properties. For browser sources, separately check the page address and the availability of any local files they use.

Sources and filters created by plugins may fail to load if the required plugin was removed or isn't available in the installed OBS version. In that case, install a compatible version of the plugin from a trusted source and restart OBS. If the plugin is no longer supported, the removed source will have to be replaced with a built-in source or another compatible solution, and its settings may need to be reconfigured manually.

Step-by-step checklist

To restore your scenes with minimal risk, follow this sequence:

1. Open OBS and check every scene collection shown in the menu.
2. If your working collection isn't there, close OBS and copy its entire settings folder.
3. Find the basic/scenes directory and save separate copies of the JSON files.
4. Check the .json and .json.bak files, file history, and cloud backups.
5. Import a suitable copy of the collection through OBS without changing your current profile.
6. Check media paths, capture devices, browser sources, and plugins.
7. Once verified, export your working collection and keep its JSON outside the OBS folder.