How to Install OBS Studio on Ubuntu Linux 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

Recording a Wayland desktop, streaming a game window, or mixing microphone and desktop audio all depend on the OBS Studio build you choose on Ubuntu. You can install OBS Studio on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04 from Ubuntu’s repository, the OBS Project PPA, or Flathub, with each path trading release speed, system integration, and sandboxing differently.

The official OBS Linux download page points Ubuntu 24.04 and newer users to the OBS Project PPA and points Linux users generally to Flathub; it does not provide a separate Ubuntu .deb download or AppImage. Snapcraft also lists an OBS Studio snap, but the listing is labeled unofficial and community-supported by Snapcrafters, so the maintained paths below stay with Ubuntu packages, the OBS PPA, and Flathub.

Install OBS Studio on Ubuntu

Update Ubuntu Packages

Refresh your package index and apply available updates before installing OBS Studio. This keeps dependency resolution clean when APT pulls audio, video, PipeWire, and encoder-related libraries.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

These commands use sudo for administrative privileges. If your user is not in the sudoers file, run commands as root or follow the guide on how to add and manage sudo users on Ubuntu.

Install OBS Studio from Ubuntu Repository

Use the Ubuntu repository when you want the simplest APT-managed install. The package comes from Ubuntu’s universe component, which is usually enabled on desktop installs; if APT cannot locate the package on a minimal system, enable it with the Ubuntu Universe and Multiverse repository guide.

sudo apt install obs-studio

Check the installed version after APT finishes:

obs --version

OBS Studio - 32.1.0-0ubuntu3

The example output reflects Ubuntu 26.04. Ubuntu 24.04 currently reports the 30.0.x branch from the default repository, and Ubuntu 22.04 reports the older 27.2.x branch. Choose the PPA or Flatpak method if you need a newer OBS branch on those releases.

Ubuntu Release	Ubuntu Repository Branch	OBS Project PPA Channel	Flathub Channel	Best Fit
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS	32.1.x	Stable PPA channel	Flathub stable	Repository package is already close to upstream; use Flatpak for sandboxing.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS	30.0.x	Stable PPA channel	Flathub stable	PPA or Flatpak gives a newer OBS build than the default repository.
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS	27.2.x	Older Jammy PPA branch	Flathub stable	Flatpak is the newest option; the PPA is newer than the repository but not current upstream.

The OBS Project’s current download page highlights the PPA for Ubuntu 24.04 and newer, while Launchpad still publishes Jammy packages for Ubuntu 22.04. Currently, the PPA tracks OBS 32.1.x on Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04, but only 30.2.x on Ubuntu 22.04. For most users, start with the Ubuntu repository on 26.04, choose the PPA on 24.04 when you want upstream APT packages, and choose Flatpak on 22.04 when release freshness matters most.

Method	Update Path	Strength	Tradeoff
Ubuntu repository	apt upgrades	Smallest setup and normal Ubuntu integration	Older branch on 24.04 and 22.04
OBS Project PPA	apt upgrades from Launchpad	Developer-published stable builds through APT	Third-party repository and release-dependent branches
Flatpak	flatpak update	Current upstream build with sandboxing	Separate runtime and Flatpak permissions model

Install OBS Studio from OBS Project PPA

Use the OBS Project PPA when you want developer-published stable builds that still update through APT. On Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04, this currently means the 32.1.x branch; on Ubuntu 22.04, the Jammy PPA branch is older.

Install the repository helper if needed, enable Ubuntu’s multiverse component, then add the stable OBS Project PPA:

sudo apt install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository --yes --no-update multiverse
sudo add-apt-repository --yes ppa:obsproject/obs-studio
sudo apt update

Confirm that APT sees the OBS Project PPA before installing. This is useful if you previously installed OBS from another source:

apt-cache policy obs-studio

The policy output should list obsproject/obs-studio before the Ubuntu archive entry. If it still shows only Ubuntu’s repository, rerun the repository commands and check sudo apt update for connection or signing errors.

sudo apt install obs-studio

obs --version

On Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04, the version should report an OBS 32.x build from the PPA. On Ubuntu 22.04, expect the older Jammy PPA branch. If the command still reports Ubuntu’s default repository branch, recheck the apt-cache policy output before continuing.

Only add the stable OBS Project PPA shown above. Nightly or unstable OBS builds are for testing and can break existing scenes, plugins, or encoder behavior after routine updates.

Install OBS Studio from Flathub with Flatpak

Use Flathub when you want the current OBS Studio stable build in a sandboxed application runtime. This is the strongest freshness option on Ubuntu 22.04 and a clean alternative on 24.04 or 26.04.

If Flatpak is not installed on your system, follow our guide on how to install Flatpak on Ubuntu before continuing.

Add the Flathub remote if it is not already configured:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Verify that the remote is available before installing OBS Studio:

flatpak remotes

flathub    system

sudo flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio

Verify the Flatpak installation:

flatpak info com.obsproject.Studio

OBS Studio - Free and open source software for live streaming and screen recording

          ID: com.obsproject.Studio
      Branch: stable
Installation: system

Launch OBS Studio on Ubuntu

After installation, launch OBS Studio from the terminal or your desktop environment’s application menu.

Launch OBS Studio from Terminal

Launch OBS Studio from a terminal:

obs

Use the Flatpak application ID when OBS Studio was installed from Flathub:

flatpak run com.obsproject.Studio

Launch OBS Studio from Applications Menu

Alternatively, launch OBS Studio from the application menu:

1. Click on Show Applications or Activities (depending on your desktop environment).
2. Search for OBS Studio in the search bar.
3. Click on the OBS Studio icon to start the application.

Complete OBS Studio First-Time Setup on Ubuntu

When you launch OBS Studio for the first time, the Auto-Configuration Wizard appears. This wizard optimizes settings based on your hardware and intended use:

1. Select your primary use case: streaming, recording, or both.
2. Choose your streaming service (Twitch, YouTube, etc.) or skip if recording only.
3. Allow OBS to run hardware tests to determine optimal encoding settings.
4. Review the suggested settings and apply them.

After setup, add your first source by clicking the plus icon under Sources. Common sources include Display Capture for screen recording, Window Capture for specific applications, and Video Capture Device for webcams.

Manage OBS Studio on Ubuntu

Update OBS Studio

For APT installations, refresh the package index and upgrade OBS Studio:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade obs-studio

For Flatpak installations, update only the OBS Studio application unless you want to refresh every Flatpak runtime and app on the system:

sudo flatpak update com.obsproject.Studio

Remove OBS Studio

Remove APT Installation

Remove the APT package first:

sudo apt remove obs-studio

Remove any PPAs you added. For detailed PPA management options, see our guide on how to remove a PPA from Ubuntu:

sudo add-apt-repository --yes --remove ppa:obsproject/obs-studio
sudo apt update

If you previously added the unstable OBS PPA from an older workflow, remove it too:

sudo add-apt-repository --yes --remove ppa:obsproject/obs-studio-unstable
sudo apt update

Preview dependency cleanup before removing anything else. Continue only when the preview lists packages you no longer need:

sudo apt autoremove --dry-run

sudo apt autoremove

Verify that the package is no longer installed:

dpkg -l obs-studio 2>/dev/null | grep '^ii' || echo "obs-studio is not installed"

obs-studio is not installed

Remove Flatpak Installation

sudo flatpak remove com.obsproject.Studio

Check that the Flatpak app ID no longer appears:

flatpak list --app 2>/dev/null | grep com.obsproject.Studio || echo "OBS Studio Flatpak is not installed"

OBS Studio Flatpak is not installed

Remove OBS Studio Configuration Files

OBS Studio stores your scene collections, streaming profiles, hotkeys, and preferences in ~/.config/obs-studio/. Flatpak installations also write to ~/.var/app/com.obsproject.Studio/. These directories are not removed automatically. Delete them only if you no longer need your recording configuration. This action is permanent and cannot be undone.

rm -rf "$HOME/.config/obs-studio"
rm -rf "$HOME/.var/app/com.obsproject.Studio"

Troubleshoot Common OBS Studio Issues on Ubuntu

Screen Capture Shows Black Screen on Wayland

OBS Studio requires PipeWire for screen capture on Wayland sessions. If Display Capture shows only a black rectangle, first verify you are running Wayland:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

wayland

If the output confirms Wayland, check that the PipeWire package is installed:

sudo apt install pipewire

Verify PipeWire is running:

systemctl --user status pipewire

pipewire.service - PipeWire Multimedia Service
     Loaded: loaded
     Active: active (running)

In OBS, remove the existing Display Capture source and add a new Screen Capture (PipeWire) source instead. A portal dialog will appear asking which screen or window to share. The Flatpak version includes PipeWire support by default and handles this automatically.

Enable Hardware Encoding for Better Performance

If OBS Studio uses excessive CPU during recording or streaming, hardware encoding offloads the work to your GPU. First, check which encoders OBS detects by navigating to Settings, Output, and switching Output Mode to Advanced. The Encoder dropdown shows available options.

For NVIDIA GPUs, verify your driver supports NVENC:

nvidia-smi --query-gpu=name,driver_version --format=csv

name, driver_version
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, 535.154.05

If the command fails, install the NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu. For advanced GPU compute features, optionally add the CUDA toolkit. Once drivers are installed, select NVENC H.264 or NVENC HEVC in the OBS encoder dropdown.

For AMD and Intel GPUs, the VA-API encoder provides hardware acceleration. Verify VA-API is available:

vainfo 2>&1 | head -5

vainfo: VA-API version: 1.20 (libva 2.20.1)
vainfo: Driver version: Intel iHD driver for Intel(R) Gen Graphics - 24.1.5
vainfo: Supported profile and entrypoints
      VAProfileH264Main               : VAEntrypointVLD
      VAProfileH264Main               : VAEntrypointEncSlice
      VAProfileH264High               : VAEntrypointEncSlice
      VAProfileHEVCMain               : VAEntrypointEncSlice

Select VA-API H.264 in the OBS encoder settings. If vainfo returns an error or shows no encoding profiles, install the appropriate Mesa driver package for your GPU (intel-media-va-driver for Intel, mesa-va-drivers for AMD). Hardware encoding significantly reduces CPU usage and maintains consistent frame rates during intensive recordings.

Fix Missing Audio Sources

If OBS does not detect your microphone or desktop audio, first verify your audio server is running:

pactl info | grep "Server Name"

Server Name: PulseAudio (on PipeWire 0.3.65)

If the command returns an error or shows no server, restart the PipeWire services:

systemctl --user restart pipewire pipewire-pulse

List available audio sources to find the correct device names:

pactl list sources short

46  alsa_input.usb-Blue_Microphones-00.analog-stereo  PipeWire  s32le 2ch 48000Hz  RUNNING
47  alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo.monitor  PipeWire  s32le 2ch 48000Hz  IDLE

In OBS Studio, navigate to Settings > Audio and set Desktop Audio to the .monitor source, which is the loopback device that captures whatever audio your system is outputting (game sounds, music, browser audio). Set Mic/Auxiliary Audio to your microphone input. Click Apply and verify levels appear in the Audio Mixer panel.

Conclusion

OBS Studio is ready on Ubuntu with the package source that fits your release: Ubuntu packages for the lowest-maintenance install, the OBS Project PPA for upstream APT builds, or Flathub for the current sandboxed release. For smoother recording, pair OBS with NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu when your system uses NVIDIA graphics, or use HandBrake on Ubuntu to compress finished videos.