When your overlay freezes, is empty or shows no alerts any more, there are two buttons on the “Overlay” tab: “Seite neu laden” (reload page) loads the overlay page once more. “Browser zurücksetzen” (reset browser) starts the browser the overlay runs in afresh.
Begin with the reload. The reset is the second step, for a page that is still stuck after it or has lost its login.
How the overlay works
Your overlay is a web page that is laid over the picture, with its sound. For that a browser runs in the studio and shows the page whose address you entered on the “Overlay” tab. Everything that works as a browser source in OBS works the same way here: alerts, widgets and chat boxes from StreamElements, Streamlabs and similar services.
Like any web page, this one too can get stuck once in a while, lose the connection to its service, or still show the old state after a change.
Check first
Before you reload anything, a short look at the cause is worth it.
- Is the address right? Compare the URL on the “Overlay” tab with the one your overlay service gives you. One missing character at the end is enough for the page to stay empty.
- Does the page work for you? Open the same URL in a tab of your own browser. If it stays empty there too, or shows an error, the cause is the service or the address and not the studio.
- Is there just nothing to see right now? Many alert pages are transparent while no alert is running. Trigger a test alert at your service before you assume an error.
Step 1: reload the page
- Open the “Overlay” tab.
- Click “Seite neu laden”.
- Wait until the page has built up again, and trigger a test alert.
This is the same as reloading a tab in a browser. The page begins from the start. What it was just showing, a running alert for instance, is gone with that.
Reloading helps when
- the page is frozen,
- you changed the design at the service and still see the old one,
- the page did not come back by itself after a disruption at the service.
Step 2: reset the browser
If reloading changed nothing, you start the overlay browser afresh.
- Open the “Overlay” tab.
- Click “Browser zurücksetzen”.
- Wait until the overlay appears again, and test it.
The reset is meant for two cases:
- The page is stuck even after reloading.
- The page has lost its login and therefore shows nothing any more, or a login page.
Which button when
| What you see | What you do |
|---|---|
| Overlay frozen | Reload the page |
| Old design after a change at the service | Reload the page |
| No alerts although the test works in your own browser | Reload the page, then reset the browser |
| Still stuck after reloading | Reset the browser |
| The page has lost its login | Reset the browser |
| The page is empty in your own browser too | Check address and service |
What you should know about the overlay
- There is exactly one overlay page, and it lies over the whole picture. If you need several elements, alerts and a chat box for instance, you put them on one common page at your overlay service.
- The overlay does not depend on a camera. If an input drops out, the page keeps running.
- The page's sound is heard on every scene. It has a fader of its own and a mute switch of its own on the desk. If an alert stays silent, check that first.