How to Fix OBS Encoding Overloaded Issue [2023]

It is annoying to keep seeing high coding warnings flashing on your OBS Studio. This essential guide will show you 8 methods to fix OBS encoding overloaded issue quickly and efficiently in 2023.

OBS is one of the most famous streaming and screen recording software, mainly due to its numerous adjustable settings and the fact that it is completely free for users.

However, OBS customers also often encounter some problems or product bugs. For example, OBS encoding overloaded issue. If you see this problem, it means that your computer cannot handle both the video and the encoding stream simultaneously with your setup.

Read on, this article will discuss it and provide you with 8 methods to fix OBS encoding overloaded issue.

Fix OBS Encoding Overloaded Issue by Choosing the Right Settings

OBS is feature-rich in terms of customization, and the encoding overload may be because you have not checked the settings for your streaming. You can try turning down the video settings to see if this fixes the OBS high encoding warning.

Reduce the output resolution to fix OBS encoding overloaded issue

Resolution is a critical factor in determining CPU usage. The CPU usage of your processor rises dramatically with the number of pixels your processor has to process per frame since OBS records in real time.

If you see an “Encoding Overloaded” message in OBS, your CPU likely chokes during the encoding process. To solve it, consider reducing the output resolution.

• Step 1: Launch OBS and go to “Settings“.
• Step 2: Go to the “Video” tab and click “Output (Scaled) Resolution“.
• Step 3: Lower the resolution setting.
• Step 4: Then, click on “Apply” and press “OK“.

Lower frame rate

To fix OBS encoding overloaded issue, you can reduce the edge rate to below 30. The frame rate parameter controls the number of frames you capture from the original game video per second. That is to say, this parameter puts a lot of strain on the GPU, which needs sufficient power to render all those frames.

• Step 1: Go to “Settings“.
• Step 2: Click on the “Video” tab and go to “Common FPS Values“.
• Step 3: Select 30 or even lower as OBS video resolution.
• Step 4: After that, save the changes.

Change the encoder preset

By default, the OBS is preset to “very fast.” In most cases, it does provide the best balance. The difference in presets indicates what speed the encoder should run at. The faster the speed, the less CPU power is used and, therefore, the lower the video quality.

So, try an even faster one if your computer is lagging under “very fast” settings.

• Step 1: Go to “Settings“.
• Step 2: After that, choose the “Output” tab.
• Step 3: Enable Advanced Encoder Settings.
• Step 4: Then, select “very fast” next to Encoder Preset.

Try hardware encoding

By taking some of the encoder load off your CPU, GPU-based encoders offer lower quality than x264 at the same bitrate. You can follow the steps below to fix OBS encoding overloaded issue.

• Step 1: Open OBS Studio and go to “Settings“.
• Step 2: Choose the “Output” tab and enable the Advanced Output Mode.
• Step 3: Then, select the available hardware encoder: x264.

Optimize Your Computer for Better Performance to Fix OBS Encoding Overloaded Issue

If none of the above tips work, the problem may be related to your hardware. Next, let’s try other ways to fix OBS encoding overloaded issue.

Check the recording sources

You may need to check the settings on your webcam or capture card. Make sure they are not running at high resolution. This is because if the settings are unsuitable, the device decoding the video may use a considerable amount of CPU capacity.

If you don’t need a very clear full-screen picture, then, 480p is sufficient.

Close additional programs in the background

Another thing to check is other streaming-related applications running in the background, such as Discord, Windows Game Bar, and Nvidia Overlay. These applications may conflict with OBS, slowing it down and creating encoding overload.

So, it is recommended that you close all unnecessary programs that run in parallel with your games and streams. Because your CPU may be hogged by many background programs you are unaware of.

You can hit Windows key + R, type “taskmgr” and press Enter. Upon doing so, the Task Manager will open, where you can right-click on unnecessary applications and select End Task.

Upgrade your hardware

After you see the encoding overload information in OBS, you can decide to redesign your PC device to get a better CPU. Therefore, you don’t have to degrade the quality of your streams.
An old GPU will be more of a hindrance than a benefit for good streaming, as it will bottleneck your CPU. So upgrading your hardware may be another good way to solve the encoding overload problem.

Use an Alternative Recorder: RecMaster

If none of our suggested methods work, then, you may try one of the best alternatives to OBS: RecMaster.

As a lightweight and user-friendly screen recorder, it allows you to perform screen capture activities quickly and easily. That is to say, you can use RecMaster to record any gameplay, live stream, or other videos on your computer smoothly, even on low-end computers.

Conclusion: Fix OBS Encoding Overloaded Issue

In conclusion, users can customize a large number of settings and presets with OBS, making it one of the most popular streaming software tools.

Having read this article, you now know 8 methods to fix the OBS encoding overload. If you still have some problems, just try an alternative like RecMaster and start your screen recording.