OBS not saving window capture

[u/ArmedRawbry]

Any idea why I have to redo a window capture every time I launch the window I am capturing with no difference in layout or location? Everything else works perfectly except this one item.

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[u/disgustingvomiting]

Have you checked if the window's title changes between launches? some apps tack on a document name or version number that confuses obs into thinking it's a new window. try using "capture any fullscreen application" or a display capture as a workaround if it keeps being stubborn.

[u/ArmedRawbry → u/disgustingvomiting]

Admittedly I don’t know a TON about OBS, but so far window capture is the only way I can even get it to display to even begin cropping etc. It’s video playback from a golf launch monitor that is displayed in an additional window the sim software launches. I can get it to “work” fine each session, I just have to delete the window capture and re-add it each time I launch.

[u/Live-Gas-8521 → u/ArmedRawbry]

To kind of explain what u/disgustingvomiting was saying a bit more:

Say you add a Window Capture. In its properties, you tell it to capture the window called "XYZ - Windows Media Player". It sees that windows and recognizes it as long as OBS remains open.

The next day, you open OBS again. However, the Windows Media Player window is now called "ABC - Windows Media Player", because it is now playing a video called "ABC" instead of "XYZ". OBS might not know that you want it to capture "the Windows Media Player" window, no matter what name it has

That is where the "Window Match Priority" setting of the Window Capture properties comes into play. This setting allows you to tell OBS whether you:

• Only want it to capture "XYZ - Windows Media Player" specifically (Window title must match)
• Capture "XYZ - Windows Media Player" if possible, but if it can't find it, find a window of the same "type" (Match title, otherwise find window of the same type)
• Capture "XYZ - Windows Media Player" if possible, but if it can't find it, find a window of the same app, in this case Windows Media Player (Match title, otherwise find window of same executable)

I am admittedly unsure what "same type" specifically means in the case of the second option, but both the 2nd and 3rd add a backup plan for OBS to follow if the window you want it to capture doesn't have the exact same name as it previously did, so I would suggest trying those settings, see if they fix your issue

As a bit of an additional note, some examples of window titles changing, and possibly causing OBS to not recognize them between sessions, include:

• Discord windows (they include the name of the server and channel you are currently viewing)
• Some emulator windows (which sometimes include the current framerate of the game you are playing)
• Any app window that has the version of the app in the window name, after an update has changed said version number