r/obs rules, stats, and what to post
Know the rules before you post. So easy grandma can do it.
- To post
- No minimum in the rules
- To comment
- No minimum in the rules
- Self-promotion
- Allowed with conditions
- Self-promotion is only allowed when directly asked for during discussion.
- Links
- Allowed with conditions
- Links to how-to's and instructions are allowed when not spammed. URL shorteners are banned.
- Promo risk
- High
- From the rules, not from removal counts
- Community age
- 13 years
- Since Feb 2013
About r/obs
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/obs: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.Checked from the r/obs rules on Reddit.
r/obs rules
7 rules, in the community's own words.
- 1
Be Excellent To Each Other
Act respectfully towards support volunteers and be patient when receiving help or support. Treat other users kindly when participating in the discussion.
- 2
No self-promotion except when required for help
Self-promotion to gain viewership or subscribers is frowned upon and not allowed, except when directly asked for during discussion (e.g. to check VoDs for problems etc.). Links to how-to's and instructions are allowed when not spammed. The mods may remove links when the provided info is incorrect or misleading. Click here for specific info on the wiki.
- 3
No shitposting and meming
This sub is to receive help and advice or to provide constructive feedback
- 4
No discussion/help for Streamlabs Desktop
Streamlabs Desktop is a standalone fork of OBS Studio. It is maintained and supported by Streamlabs directly. OBS Studio shares nothing with the app beside its core streaming library. Please contact Streamlabs directly via their Discord server or their Help portal.
- 5
No low-effort requests or severe lack of details
To be able to get helpful answers or insight it is required that your posts contain enough information or background to form an opinion. It also saves other people's time and gets you answers more quickly. Examples would be "Help pls" or "OBS is not working!" without any further info or straight requests for hand-holding instead of showing willingness to learn and trying out things.
- 6
No harmful advice
Harmful advice includes, but is not limited, to:
- disabling essential security functions
- known unsafe services or software
- malware/viruses
- 7
No URL shortener services
URL shortener makes it hard for users to see the actual link and may affect them by web blocks or similar problems. They are also prone to abuse by spam or phishing content.
What to post in r/obs
What fits the room, and what gets removed.
Works well
- A detailed troubleshooting post that states your operating system, your hardware, your OBS version, what you already tried, and exactly what goes wrong
- A well written how-to or instruction guide shared as a plain link, posted once and not spammed, that solves a real problem people keep running into
- A constructive feedback post about a specific OBS Studio behavior, with enough detail that someone could act on it
- Answering other people's support questions thoroughly and patiently, which builds the standing that makes any later mention of your work acceptable
- Sharing a link or example only after someone in a thread directly asks for it, which is the one case the self-promotion rule allows
Avoid
- Posting your product, channel, or video with the goal of gaining viewers or subscribers, which “No self-promotion except when required for help” does not allow unless someone directly asked for it
- Dropping links to your how-to content repeatedly, because even allowed instructional links get removed when they are spammed
- Posting about Streamlabs Desktop or asking for help with it, since “No discussion/help for Streamlabs Desktop” sends those questions to Streamlabs directly
- Asking vague questions like “OBS is not working” with no details, which “No low-effort requests or severe lack of details” removes
- Using a URL shortener on any link you share, which “No URL shortener services” bans outright
- Suggesting people disable security features or use sketchy software, which “No harmful advice” prohibits
Best hours to post in r/obs
No pattern yet. r/obs does not have enough top posts from the last 90 days to name its best hours.
What r/obs Is For
This community is for OBS Studio, the free and open source software for live streaming and recording on Windows, macOS and Linux. People come here to get help with problems, to ask for advice, and to give constructive feedback. The volunteers who answer support questions are the backbone of the room, and the rules ask everyone to treat them with patience and respect. It is a support and advice community first, not a place to grow an audience.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule that decides everything marketing related is “No self-promotion except when required for help”, which only allows self-promotion when someone directly asks for it during a discussion, like when they want you to check a VoD for problems. “No URL shortener services” bans shortened links, so any link you share has to show its real destination. “No low-effort requests or severe lack of details” removes posts that do not give enough background to form an opinion, so thin posts die fast. “No discussion/help for Streamlabs Desktop” means anything about Streamlabs Desktop gets removed here. “No harmful advice” bans suggesting people disable security functions or use unsafe software. “No shitposting and meming” keeps the room focused on help, advice, and constructive feedback. “Be Excellent To Each Other” sets the tone, especially with the volunteers who answer support questions.
What To Post
The safest post is a detailed help or troubleshooting question with real background, like your setup, what you tried, and what went wrong, because that is what this community exists for. If you have a genuine how-to or instruction that solves a common problem, you can share it as a link, as long as you do not spam it and the information is correct. If someone in a discussion directly asks you for a link or an example, for example to check a VoD for problems, that is the one moment where pointing to your own thing is allowed. Constructive feedback about the software itself fits the room. If you are a founder with a product in this space, the honest play is to show up as a helpful user first and let your product come up only when someone asks.
What To Avoid
Do not post about Streamlabs Desktop, because the rules send all of that to Streamlabs directly and the mods remove it here. Do not drop links to your own content hoping for views or subscribers, because that is exactly what the self-promotion rule forbids. Do not use URL shorteners on anything you share. Do not post a bare question like help pls or OBS is not working with no details, because low-effort posts get removed. Do not give advice that disables security functions or points people at unsafe software. Do not shitpost or meme, and do not be rude to the volunteers who spend their time helping.
A note from Anthony
What stands out to me is that this community wrote its self-promotion rule with a real exception built in, so being genuinely useful during someone's problem is the only door in. The low-effort rule is also stricter than most, and it basically tells you the price of entry is showing your work before you ask anything. I would treat this sub as a place to build trust one helpful answer at a time, not a place to launch anything.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog. Every guide is built from the community's own public rules and data, then checked by Rankhog's grounding audit before it goes live.
Common questions about r/obs
What subreddits are similar to r/obs?
Subreddits like r/obs are r/programming, r/ProgrammerHumor, r/learnprogramming, r/webdev, r/mac, r/AskEngineers, r/javascript and r/gamedev.
Can I link my tool or tutorial if someone in a thread asks for help my product solves?
Not unless someone directly asks you for it during a discussion, for example when they want you to check a VoD for problems. The rule only allows self-promotion when it is required for help.
Are tutorial links ever allowed?
Yes, the rules allow links to how-tos and instructions as long as you do not spam them and the information is correct and not misleading.
Can I ask about Streamlabs Desktop since it is built on OBS?
No. Streamlabs Desktop is a separate fork supported by Streamlabs directly, and the mods remove those discussions here.
What details should a troubleshooting post include?
Include your OBS version, your operating system, your hardware, what you already tried, and what exactly went wrong. The rules say posts need enough information or background to form an opinion.
Can I shorten my links to keep posts tidy?
No. The rules ban URL shorteners because they hide the real destination and are prone to abuse by spam and phishing.
Subreddits like r/obs
Other rooms for the same crowd.