OBS widgets: Browser Source setup in 15 minutes

What a Browser Source is and why widgets run on it

A Browser Source is an OBS source that opens a web page inside your scene and draws it over everything else. It is how most stream widgets work: alerts, goal counters, on-screen chat.

The overlay page is served with a transparent background, so only the stickers themselves appear in frame while the game or camera underneath stays untouched. No extra software is required — everything you need already ships with OBS.

Step-by-step sticker widget setup

1. 01

   Copy the overlay link

   Your streamer dashboard has a 'Your links' block. You need the OBS screen link — that is where stickers land.

2. 02

   Add the source in OBS

   In the target scene press plus in the sources list and choose Browser. Give it a clear name, for example StickerBomber.

3. 03

   Paste the link into the URL field

   Leave 'Local file' unchecked — the overlay opens from an address, not from a file on disk.

4. 04

   Set width and height

   Use your canvas resolution, usually 1920 by 1080. Source size must match the scene or stickers will land offset.

5. 05

   Stretch the source over the whole frame

   It should cover the scene completely and sit above the game and camera in the layer list.

6. 06

   Verify with a test send

   Open 'Test send' in the dashboard and push a sticker with no payment — it should appear in OBS exactly where you placed it.

Which dimensions to use

Viewers set sticker coordinates as fractions of the frame, so the source and the scene must share the same resolution:

Find your canvas resolution under Settings → Video → Base (Canvas) Resolution. The base one, not the output.

Test sends before going live

Debugging an overlay on a live broadcast is a bad idea. The dashboard has a dedicated test send page that pushes a sticker, AR sticker or sound to your overlay with no real payment, so you can confirm the source is wired correctly, the sound is audible in the recording and stickers do not cover important parts of the game UI.

Common problems and how to fix them

• Black background instead of transparency — a browser window is being captured instead of a Browser Source, or a background filter is applied to the source. The overlay is always served transparent.
• Stickers appear away from where the viewer aimed — source and canvas sizes differ. Match width and height to the base canvas resolution.
• Nothing appears at all — check that you pasted the OBS screen link and not the viewer or moderator link.
• The overlay froze after a long stream — in source properties enable 'Refresh browser when scene becomes active' and hit 'Refresh cache of current page'.
• Viewers cannot hear sticker sounds — enable 'Control audio via OBS' in source properties and check the track is not muted in the mixer.
• Stickers cover the game UI — lower the cap on simultaneous stickers in your channel settings or move key scene elements.

Streamlabs, XSplit and other software

The widget is not tied to OBS Studio. Anything with a browser source works: Streamlabs Desktop, XSplit Broadcaster, Twitch Studio. The logic is identical everywhere — add a browser source, paste the overlay link, match the size to your scene.

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