A blank or disappearing Browser source in OBS: the troubleshooting flow.

The flow in one picture

A Browser source is a web page in your scene. For the Broker, that page is served by the app on your own PC at the address Copy OBS Source gives you, and it shows him only while Signal Broker runs with the overlay enabled. So a blank source has two halves: is the page being served, and is OBS loading the right page? Settle the first half before touching OBS.

App side: is the overlay running?

1. Open OVERLAY → Set up OBS and make sure Enable OBS overlay is on. The status line reads Starting the overlay… and then Waiting for OBS. Add the Browser source using the instructions below. If the overlay could not start, the app says so and the Broker can still run; turn the overlay off and on to retry.
2. Press Preview preset. It opens the overlay in your browser. If your browser shows him, the page is being served and the rest of the problem is in OBS. If the preview also fails, stay on this side: turn the overlay off and on; Help has support and diagnostics; if it keeps failing, contact support.
3. Keep the app open. The source shows the Broker only while Signal Broker runs with the overlay enabled; close the app and the source goes blank.

The address: copied, current, Local file off

• It must come from Copy OBS Source. The button confirms with Copied. The address points at your own PC and works only while Signal Broker is open with the overlay enabled. Do not type it from memory or from a screenshot; paste it.
• Local file off. OBS documents Local file as loading a page from your own machine instead of the URL: with it ticked, the URL box is ignored and the source shows whatever file is set, usually nothing. The in-app card’s words: keep Local file off.
• It must be the current address. Copy the source again after a reset or reinstall. Under Replace source or view its address, Regenerate OBS Source creates a new address: the old source and any open preview will stop connecting, so copy the new OBS Source into the Browser source properties in OBS.
• One source. Do not add a second Browser source for the same overlay; paste the new address into the existing source’s properties.

OBS side: refresh, visibility, order

1. 01Refresh cache of current page.

   The button at the bottom of the source’s properties; OBS documents it as refreshing the page immediately and reloading its content. This is the app’s own first OBS-side step.

2. 02Eye icon on, and above the game.

   Check the source is visible and above your game. A source below the game source is loaded and working and completely hidden.

3. 03Width 800, Height 600.

   The in-app card asks for 800 × 600. A different size does not blank the page, but a very small one can hide most of him; what the size does.

4. 04Shutdown source when not visible.

   OBS documents this option as unloading the page when the source is not visible, which includes a hidden eye icon and an inactive scene. With it on, every scene switch reloads the page, and a blank moment at the switch is that reload, not a fault. Leave it off for the overlay unless you need the memory back.

5. 05Refresh browser when scene becomes active.

   Also documented: it reloads the page each time its scene is switched to. Same effect at the switch; same advice.

It was there, then it went blank

Hardware acceleration

OBS renders Browser sources with an embedded browser engine, and Settings → Advanced → Sources has a checkbox named Enable Browser Source Hardware Acceleration. The Knowledge Base documents only the engine’s GPU launch flags, not a right answer for the checkbox, so treat it as a test: change it, restart OBS (it takes effect on restart), look at the source. If the page comes back, keep the setting that works and note it for support. If nothing changes, put it back.

Two related documented facts: OBS says many or large Browser sources cost system resources and recommends keeping their width and height to the minimum required, and the app asks for exactly one source at 800 × 600. One source, the card’s size, is the light configuration.

The key: never shown, never shared

The address carries a key that must never be shown. It identifies your install to the overlay, and anyone who has it can load your overlay page while the app is running. The developer’s own screenshot in the OBS guide has the key hidden; do the same.

• Never open the Browser source’s properties on stream, in a screenshot or in a clip. If you capture a whole monitor with Display Capture, the properties dialog and your browser’s address bar during Preview preset are on that monitor too (what each capture shows).
• Never paste the address anywhere but the OBS URL box, and never send it to anyone, support included; support does not need it.
• If it was exposed, use Regenerate OBS Source: the old address stops connecting, the Broker keeps operating, and you paste the new address into the existing source.

When none of it helps

If the preview shows him, the address is current, Local file is off, a refresh and a restart changed nothing, and the source is visible and on top, contact support and say which steps you tried; Help in the app has support and diagnostics. The Broker does not need the Browser source to work: he keeps watching and speaking while you sort out the picture, and his voice still reaches OBS through Desktop Audio (if it does not, this guide).

Limits

• This flow covers the overlay Browser source only; alerts, chat boxes and other web pages in OBS have their own causes.
• The OBS Source address points at your own PC and works only while Signal Broker is open with the overlay enabled; the app does not document what the page shows between sessions, so this page does not either.
• Hardware acceleration is a trade-off that OBS documents only as launch flags; toggling it is a test, not a cure.
• Founder Alpha is early-access software; the commentary can be wrong, repeated or badly timed, and it is sold to customers in the United States only.