Are you getting a “Plugin Load Error” or “Plugins failed to load” on OBS?
If so, you won’t be able to use certain plugins.
The error message typically happens when you update OBS to the latest version.
For example, if you’re updating OBS from 27.2.4 to 28.0, you may get the error.
Here’s an example of the error, “The following OBS plugins failed to load“.
Followed by the plugin names like “obs-websocket”, “StreamDeckPlugin”, “StreamFX”, etc.
In this guide, you’ll learn why do plugins fail to load on OBS and how to fix the “Plugin Load Error“.
Why do plugins fail to load on OBS?
Plugins fail to load on OBS because they are not compatible with the latest version of OBS.
According to OBS, some plugins may not be compatible with the latest update.
You can check the list of compatible plugins here: https://obsproject.com/kb/obs-studio-28-plugin-compatibility.
If the plugin is marked as “Not Available”, it means that the developer of the plugin has yet to update its compatibility.
If you see an “In Progress” status, it means that the developer of the plugin is working on an update.
The Mac operating system is more prone to compatibility issues as compared to the Windows operating system.
Hence, if you’re using Mac OS, the plugin might not be compatible with OBS.
Apparently, plugins like “OBS-RTSPServer”, “PTZ Controls”, “Instant Replay”, and others are not compatible with the latest OBS update.
If you have incompatible plugins, you’ll get the “Plugin Load Error”.
How to fix “Plugin Load Error” on OBS
To fix “Plugin Load Error”, you need to downgrade OBS.
- Go to https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/27.2.4.
- Scroll down and download the previous release of OBS (e.g. OBS-Studio-27.2.4-Full-Installer-x64.exe).
- Run the installer and OBS Studio will be downgraded to 27.2.4 (an older version).
After you’ve downgraded OBS to an older version, your plugins will be able to run.
Your previous settings will also be retained.
If you don’t want to downgrade OBS, you need to update your plugins to the latest version.
In most cases, you need to manually update your plugins.
For example, if you’re using the Elgato Stream Deck plugin, you need to manually update it here: https://help.elgato.com/hc/en-us/articles/8815141056013.
If one or more of your plugins does not have a new update, you need to wait for one.
You can also delete the incompatible plugin(s) from your plugins folder.
For example, if the Stream Deck plugin is not compatible, you need to delete “StreamDeckPlugin.dll” and “StreamDeckPlugin.pdb”.
The Windows default plugin location for OBS is C:\Program Files\obs-studio\obs-plugins\64bit\.
If you installed OBS somewhere else, the location will be different.
Further reading
How to Fix Error Code 46 in Valorant
