Select the Video tab and either type in a lower resolution or select one from the dropdown menu. This method will tell OBS it’s okay to send the video to the encoder at a lower resolution – thus taking the pressure off your CPU.Ĭlick the Settings button at the bottom right of your screen – above Exit.

The most common way to solve this issue quickly is by downscaling the output resolution of your screen-recording session. You may see some performance issues, or OBS may shut down entirely. If you see an ‘Encoding overload’ or a ‘High CPU usage’ notification on your screen, then it clearly can’t handle things. And based on the power of your CPU, it will only be able to hold this level of usage for so long without issues. Therefore, when recording your screen, the CPU usage will rise based on how many pixels you’re recording in each frame. The developers designed OBS to record any screen in real-time. Again, if your percentage is too high, then follow the steps below regarding how to reduce OBS CPU usage. Then, select any Show CPU option you want to display. You can also put your CPU usage in your dock by clicking View and then the Dock Icon. From there, click CPU, and you’ll be able to see multiple percentages. You’ll need to open the Activity Monitor Window application. Percentage-wise, Macs aren’t much different from PCs, and it’s just as easy to check your CPU usage. If you already have a high CPU usage warning or the percentage while running OBS is over 50%, then follow the steps below on how to lower it. The first usage tab is the CPU, so check the percentage in the window. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to bring up the Task Manager window and then click the Performance tab at the top. You can check the CPU usage in windows via Task Manager. Here’s how to check if there is high CPU usage in OBS on Windows 10 or 11 or on a Mac:

However, OBS Studio’s (Open Broadcaster Software) CPU usage is known to be high, so it’s best to check there first.

If you’re using OBS and having lagging issues, there are a number of factors that could contribute to the problem.

Obs old version