Content:
- What is the Streamlabs desktop
- How to Install Streamlabs Desktop on Mac
- Streamlabs Desktop onboarding process
- How to make your Mac desktop sound work in Streamlabs Desktop
- Live!
- Summarizing
Many aspiring streamers often wonder what broadcast software they should use for their live streams. Many, of course, decide that Streamlabs Desktop is a fantastic option to help them get started without too much hassle.
Streamlabs Desktop is not always the best choice for streamers whose streaming settings are not the latest or are at a low level, due to the fact that it consumes a significant amount of computer resources. But many people still choose Streamlabs Desktop and stick with it because it has so many benefits.
For example, Streamlabs Desktop has all the features you need in one convenient place, so you don’t have to constantly turn to external resources to get most of your streaming resources and tools. Not only does Streamlabs Desktop have a lot of features, it also makes all those features free . Plus, the app works with many platforms (not just Twitch), so if you ever decide to make another platform your streaming home, switching is relatively easy. Streamlabs Desktop can also record, which makes it a fantastic tool if you also want to upload your videos to YouTube or other social media platforms later.
With everything Streamlabs has to offer, it’s no wonder so many content creators love this software and related tools. The good news is that if you’re on a Mac, you can still use this app – here’s how.
What is the Streamlabs desktop
Streamlabs Desktop is a complete live streaming and content creation solution. Click here to download Streamlabs Desktop
Streamlabs Desktop is a free and open source broadcasting software built on the same core code as the original OBS Studio. In fact, Streamlabs Desktop used to have a different name – Streamlabs OBS. That was until it was revealed that they never had permission to use “OBS” in their name, hence the rebranding to Streamlabs Desktop. This old controversy aside, Streamlabs is still great software with tons of features and tools for content creators all over the world.
Streamlabs Desktop has all the features of OBS and more in a proprietary interface that is incredibly simple and easy to set up. Streamlabs Desktop has an onboarding process that makes it easy to start streaming within minutes on Twitch, Youtube, Facebook and Trovo.
This broadcast app is great for streaming your gaming sessions, but also works well for IRL, music, and just streaming chat. You can even record for later upload to Youtube and social networks. Streamlabs Desktop will record whatever you set up in your scene and sources, so you can include (or exclude) your webcam.
Even though Streamlabs Desktop is free, it still comes with over 250 beautiful overlays for your stream. If you’re just getting started (or not even getting started), you can choose one of these themes and make your broadcast look more professional in minutes. Topics are auto-filled, so once you pick one, you’ll get separate scenes for Starting Soon, Live, Coming Back, and Ending.
Related: Best Twitch Overlays & Graphics for Streaming 2022 [Free and Paid Overlays]
How to Install Streamlabs Desktop on Mac
It is worth noting that in this guide we will not touch on the details of the setup. This guide focuses more on setting up and running the Streamlabs Desktop app on your Mac. If you need more information on how to set up and prepare for streaming, feel free to check out our full guide by clicking the button below.
Click here for our complete guide to setting up Streamlabs for Twitch/Youtube.
Before downloading and installing the software, you can also visit the Streamlabs website and log in with your streaming account to access the Streamlabs Dashboard . It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with it, as it will be your main command center, where you can configure widgets and alerts, add chatbot commands (unless you want to use a separate Streamlabs chatbot).
When you’re ready to start setting up Streamlabs Desktop on your Mac computer, you can proceed with the following steps.
- Go to the Streamlabs website and download the software.
- Once the download is complete, go to the Downloads folder on your Mac and open the .dmg file from there. Follow the instructions to install Streamlabs Desktop on your Mac.
Follow the instructions to install Streamlabs Desktop.
- Once this is done, you can open Streamlabs Desktop and follow the connection process. Don’t worry if it takes a while to load at first! Once it’s all loaded, you’ll be prompted to allow Streamlabs Desktop to use your microphone and camera. You will need to grant permission for the app to work properly.
Streamlabs Desktop onboarding process
After downloading, installing and granting permissions to Streamlabs Desktop, you can begin the registration process . The process is quite simple and Streamlabs will walk you through the steps.
This welcome screen will appear after you grant permissions to Streamlabs.
Let’s go through the process together.
- Select the purpose of using Streamlabs Desktop. If you’re going to stream, select “Live Broadcast” – don’t worry, you can also record video from this setting!
The Live Streaming option is better for streamers, but it also works for recording.
- [OPTIONAL] You can now connect your streaming account to Streamlabs Desktop. Thanks to this, you won’t have to do it later (and you won’t have to worry about finding a stream key or anything like that) and you will be able to go live on the platform of your choice. You can connect to Twitch, Youtube, Facebook and Trovo. You also have the option to connect to Tiktok, Dlive and NimoTV.
If you are not yet ready to connect your account, you can click the “Skip” button.
- If you’ve used OBS Studio before, you can import all your settings with the click of a button. If you’ve never used OBS Studio before, you can click “Start Again” instead.
Click Start Again if you don’t have previous experience or OBS Studio installed.
- Set up your webcam and microphone. If you’re using your Mac laptop for streaming, you’ll probably need to use a Facetime HD camera (unless you have an external camera). You can also select the microphone you want to use from the dropdown menu.
Once you’ve completed the customization process, Streamlabs Desktop will give you the option to choose a theme that you can use as your initial overlays.
Free theme screen during registration
If you’d rather find and use your own custom overlays instead, feel free to hit the skip button . We have decided to skip these topics.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll finally be able to see Streamlabs Desktop in all its glory! You’ll likely see everything blank, especially if you didn’t add a theme on the previous screen. You will also receive random clues telling you what things are doing.
Follow the overview (green dialog boxes) to see how Streamlabs Desktop works.
Again, if you need help setting up Streamlabs for your streaming purposes, our guide below can be quite helpful!
Click here for our complete guide to setting up Streamlabs for Twitch/Youtube.
How to make your Mac desktop sound work in Streamlabs Desktop
A common problem that people seem to have when it comes to running Streamlabs Desktop on their Mac is that for some reason they cannot record audio from the desktop. This means that their games and music cannot be heard while streaming and it just won’t work when you’re trying to entertain!
The reason for this is that macOS does not have system-level audio routing configured, unlike Windows. As a result, individual applications cannot access audio signals from other running applications (that is, not without assistance). To make your desktop sound work in Streamlabs Desktop, you can use third party solutions.
Starting with the release of macOS 11 (known as Big Sur), Streamlabs recommends BlackHole by Existential Audio.
Blackhole available for free
BlackHole is a virtual audio driver that, like Streamlabs Desktop, is free and open source. This allows you to route audio between applications without adding any delay(s).
You can download BlackHole by clicking on the button below. Follow the instructions to set everything up and you should be ready for the next steps.
Click here to download BlackHole by Existential Audio
BlackHole offers a lot of useful features, but since we’ll only be covering Streamlabs Desktop for Mac in this guide, we’ll focus on it. For this purpose, we will set up a virtual device with multiple outputs so that you can record/monitor the sound of your desktop.
- Open the Mac’s built-in Audio Midi Setup utility . You’ll find it through a Spotlight search or through the launcher.
- In the Audio Midi settings window, click the + button. You will find it in the lower left corner of the window. From the drop-down menu, select Create Device with Multiple Outputs.
- In the next window, check the boxes next to inline output and BlackHole. You can also add any other devices you want to use for monitoring. Make sure the built-in output is located ABOVE the BlackHole in this list. If it doesn’t, you can uncheck and then check the boxes again to change the order of the list.
- When you’re done, right-click on the device with multiple outputs, then click Use this device for sound output , and that’s it. It’s configured as your default device, so whatever your desktop audio hears will be output to the BlackHole and your built-in device so you can record audio in Streamlabs Desktop!
- Finally, open Streamlabs Desktop and make sure you select BlackHole as your microphone/auxiliary device in Settings -> Audio.
Live!
Once you’ve completed all your settings, all you have to do is start streaming on Twitch (or whatever platform you prefer). If you have previously connected your account, this should be as easy as clicking the Go Live button.
Summarizing
Streamlabs Desktop is undoubtedly a powerful tool in any streamer’s arsenal. While it’s quite resource intensive, the payback is worth it, especially since Streamlabs has so many other features that streamers can take advantage of. And the best part is that it’s all available for free – and always will be! Unless you decide to try Streamlabs Prime (but don’t worry, it’s completely optional), i.e.
We hope this guide helped you set up Streamlabs Desktop on your Mac. Happy broadcasting!
