OBS stopped recording.
Start with the format.

Keep a copy before doing anything else

Keep the original recording and make a separate working copy. Check the recording folder for another completed segment or copy. Note the OBS version and the recording settings if you still have them. Do not repeatedly save repair attempts over the damaged file.

Two files ending in .mp4 can need different recovery methods: one may be an ordinary MP4 and the other an interrupted Hybrid recording. Renaming either file will not change how OBS wrote it.

Ordinary and Hybrid are different cases

OBS describes Hybrid MP4 and Hybrid MOV as combining fragmentation with a final “soft-remux.” That design changes the starting point after an interruption; it does not prove that every damaged file, codec combination or storage failure will be recoverable. Consult the official OBS Hybrid format explanation.

For MKV and fragmented formats, do not assume a missing-index procedure intended for ordinary MP4 is the right first step. The OBS audio/video formats guide explains their recording and compatibility differences. If the recording remains playable but an editor rejects it, a compatible remux may be more relevant than reconstructing damaged media.

Identify the settings you actually used

Open OBS’s recording settings and, if available, the saved log for the interrupted session. Match the log’s date and time to the recording; a log from a later successful launch describes a different session. Current settings may also have changed.

Record what you can establish:

• The recording container, including whether Hybrid was selected.
• The video codec, resolution and frame rate.
• The number of recorded audio tracks and their codec and channel setup.
• Whether the recording stopped normally, OBS crashed, power was lost or storage filled up.

If FFmpeg is already installed, this read-only command can show what a copy still exposes:

ffprobe -v error -show_format -show_streams "obs-recording-copy.mp4"

Look for the format_name field and the listed codec_type=video and codec_type=audio streams. Compare the audio stream count with the tracks you recorded. An error such as moov atom not found means the probe could not read the movie index. A stream listing gives you metadata to work with; check the recovered output later to find out how much of the session actually plays.

Choose the next step from what you find

The file plays, but the editor rejects it

In OBS, open File → Remux Recordings, select the working copy, choose a separate output name and run the remux. OBS explains this in its recording output guide. A readable input with compatible codecs can be repackaged without re-encoding. If OBS cannot read the input or reports an incompatible track, keep the error message rather than overwriting the source or removing tracks just to finish. Check every expected audio track in the output.

An ordinary MP4/MOV reports a missing movie index

Read the missing moov atom guide. The relevant question is whether usable recorded media remains and whether the parameters needed to read it can be recovered. Moving an existing index for playback is different from rebuilding absent information.

A Hybrid recording was interrupted

Try OBS’s remux on a copy, keeping the original untouched. If it cannot read the recording, retain the error and identify the file as Hybrid when seeking help; a generic ordinary-MP4 index reconstruction may be the wrong path. Use the linked OBS Hybrid guidance to describe the format. MendVid has not verified repair coverage for every Hybrid recording.

Make the reference match the OBS session

A healthy short clip can help a recovery method infer missing parameters. Reproduce the affected session’s encoder, resolution, frame rate and audio setup as closely as possible. For a recording with multiple audio tracks, record a reference with that same track setup. If you cannot reproduce it, state which settings are unknown when seeking help; do not assume a single-track reference supplies the missing track layout.

If you changed OBS settings after the crash, restore the relevant setup only if you know what it was. If the original setup is unknown, include that fact with any request for repair help. A reference that opens successfully can still describe the wrong recording configuration.

In one recorded MendVid engine test, an OBS file with two AAC audio tracks required identifying the track arrangement and rebuilding the video clock. The output used re-encoded video and copied audio. That was a test of one recording, not a customer recovery rate or coverage for every OBS format; the video repair was not lossless.

Review audio, duration and synchronization

A screen recording may contain several sources or isolated tracks. Check every track you expected to preserve, rather than listening only to the default playback mix. Make sure important scenes and the end of the session are present, and look for audio drifting away from on-screen events.

Even when the output decodes cleanly, compare its duration and scenes with what you expected to record. No container repair can supply footage that was never written to the source. If the result is shorter, an audio track is absent or timing remains uncertain, the result needs a partial label.

MendVid handles damaged MP4/MOV files, including some OBS recording scenarios. It is a repair attempt for existing recorded media, not an image enhancer or a way to recreate events that were never captured.

If you choose a repair attempt

New purchases were not open when this guide was reviewed on 31 October 2026; check the repair page for current availability. MendVid’s listed price is US$9.99 per video, with applicable tax shown at checkout. When purchases are open, payment is confirmed before upload, the repair attempt and any result preview. Recovery is not guaranteed, and an unsuccessful attempt is not refunded.

A matching reference requested for that same paid job does not incur another fee. Keep your own original recording when reviewing any result.

Reviewed 31 October 2026. The linked OBS knowledge-base pages explain the recording formats and remux controls. The MendVid example above describes one engine test; actual recovery depends on the data remaining in your file and the recording settings.