alt: person holding smartphone taking video of a concert near stage with lights during nighttime
title: screen capture

Meta Description: Learn effective solutions to fix display capture freeze issues on MacOS 13.0 when using OBS, ensuring smooth screen recording experiences.

Capturing your screen smoothly is essential for creating high-quality recordings, whether for tutorials, presentations, or gaming. However, encountering display capture freezes on MacOS while using OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) can be frustrating and disrupt your workflow. This guide will walk you through effective solutions to resolve these issues and ensure seamless screen recording experiences on your Mac.

Understanding the Issue

Display capture freezes can occur due to various reasons, including software incompatibilities, outdated systems, or incorrect settings. On MacOS 13.0, some users have reported that OBS struggles with stability, leading to frequent freezes during screen recording sessions.

Common Symptoms:

OBS freezes during screen capture.
Recorded footage shows interruptions or lacks smoothness.
System performance drops significantly during recording.

Step-by-Step Solutions

1. Update MacOS and OBS

One of the first steps in troubleshooting display capture issues is ensuring that both your MacOS and OBS are up to date.

MacOS Update:
Navigate to System Preferences > Software Update.
Install any available updates, especially if you’re using MacOS 13.0. Users have reported that updating to MacOS Ventura 13.1 resolved freezing issues.
OBS Update:
Open OBS and go to Help > Check for Updates.
Install the latest version to benefit from bug fixes and performance improvements.

2. Adjust OBS Settings

Optimizing OBS settings can significantly enhance performance and prevent freezes.

Video Settings:
Go to Settings > Video.
Set the Base (Canvas) Resolution and Output (Scaled) Resolution to match your display’s native resolution.
Adjust the FPS (Frames Per Second) to 30 if you’re experiencing performance issues at 60 FPS.
Output Settings:
Navigate to Settings > Output.
Under Recording, choose a reliable Encoder like Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder for better compatibility with MacOS.
Keep the Bitrate reasonable to balance quality and performance.

3. Optimize System Resources

Ensuring your Mac isn’t overburdened can help OBS run more smoothly.

Close Unnecessary Applications:
Quit applications that consume significant memory or CPU resources, such as web browsers, video editors, or other streaming software.
Monitor Activity:
Use Activity Monitor to check for processes that may be hogging system resources and terminate them if necessary.

4. Change Capture Method

Different capture methods can yield varying performance results.

Switch to Window Capture:
Instead of Display Capture, try using Window Capture for specific applications. This method can be more stable and less resource-intensive.
Use Game Capture for Gaming:
If you’re recording games, Game Capture mode might offer better performance and stability compared to display capture.

5. Check for Software Conflicts

Certain software can interfere with OBS, causing freezes.

Security Software:
Temporarily disable antivirus or firewall applications to see if they are the culprits.
Other Recording Tools:
Ensure that no other screen recording or streaming applications are running in the background.

6. Leverage OBS Beta (If Necessary)

As per user feedback from the OBS forum, some issues with display capture freezes have been addressed in newer updates.

Consider OBS Beta:
If stable releases persistently cause issues, try the OBS Beta version, which may contain fixes not yet available in the main release.

7. Enhance Privacy with Blur It

While resolving technical issues with OBS, it’s also crucial to maintain privacy during screen captures. Blur It is a professional-grade Chrome extension designed to protect sensitive information while sharing or recording your screen. With its user-friendly interface and versatile blurring options, Blur It ensures that personal data remains secure during virtual interactions, complementing your OBS setup for a safer recording experience.

Final Thoughts

Experiencing display capture freezes on MacOS while using OBS can be daunting, but with the right adjustments and optimizations, you can overcome these challenges. Keeping your system and software updated, tweaking settings for optimal performance, and ensuring no software conflicts are key steps to achieving smooth screen captures. Additionally, enhancing your recordings with privacy tools like Blur It can provide an extra layer of security, making your screen sharing and recording sessions both efficient and safe.

For a seamless and secure screen sharing experience, explore Blur It today!