How To Fix Streamlabs Not Capturing Game?

Pulling the combo of a PC or console, internet, streaming service, and a platform can be complex. We’re addressing one of the potential problems in the chain, namely, how to fix Streamlabs not capturing games.

Streamlabs is one of the most popular choices for game captures and live streaming. This is an open-source broadcasting software that also allows you to add elements to the screen.

These elements are visual alerts that denote viewer interaction. Examples are donations, new followers, and new subscribers.

So, you may be having trouble with the software right now, or you may be a newcomer looking for instructions. Either way, we’ll put Streamlabs in working order for Windows PC, which is where the error occurs.

Table of Contents

Streamlabs Not Capturing Game Error Causes

Streamlabs is a reliable software, so seeing errors is not common. That’s because the program is primarily automatic. Specifically, it will record and broadcast your games without you doing anything.

Most probably, you’re not facing anything serious. But if you pinpoint the possible culprit, you may solve the problem faster. So, we’ve compiled a series of common errors we’ve found by personal knowledge, forums, social media, and Streamlabs official information:

Your Windows is not up to date.
The Microsoft C++ Redistributable package on your PC is missing, outdated, or corrupted.
Your GPU drivers are out of date.
You’re running Streamlabs with the integrated GPU rather than the discrete GPU.
Your anti-virus is blocking the screen recorder.
The Windows Firewall is blocking Streamlabs.
Third-party software on your PC is causing issues with the game. Notably, cheating software won’t allow you to play online correctly.
Third-party game overlays are causing issues.
Streamlabs has a random bug.
Streamlabs doesn’t understand which game you’re playing.
Streamlabs is running without administrator privileges.
Streamlabs is not installed in the proper folder.
The automatic feature is not working temporarily.
The game you’re playing is incompatible with the Streamlabs screen capture method you’re using.

How to Fix Streamlabs Not Capturing Game?

We’re reviewing the solution for each problem below, plus additional fixes. You can try these steps individually until Stramlabs works on your PC.

Run Streamlabs as Administrator

You can try running Streamlabs as an administrator. So, whenever you open it, you should select the Administrator option.

Simply right-click the shortcut on the desktop and select “Run as administrator.”

Choose Proper Streamlabs Source Options

Streamlabs features an easy-to-use interface, making it simple to test its options until it works.

On the source tab, press the “+” button to customize your screen capture.
Then, go to General, and select what you’re recording: your entire screen, a window you’re selecting, or a game. After choosing an option, select Add Source at the bottom.
The Game Capture feature will work automatically. However, some games are incompatible with this feature, so you can test Display Capture and Window Capture instead.

Adjust Game Window

If the program doesn’t work, you should try adjusting the game’s window on its settings.

Specifically, you can open the settings, go to the display section, and make the game run in Borderless Fullscreen instead of Fullscreen. You can also try playing the game in a Windowed mode.

Some can’t work with Streamlabs if you’re using the full-screen mode. For example, Destiny 2 can’t work like this.

Turn Off GPU Render on Streamlabs

If you’re still facing issues, you can disable a configuration that commonly presents issues on Streamlabs. You can disable “Force GPU as render device” as follows:

Open Streamlabs.
Go to Settings.
Select Advanced on the left.
Uncheck “Force GPU as render device.”

Disable Third-Party In-Game Overlays

Game overlays tend to cause issues with screen recording software. This happens because both programs are competing to put elements on the screen.

So, it would be best to disable these programs. For example, if you’re using Steam, you can turn off the Steam Overlay like this:

Go to Steam.
Click on the upper-right Steam menu.
Select Settings.
Go to In-Game
Uncheck “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.”

Update GPU Drivers

Your GPU drivers need to have their latest build to work alongside Streamlabs. You have two ways to update them. You can either use their proprietary software or update the drivers via the Device Manager.

Here’s where you can download your GPU’s proprietary software:

AMD Adrenalin for AMD GPUs.
Nvidia GeForce Experience for Nvidia GPUs.

The software will make it easy to download drivers. There’s a Driver tab on Nvidia’s program, whereas AMD Adrenalin features the update section on its main tab.

The secondary way to update graphics card is through the Device Manager:

Type “device manager” on the Windows search bar.
Open “Device Manager.”
Click “Display Adapters” to expand it.
Right-click your GPU (either AMD or Nvidia).
Select “Update driver.”
Select “Search automatically for drivers.”
If there’s a driver available, Windows will find it and install it. Otherwise, your system will notify you.

Install The Microsoft C++ Redistributable Package

Microsoft C++ is your system’s file library for many visual applications. It can get corrupted, which causes errors in many games.

Here’s what you can do:

Open your browser and go to Microsoft’s official page.
Download the appropriate option (ARM64, X86, or X64 architecture).
To verify your system’s architecture, you can go to About this PC and check the System type bracket.
After it downloads, let it install on your PC.

Check Which GPU Is Running Streamlabs

Many laptops come with two kinds of GPUs, and some PCs do as well -if it has a CPU with an integrated graphic card. There’re two types of GPUs:

Integrated GPUs come within the CPUs chip. These are either Intel HD units or AMD Radeon units. These pieces are cheaper but less potent than the second category.
Discrete GPUs are dedicated graphic cards. They plug into the motherboard and come with a built-in heat solution (like fans, heatsinks, or both).

You can’t be running Streamlabs with the iGPU, as it puts too much strain on the unit. Alternatively, having two types of GPUs will confuse the software. The solution is selecting one of the two to run the program. Let’s start by choosing the discrete GPU:

First, close Streamlabs.
Right-click the Streamlabs Desktop shortcut on the desktop.
Right-click and select Run with graphics processor.
Select the “High-performance” processor.

If you can’t find the option on your Windows build, there’s another way to get this result. Notably, Windows 11 no longer has this option.

So, on Windows 10 and 11, regardless of the GPU model you use, these are the alternative steps:

Type “graphics” on the Windows search bar.
Open Graphics settings.
Click on Browse and add Streamlabs to the list.
Once Streamlabs is on the list, click on Options, and select High-performance graphics.
If this doesn’t work, do the same steps but choose the integrated GPU. For example, you must choose Power Saving on the graphic settings.

Check Your Anti-Virus

It’s also common for the anti-virus to block Streamlabs. You can check and see if this is what’s happening. Then, you can address the issue.

I use Windows Defender, and the built-in Microsoft security software blocks Streamlabs by default. I’ll teach you how to allow the app to go through the software by following the steps I have to take on my software. You’d probably find similar options on your anti-virus program.

Type “Virus” in the Windows search bar.
Select “Virus & threat protection.”
Select “Manage settings” under “Virus & threat protection.”
Click on “Add or remove exclusions” under “Exclusions.”
Click on “Add an exclusion.”
Select File.
Search for the app on Program Files and add it.

Also, allow the apps through controlled folder access.

Go to “Manage settings” on “Virus & threat protection.”
Select “Manage controller folder access.”
Select “Allow an app through controlled folder access.”
Select “Add an allowed app.”
Select “Browse all apps.“
Select Streamlabs from its folder once again to add it to the list.

Allow the App Through the Windows Firewall

Similarly, the built-in Windows Firewall may be blocking Streamlabs. You can solve this quickly with these steps:

Type“firewall” on the Windows search bar.
Open “Firewall & network protection.”
Select “Allow an app through the Firewall.”
Click “Change settings.”
Select “Allow another app.”
Select Browse.
Find the Streamlabs’ “.exe.” file on Program Files/Streamlabs. Click on “Open.” to add it to the Firewall list.
Select Add.
Click Ok to confirm.

Turn Off GPU Render on Streamlabs

If you’re still facing issues, you can disable a configuration that commonly presents issues on Streamlabs. First, try disabling “Force GPU as render device” like so:

Open Streamlabs.
Go to Settings.
Select Advanced on the left.
Uncheck “Force GPU as render device.”
Save the changes

Close Third-Party Software and Cheating Software

Various third-party programs can cause issues with Streamlabs. For example, we recommend closing your RGB software when using the screen capture software.

Moreover, close any programs you don’t need as you play and stream. You can do this:

Type “task manager” on the search bar.
Select Task Manager.
Find the third-party software you want to close, like RGB software.
Right-click the program and select End task.

Additionally, uninstall any cheating software you have on your PC.

Update Your Windows PC

Generally, your Windows should update automatically. But if it’s not updating, here’s the way to update it.

Click the Windows icon and type “Update” on the Windows search bar
Select “Check for Updates.”
Click “Check for updates.” If there’re any updates available, select “Download and install.”
If your PC finds an update, also select “Download and install.”
Restart your PC after finishing the update installation.

Reinstall Streamlabs

Streamlabs may be facing unexpected issues after a while of use or after a faulty installation. It would be best to uninstall the software and then install it. Let’s begin by uninstalling the program:

Press the Windows key plus X.
Select the top option (Installed Apps or Apps and Feature).
Find Streamlabs in the list.
Click the “…” icon and select Uninstall.
Then, download Streamlabs from the official link, and reinstall it. Notably, it will reinstall the Microsoft C++ library, which could be the problem.

Make sure you install Streamlabs on Program Files. If the app is in another folder, it would be best to uninstall and install it again in the proper folder. Otherwise, it creates compatibility issues.