Your OBS won't connect through the dock (old method)

Old method: being retired

This page covers the old method, with a browser dock inside OBS and OBS’s WebSocket server with its password. It’s now done from My OBS with the EnhancedIRL Switcher plugin, with no WebSocket server or password, and its problems are in I can’t control my OBS.

The dock will stop working in a few weeks; if your account already has My OBS, the Your OBS control is moving to My OBS notice in the dashboard gives you the date. Until then, everything on this page keeps working.

You’ve done the steps to connect your OBS and the dashboard never gets to Connected!: it stays on “Waiting for your OBS to connect…”, on Disconnected or shows a red notice.

Connected only shows when your OBS answers and accepts the password. If it doesn’t, the dashboard’s notice (and the dock’s, inside OBS) tells you what’s wrong: start there, in the table below.

Check this first

1. Your plan includes it. Today only the Stream Key plan includes connecting your OBS: neither Stream Key Lite nor the Cloud OBS plans do. If you see “Your plan doesn’t include connecting your own OBS.”, that’s it. See Plans and pricing.
2. Your OBS is version 28 or later. That’s the one that already ships the WebSocket server the dock uses. With an older one you’ll see Your OBS version isn’t supported.
3. The OBS WebSocket server is enabled. In your OBS: Tools → WebSocket Server Settings, enable it and keep the port at 4455. Without that there’s nothing to connect to.
4. The password mode matches. In the dashboard you pick Generated, Your own or No password, and it has to be the same as what you have set in OBS. This is the most repeated mistake: you pick Your own and there’s no password in OBS, or the other way round.
5. The link is still valid. The connect link is only shown once. If you lost it, use Regenerate link; the previous one stops working at that moment and its dock says Link no longer valid. If you revoked it, you have to generate a new one.
6. OBS is open. The dock only works with OBS open. If you close it, the dashboard marks you Disconnected.

Common causes

What you see	What it means	What to do
Let’s connect your OBS	You never generated the link, or you revoked it	Generate connect link and paste it into OBS
“Waiting for your OBS to connect…”	There’s a link, but the dock isn’t open in OBS (or doesn’t have the whole link)	Check Docks → Custom Browser Docks and that OBS is open. The password isn’t involved yet
Checking your OBS…	The dock is open and we’re testing that OBS answers	Wait a few seconds
Your OBS isn’t answering	The dock is open, but the OBS WebSocket server isn’t answering	Enable it in Tools → WebSocket Server Settings, with the port at 4455
The OBS password doesn’t match	OBS answers, but rejects the password	Set the same password in OBS as in the dashboard, or change the mode in the dashboard and save it
Your OBS version isn’t supported	Your OBS is older than 28	Update OBS
In the dock: Link no longer valid	You revoked the link or generated another one	Generate a new one and paste it into the dock
In the dock: Open in another dock	That link was opened in another dock or another OBS: only one can be connected	Close the other one, or hit Connect here in this one
In the dock: Not included in your plan	That key’s plan no longer includes connecting your OBS	Change plans in Billing
Disconnected after having worked	OBS closed, or the dock deleted	Open OBS and check Docks → Custom Browser Docks
“Invalid or expired link”	It’s a widget link that’s no longer valid	Generate a new one from the dashboard
“OBS isn’t connected”	The widget works, but the OBS on the other end isn’t open or isn’t answering	Open OBS on the machine at home and check that the dashboard says Connected

Go over the three steps again

1. In OBS, Tools → WebSocket Server Settings and enable the server.
2. In the dashboard, pick the Authentication mode and save. With Generated, copy the password we give you and paste it into those same OBS settings.
3. Generate the connect link and paste it into OBS under Docks → Custom Browser Docks. Leave that dock visible.

When it clicks, the dashboard switches to “Connected!” and you can use the Control tab. See Connect your OBS.

No password is a bad idea

The No password mode lets anyone on your local network control your OBS. Only use it to test, and go back to Generated afterwards.

It connects, but it won’t switch scenes on its own

That’s no longer a connection problem. On the Scene switching tab you have to pick the three scenes before saving; if you don’t, the dashboard tells you “Pick the live, low-bitrate and offline scenes before saving.” See Scene switching on your OBS.

Still not working

Open a ticket from Support or write to support@enhancedirl.com telling us your plan, the password mode you use and what the dashboard shows.

Control your OBS and A widget for your moderator are useful too.