For most Windows games, add Game Capture and leave Display Capture for desktop tutorials. Game Capture records only the game client, so your private chat, email, and notifications stay off Twitch. Display Capture shows the whole monitor and is the common reason viewers suddenly see your DMs.

This is for new streamers who already installed OBS, picked a scene, and now wonder why chat keeps leaking on stream or why Game Capture shows a black box.

What the top guides agree on

Every OBS article says the same baseline. Game Capture hooks DirectX or OpenGL games and is the most efficient option on Windows. You add a Game Capture source, pick Capture any fullscreen application for exclusive fullscreen, or Capture specific window for borderless. Display Capture grabs an entire monitor, taskbar included. Window Capture sits in the middle for one app window when Game Capture fails.

They also agree on troubleshooting: if Game Capture is black, try borderless windowed plus Window Capture, close overlay tools, or run OBS as administrator for picky anti-cheat titles.

What they skip is the privacy split. Guides treat capture choice as a performance chart. On a single-monitor desk, the wrong choice exposes your pop-out chat, your mod Discord, or your roommate's text notification to everyone watching.

How to choose in under two minutes

  1. Ask what must be visible on stream. Only the game? Start with Game Capture. Your whole desktop workflow? Display Capture or macOS Screen Capture on a Mac.
  2. Count your monitors. One screen plus fullscreen game means alt-tabbing to OBS can pause the game preview. That is normal. Keep chat on a phone or second display so you never need Display Capture just to read messages.
  3. Add Game Capture first in Sources. Name it after the game. Mode: Capture any fullscreen application if you play true fullscreen on the primary monitor.
  4. If the preview stays black, switch the game to borderless windowed in its video settings, change Mode to Capture specific window, and pick the game. Still black? Delete the source and add Window Capture on that window.
  5. Reserve Display Capture for non-game scenes: a browser setup page, a slide deck, or a multi-window demo. Do not stack Display Capture under a game scene unless you want viewers to see everything you see.
  6. Record ten seconds locally in OBS after you pick a source. Play the file back and scan the edges for chat text, Discord, or the OBS preview loop (infinite mirror). Fix capture type before you go live.

Walkthrough: Valorant on one monitor, Tuesday night

You queue unrated at 8:00 p.m. Twitch chat is popped out in Chrome on your right monitor, but tonight you only have one display, so chat lives on your phone instead.

In OBS, open Sources, click +, choose Game Capture, name it Valorant. Set Mode to Capture specific window because Valorant runs borderless. Select VALORANT from the dropdown. Click OK.

Launch Valorant, land in the lobby, and confirm the red play button fills the OBS preview. Alt-tab to OBS and say out loud: "If you can read my Discord, tell me now." Your Discord can stay open on the same PC; it should not appear in the preview.

If you mistakenly added Display Capture earlier, delete that source. Add Display Capture only on a separate Ending Scene that shows your schedule graphic full screen, not your desktop wallpaper with icons.

When you want viewers to see chat on stream, add a Browser Source with your public chat URL in OBS. Keep your personal pop-out on the phone for your eyes only. That split is what our guide to reading chat while streaming assumes once capture is correct.

Side-by-side: what each source actually shows

Game Capture shows the game frame and usually nothing else. Overlays drawn inside the game can appear if you enable third-party overlay capture, so leave that off unless you need Steam on stream.

Window Capture shows one window even if other apps float above it on your desk. Use it for Counter-Strike 2, Destiny 2, Roblox, or emulators when Game Capture refuses to hook.

Display Capture shows every pixel on the chosen monitor: wallpaper, Slack, password manager autofill, the lot. It also costs more CPU on many PCs because OBS composites the entire desktop each frame.

Rule of thumb: if the viewer should not see it, do not capture the monitor that contains it.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

  • You used Display Capture for ranked because Game Capture was black. Viewers saw your private chat for three weeks. Delete Display Capture from the game scene, fix Game or Window Capture, and rerun the ten-second local recording test.
  • You put OBS on the same monitor you Display Capture. The preview tunnels forever. Move OBS to another monitor, minimize it, or switch back to Game Capture.
  • You capture fullscreen on a single monitor and panic when the preview freezes while you tweak settings. Run the game borderless, or accept that the preview pauses while you are in OBS. Stream output still works if you started streaming before you alt-tab.
  • You never rehearsed talking while checking chat off-stream. Fix capture first, then run a practice session from our practice streaming without going live guide so your eyes know where to go.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my OBS Game Capture a black screen?

The game may block hooks, run in the wrong display mode, or sit under another capture source. Close overlay tools like RivaTuner, switch to borderless windowed, and try Window Capture. Some anti-cheat titles need OBS run as administrator. Restart the game after you change the source type.

Can viewers see my Twitch chat with Game Capture?

Not if chat lives outside the game window. Game Capture records the game only. A phone beside your keyboard or a pop-out on another monitor stays private. Display Capture on that same monitor would broadcast the chat window to everyone.

Does Display Capture hurt stream performance?

Often yes. Display Capture redraws the full desktop every frame. Game Capture is lighter on most Windows PCs because it reads the game renderer directly. If dropped frames climb right after you switch to Display Capture, return to Game or Window Capture and lower output resolution if you must.

Pick Game Capture for your main game scene, keep private chat off that monitor, and record ten seconds to verify before your next live. When the preview matches what you want viewers to see, rehearse your voice with StreamSim on a phone so capture setup and talking practice happen in the same week.