A free OBS Studio plugin that separates clean PowerPoint/PDF slide output for the audience from a customizable presenter view with notes, next slide, and timer.
Built for and used in real live-event production. PPTBridge SK is an independent third-party plugin and is not affiliated with the OBS Project.
Download Windows x64 v0.5.9 | Download macOS Apple Silicon v0.5.8 | 5-minute quickstart | Watch the demo
Windows x64 and macOS Apple Silicon are stable release platforms. Intel Mac remains a beta track.
| Platform | Download | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Silicon Mac | Download v0.5.8 ZIP | Stable, locally runtime-tested |
| Intel Mac | Download v0.4.4 ZIP | Beta |
| Windows 10/11 x64 | Download v0.5.9 ZIP | Stable, runtime-tested PowerPoint and native PDF workflows |
- Download and unzip the ZIP for your Mac.
- Quit OBS, then open
START-HERE-macOS.txt. - Double-click
1-Install-PPTBridge-SK.command. - If macOS blocks it, right-click the installer and choose
Open. - Let the installer copy the plugin and open OBS. Choose normal launch if OBS offers Safe Mode.
The stable ZIP contains only the plugin, installer, start file, user README, Companion guide/template, and OSC helper needed to install and use PPTBridge SK.
- Download and extract the Windows x64 ZIP.
- Double-click
INSTALL.cmd. - Open OBS Studio 30+. Install desktop Microsoft PowerPoint only if you use PowerPoint files.
- Add
PPTBridge SK Slidefrom the Sources+menu.
Windows supports live PowerPoint, native PDF decks, Presenter, animations, embedded media/audio, multiple decks, Program-scene clicker routing, resize-safe capture, and legacy .ppt files. PDFs open directly through the built-in Windows PDF engine, with no PowerPoint or separate PDF application required.
- Add
PPTBridge SK Slideto the audience/program scene. - Add
PPTBridge SK Presenterto the stage-monitor or operator scene. - Select the same
.pptxor.pdffile in both sources. - For animated
.pptxplayback, open either source's properties and clickStart / Restart PowerPoint Live Mode. - Control the deck with OBS hotkeys, source buttons, a stage clicker, Companion, or local OSC.
PDF decks render directly on Windows and macOS and do not require PowerPoint. Desktop Microsoft PowerPoint is required only for PowerPoint files and their live animations, click-builds, video, and audio.
| OBS source | What it shows | Put it here |
|---|---|---|
PPTBridge SK Slide |
Clean audience slide output, including live animations/video | Program scene, projector, stream, or recording |
PPTBridge SK Presenter |
Current slide, next slide, notes, timer, and cue list | Speaker monitor, confidence monitor, or operator preview |
The presenter view is rendered by PPTBridge inside OBS. It is not a screen capture of PowerPoint Presenter View, so it can be resized, cropped, and customized like a normal OBS source.
- Keeps the desktop, PowerPoint chrome, and presenter notes out of the audience feed.
- Keeps OBS output stable when the desktop PowerPoint window is moved or resized.
- Shows notes, the next slide, timer, and cues on a separate confidence monitor.
- Loads a static preview first while notes and media metadata finish in the background.
- Supports multiple open decks and routes controls to the deck in the current Program scene.
- Prevents normal typing and left/right arrows from moving slides accidentally.
- Routes supported embedded media audio through the
PPTBridge SK Slidesource. - Recovers or reattaches a live slideshow without restarting the whole OBS session.
PPTBridge SK Slide and PPTBridge SK Presenter expose a highlighted PowerPoint Live Start / Stop group when a .pptx deck is selected.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
Start / Restart PowerPoint Live Mode |
Opens PowerPoint if needed, starts the slideshow, or recovers a closed live session |
Stop PowerPoint Live Mode |
Stops the slideshow without quitting OBS |
Auto Start PowerPoint When OBS Opens |
Optionally starts the slideshow when OBS loads the source |
Auto Recover Live PowerPoint Session |
Restarts a slideshow that closes unexpectedly after live capture was working |
Close PowerPoint Slideshow When OBS Closes |
Optionally cleans up the slideshow when OBS quits |
PowerPoint Resize Behavior |
Locks OBS to its canvas or follows the live window shape |
Reattach Live PowerPoint Window |
Rebuilds the OBS capture connection without restarting OBS |
Manual startup is the production-safe default. Extra next commands on the final slide are ignored so PowerPoint stays open in OBS at the end of the deck.
| Method | Best for |
|---|---|
| OBS hotkeys | Operator control while OBS is focused |
| Source-property buttons | Setup and quick testing |
| Spotlight/Clicker Capture | A stage remote while the operator works in another app |
| Bitfocus Companion / Stream Deck | Dedicated show-control surfaces |
| Local OSC | Companion, QLab, TouchDesigner, or custom control systems |
Default focused OBS hotkeys are 2 for next and 1 for previous. Normal left/right arrows remain free. PPTBridge ignores those OBS hotkeys while another app has keyboard focus.
For a physical presenter remote, enable Tools > PPTBridge SK: Spotlight/Clicker Capture On/Off. It captures PageDown and PageUp by default, routes them to the PPTBridge source in the current Program scene, and leaves ordinary typing keys alone.
Enable local OSC from Tools > PPTBridge SK: Local OSC Control On/Off. Commands listen on 127.0.0.1:57130:
/pptbridge/next/pptbridge/previous/pptbridge/first/pptbridge/last/pptbridge/black/pptbridge/reload
OSC feedback can report current/total slide, titles, timer, deck/file/source names, loading or error state, live status, black-screen state, and cue checked state on port 57131. A ready-to-import Generic OSC template is included in the package and repository.
Create one OBS scene per deck and add that deck's Slide/Presenter sources to it. Start each .pptx you want ready, then switch Program scenes during the show. Hotkeys, OSC, and clicker capture follow the PPTBridge source in the current Program scene, not whichever source happened to render last.
PPTBridge SK Presenter includes:
- balanced, large-preview, large-notes, compact, and confidence-monitor layouts
- preview fit, fill, crop, scale, and position
- notes font size, zoom, area size, and vertical position
- background color and optional background image/logo
- fit, fill, or watermark background placement
- cue-list display, check/uncheck controls, and
.txtexport
Live animation and embedded video remain in PPTBridge SK Slide; Presenter stays a lightweight confidence view for stability.
| Requirement | Apple Silicon stable | Intel Mac beta | Windows stable |
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | macOS 12+ | macOS 12+ | Windows 10/11 x64 |
| OBS Studio | 30+ | 30+ | 30+ |
| PowerPoint | Required for live .pptx |
Required for live .pptx |
Required for PowerPoint files; not for PDF |
| PDF decks | Supported without PowerPoint | Supported without PowerPoint | Supported without PowerPoint |
The Apple Silicon build is runtime-tested on OBS Studio 32.1.1 on an M1 Pro with real PPTX/PDF decks, multi-deck routing, live start/stop/navigation, Presenter layouts, OSC feedback, cue state, cache behavior, embedded media audio, isolated installation, and release-package checks.
The Windows stable build is runtime-tested on Windows 11 x64 with OBS Studio 32.1.2 using native PDF decks plus desktop PowerPoint 2010 for animations, notes, embedded video/audio, Spotlight-style PageDown/PageUp clicker input, OSC, Program/Preview isolation, multiple simultaneous decks, legacy .ppt, real event decks, repeated Start/Stop cycles, and a media-heavy deck. The Windows DLL and installer are not code-signed yet, so Windows may ask for confirmation. Rehearse every event deck on the production PC before show day.
| Need | Guide |
|---|---|
| Fastest setup | QUICKSTART.md |
| Full setup and troubleshooting | SETUP-GUIDE.md |
| Common questions | FAQ.md |
| macOS installation details | native-plugin/INSTALL-macOS.md |
| Windows installation | native-plugin/INSTALL-Windows.md |
| Companion / Stream Deck / OSC | native-plugin/COMPANION-CONTROL.md |
| Companion starter template | PPTBridge-SK-Companion-OSC-Template.json |
| Audio routing | native-plugin/PRO-AUDIO-MODE.md |
| Report a problem | SUPPORT.md |
| Build or contribute | CONTRIBUTING.md / BUILDING.md |
Before reporting a bug, check SUPPORT.md. Include the OS, CPU/Mac type, OBS/PPTBridge/PowerPoint versions, deck type, what you expected, and the OBS log from Help > Log Files > View Current Log.
Use GitHub Discussions for setup questions, workflow ideas, and general feedback. Use GitHub Issues for reproducible bugs and feature requests.
The current stable releases are v0.5.9 for Windows x64 and v0.5.8 for Apple Silicon. Choose the ZIP that matches your operating system.
See CHANGELOG.md for release history and all GitHub releases for older and beta packages.
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
native-plugin/ |
Native plugin source, build scripts, release docs, media, and packaging helpers |
native-plugin/src/ |
C++, Objective-C++, and Windows backend source |
native-plugin/companion/ |
Companion / Generic OSC starter template |
native-plugin/scripts/ |
Build, packaging, install, OSC, signing, and cleanup helpers |
docs/ |
Static project website and discovery metadata |
pptbridge_obs.py |
Legacy Python MVP kept for historical reference |
- Signed and notarized macOS installer
- More real Intel Mac and Windows live-production validation
- Code-signed Windows installer
- Companion preset import/export polish across Companion versions
- Video remaining-time support where PowerPoint/media state can be read reliably
PPTBridge SK stays free and open source. A GitHub star, a real-world test report, or sharing it with another AV operator helps the project grow. Optional support is available on Patreon.
The repo root contains the original project license. The native plugin under native-plugin/ is distributed as GPL-2.0-or-later because it links against OBS Studio components. See LICENSE and native-plugin/LICENSE.
Built by Srdjan Kotarlic for real live-production work on stage and in broadcast.