How to add Alert Box to OBS
Give every new follower, subscriber, gifted sub and raid a moment on screen. The Alert Box widget pops up an animated, customizable message the instant the event happens, so nothing goes unnoticed by you or your chat.
Takes about 2 minutes
Step by step
- 1
Sign in and create the widget
Open the Streamities dashboard, choose Alert Box, and create one. Style it now or leave the defaults — the overlay URL works either way and picks up changes as you make them.
- 2
Copy the overlay URL
Every widget has its own unique URL. Copy it from the widget's page in the dashboard: it is the only thing you need in OBS, and it stays valid, so this is a one-time step.
- 3
Add a Browser Source in OBS
In your scene, add Sources → Browser, give it a name, and paste the URL into the URL field. Streamlabs and XSplit have the same source type under the same name.
- 4
Set the size to 1920 × 1080
Type 1920 into Width and 1080 into Height. Size the source rather than scaling it afterwards — a stretched Browser Source renders soft text, because OBS is upscaling a finished image.
- 5
Uncheck "Shutdown source when not visible"
With that option on, OBS destroys the page whenever the scene isn't active and the live connection goes with it, which looks exactly like a widget that stopped updating. Leave it off, drag Alert Box into place, and you're done.
Recommended Browser Source settings
A starting point for Alert Box, not a rule — every overlay fits itself to the box you give it. Set the width and height here, then position the source in your scene without resizing it.
- Width
- 1920
- Height
- 1080
- Where to put it
- Over the full canvas, at your stream's resolution: this one positions itself inside the source.
Leave the source's transform at 100%. Scaling a Browser Source afterwards upscales a rendered image, which is what makes overlay text look soft.
Good to know
Covers every event type
Follows, subs, gift subs and raids all get their own rule and message template.
Custom message templates
Write your own alert text with the viewer's name inserted automatically.
Real-time triggers
Alerts fire the moment the event happens on Twitch or YouTube, no delay.
If it doesn't show up
The source is blank or black+
Refresh the source (right-click → Refresh) and check that the URL was pasted in full. A source that is black on first load and fine after a refresh is usually hardware acceleration — enable it under Settings → Advanced in OBS.
It worked, then stopped updating+
Almost always "Shutdown source when not visible". With it on, OBS kills the page whenever you switch scenes and the live connection goes with it. Turn it off in the source properties.
The text looks blurry+
The source is being scaled. Reset the transform (right-click → Transform → Reset Transform) and set the width and height in the source properties instead — 1920 × 1080 is the size to start from.
It's the wrong size in my scene+
Change Width and Height in the source properties rather than dragging the corner handles. Dragging scales the rendered image; the properties change what gets rendered.
Alert Box: common questions
Is Alert Box free?+
Yes. Every plan includes one Alert Box widget, live updates and the default look included. Creator+ adds unlimited widgets of every type, plus full styling, animations and the premium templates.
What Browser Source size should I use for Alert Box?+
Start at 1920 × 1080 pixels, set in the source properties rather than by scaling the source in your scene — the widget fits itself to whatever box it is given.
Does Alert Box work with Streamlabs and XSplit?+
Yes. Alert Box is a normal web page, so it works in any streaming software with a browser or web overlay source — OBS Studio, Streamlabs, XSplit and the rest.
How long does Alert Box take to set up?+
A couple of minutes. Create it in the dashboard, copy its URL, paste it into a source. Styling can happen later, live, without touching OBS again.
Do I need to install a plugin?+
No. There is nothing to download and no plugin to keep updated — Alert Box is one URL, and it updates itself on our side.