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Quickstart

This guide walks you through getting What's Now Playing up and running for the first time.

Step 1: Download and Install

Download the latest release for your platform.

Linux users: see Linux Setup if the app fails to start.

Step 2: Connect Your DJ Software

Start your DJ software first, then launch What's Now Playing. WNP auto-detects your software on startup, so it needs to already be running or have been run at least once.

  1. Launch your DJ software and let it fully start up.
  2. Launch What's Now Playing. The Settings window will open automatically. For some DJ software, WNP builds a file index on first run. Allow a few minutes for large libraries.
  3. Verify or change the auto-detected source under Core Settings → Source
  4. Follow the setup instructions for your source if needed

A few things to know about auto-detection:

  • Software-based sources (Serato, Traktor, Virtual DJ, etc.) are detected from files they leave on disk; the software must have been run at least once
  • Hardware-based sources (Denon StageLinQ) require the device to be connected and actively broadcasting on the network
  • The first detected source wins. If multiple are found, you can change it afterwards.
  • For vinyl decks, standalone CDJs, Rekordbox, and analog mixers (optional): WNP EarShot is a separate companion app that identifies tracks via Shazam and sends them to WNP automatically. Only needed if your setup does not use DJ software.

See Input Sources for per-source setup details.

Two-computer setup? If your DJ software runs on a separate machine from OBS/streaming, see Remote Output. WNP handles this automatically with no IP configuration needed.

Step 3: Verify the Web Server

The built-in web server is enabled by default and runs on port 8899. You can verify it is working by opening http://localhost:8899/ in a browser while a track is playing.

If you need to change the port or other settings, go to Output & Display → Web Server.

Step 4: Set Up OBS

What's Now Playing can generate a ready-to-import OBS scene collection with all your browser sources pre-configured, with no manual URL copying or source sizing required.

NOTE: This requires OBS Studio 28 or later.

  1. Quit OBS Studio if it is running
  2. In What's Now Playing, click the system tray icon and choose Export for OBS...
  3. Review the list of sources. For each one you can choose the template, set the width/height, and pick a canvas position. Click Preview on any row to see how a template looks before committing.
  4. Click Export
  5. Relaunch OBS Studio. The new WhatsNowPlaying scene collection will appear under Scene Collection in the menu bar

WNP ships with 42 browser overlay templates (including 7 WebGL animated effects) and 36 text templates for Twitch, Kick, and plain text output, all ready to use without any editing. The exported collection contains pre-built scenes for your overlays and the Guess Game (including WebGL-enhanced versions). Copy the individual browser sources into your own scenes as needed.

See Export for OBS for full details.

If you prefer to set up OBS manually, see Web Server for instructions on adding a Browser Source by hand.

That's it for basic setup. If you just want a track overlay in OBS, you're done. Everything below is optional. See the Gallery to browse all included templates.

Step 5: Announce Tracks in Chat (Optional)

What's Now Playing can automatically post track announcements to chat when a new song plays.

  • Twitch Bot: announcements, chat commands (!track, !artist), channel point redemptions, and the Guess Game
  • Kick Bot: track announcement support

What's Next?