How to Add a New Theme to Streamlabs Desktop
Last Updated on February 25, 2025 by Michael Brockbank
Adding a theme can accentuate your broadcast, and Streamlabs Desktop makes it incredibly easy to add one. Of course, you have more options by upgrading to the Ultra account for Streamlabs. Still, there are a lot of free themes you can use right now.
The hardest part is picking one that either fits your brand or the game you’re playing. Yet, there is nothing wrong with customizing the theme to fit your needs.
The best part is that the list of themes is constantly growing. I remember when there were just a handful available. Nowadays, there are over 3,350 if you upgrade to Streamlabs Ultra.
Why Use Overlays and Themes in Streamlabs Desktop?
Overlays and themes are believed to enhance the experience of the viewing audience. It offers additional visual appeal in many cases by accentuating the content of the stream.
You can also promote everything from social media profiles to products you’re selling during the broadcast.
Most overlays and themes will also show things like most recent followers, highest tippers, and latest subscribers in the hope of driving FOMO (fear of missing out) and prompting others to take action.
In a nutshell, themes and overlays offer visual elements that may engage your viewers and get them to stick around longer and more often.
What is a Theme in Streamlabs Desktop?
Themes are collections of overlays, alerts, and widgets that are installed into Streamlabs Desktop. Connecting directly to Streamlabs, many themes will automatically change the alert boxes and sound effects for you. However, not every theme provides unique sounds and visuals. It all depends on the developer and the theme package.
The list of available themes, both free and premium, constantly grows each year. And a lot of them center around specific games or niches. For example, you can install a retro theme if you like to play older games or if the 1980s are part of your branding scheme.
I have a Viking theme running while I stream Valheim and an underwater theme while playing Subnautica.
Themes can also be edited to fit your needs, and you can add more overlay elements if you wish. A lot of them also come with several customization options including showing the most popular social media icons if you have accounts on those sites.
Perhaps the biggest benefit to using themes in Streamlabs Desktop is how easy they are to implement. The ability to update the alerts is reason enough for me to use them. It’s a time saver, allowing everything on your stream to have a common visual appeal.
Adding a New Theme to Streamlabs Desktop
I’m going to assume you have the software installed. If not, you can download Streamlabs Desktop for free.
This tutorial is for version 1.17.0. Unless something major changes in Streamlabs Desktop, these steps should still be valid regardless of future versions. If not, rest assured that I will update the tutorial if and when those changes occur.
Step 1: Browse the Themes
From the Desktop Editor, click the Overlays icon on the left.
This will bring up the list of all the themes that are available from Streamlabs. There are plenty, so make sure you browse through them to find the one that fits your needs.
You can scroll through all of these themes manually to find something you like. If you have, then move on to Step 2. However, I’m going to show you how to sort using the Advanced Search options.
Let’s say that I want something that is relatable to Minecraft. Click the “Advanced Search” option at the top of the screen.
From here, you have the option to search by keywords, preferred color schemes, specific types of assets, what widgets you want, and how the list is sorted.
Type the keyword in the field to search for specific themes.
For this example, I am typing “Minecraft” as the keyword.
As you type, Streamlabs Desktop will begin pulling up various themes.
Step 2: Install the Theme
Once you find one that you like, click the theme to begin the installation.
This will open the package information for that particular theme. From here, you can see the overlays and any alerts and widgets it may come with.
Some themes are only available if you upgrade to Streamlabs Ultra.
If you don’t like overlays or the rest of the theme package contents, simply hit the back button near the top left and find another. Depending on your search criteria, there are hundreds upon hundreds of packages.
If you like the package, click the “Select & Install” button.
Some themes will have additional options you can choose to install. If you want the entire package, click the “Install” button to add the theme to Streamlabs.
You can mix and match overlays and widgets. This is useful if you have custom assets such as alert boxes that you don’t want to lose during your stream. Uncheck the “Alert Box” option before installing if you want Streamlabs to keep your current alerts.
After a few moments, your theme overlays and widgets will be ready in Streamlabs Desktop.
The thing to keep in mind is that the theme will automatically override any alert boxes you have created in Streamlabs. That is unless you unchecked the box when installing the theme.
This means you don’t have to log into the Streamlabs website to add or change the alert boxes manually. However, you may want to make a few adjustments as some themes don’t have unique sounds for the alerts.
Otherwise, the new theme’s alert boxes will use your default sound effects saved on Streamlabs’s website.
Step 3: Edit the Theme
You can technically use the default settings of the theme right now and start streaming. However, there are a lot of customizations you might want to consider.
For instance, the particular theme I chose has a line for social media. I would want to change this to reflect the social profiles I use.
Although most themes have similar structures, some are not. This means how you’re able to change these elements depends on how the developer structured them.
In the case of social media profiles, you can change them on all of the overlays by editing the scene itself.
Each scene will have Sources available, and those are the visual elements you’re going to edit. If they are in a folder collection, click the folder to expand the sources. Otherwise, you can click on the source itself and open the properties screen to make changes.
The options available in the properties screen depend on the source. Some will have text fields you can change while others may come with alternative icons to display.
It really depends on the development of the theme in question.
Go through the properties of the various elements you want to adjust. There are a lot of options for most themes, including showing who has tipped the most, most recent followers, and more.
Simply click on something you wish to change and click the properties icon.
You can also resize any overlay element you wish or move them around the screen to better suit what you want to show. For instance, you can move the camera box and camera source up higher if it’s covering something you wish to show your audience.
I usually try to keep overlays away from the life and mana bar in Diablo 3, Path of Exile, and similar games.
If there is something on the screen you don’t want, you can delete the element.
There are quite a few things you can do to customize every theme, so spend some time looking at each scene and source to see how you can make the overlay your own.
Step 4: Testing the Alert Boxes
Not all themes will have unique sounds for alerts in Streamlabs. You may have to upload new sound effects to match the theme you’ve selected.
It’s always best to log into your Streamlabs account and test the alerts before going live. That way, you can make final adjustments to things like sound effects, sound volume, font settings, and more.
When you test alerts in Streamlabs, they will be fed to your Streamlabs Desktop software at the same time. That is as long as you’re logged into the streaming app. This will let you make further adjustments such as placement on screen, size, and other tweaks you might want to make.
Step 5: Starting Streaming and Have Fun!
After customizing the various elements of your theme, all that’s left is to start streaming. Hit the “Go Live” button and start playing your game on your favorite streaming platform.
Don’t be afraid to make adjustments to your stream overlays. Sometimes, you’ll have to move things around to offer the best experience for your audience.
It’s probably not a bad idea to run a few test streams to add final touches. In YouTube, you can make the stream private so you are the only one who can see it. That way, you don’t have to worry about someone popping in while you’re working on the finer details.
Deleting a Theme Permanently from Streamlabs Desktop
What if you have a theme that you no longer want on Streamlabs Desktop? Deleting it permanently is easy enough.
Click on the name of your current theme. Don’t click the icon with a circle and a plus sign next to the theme. This will open the window to create a new scene within that theme.
A drop-down will appear below the theme’s name.
Click the “Manage Scene Collections” option at the top.
From here, you can create a fresh new theme, add overlays to existing themes, import data from OBS, or even import data from Twitch Studio.
Hover your mouse over the theme you want to delete and click the trash icon.
A confirmation screen will pop up asking if you’re sure you want to delete the theme. Click the OK button to remove it from your software.
Once the theme is removed, you can click the “X” icon on the top of the manage screen to close it.
Using a Different Theme for Each Game
Now, if you’re using a theme as a way to promote your brand, you’re probably just going to stick to the same one for every stream. However, I often change the theme and overlays depending on the game I’m playing.
I believe it keeps the visuals more aligned without creating a distracting contrast. In other words, I think it just looks nicer overall.
Streamlabs Desktop lets you switch to a different theme quite easily while also adjusting your stream alert windows with the corresponding layout. With a single click of the mouse, I can go from promoting a Viking visual playing Valheim to one that is more tailored for Minecraft.
To change themes on the fly, click the current theme.
From the drop-down, click the theme you want to use. In this example, I’m selecting the “Underwater” theme as I intend to use it while streaming Subnautica.
After a few moments, the new layout will open in Streamlabs Desktop.
It’s Worth Checking Out Multiple Themes
Some of the themes you’ll come across in Streamlabs Desktop are simply amazing. For instance, the Underwater theme has tiny animated fish that swim around the camera box to add a bit more visual appeal.
Needless to say, the layouts and overlays you’ll find in Streamlabs are some of the most attractive that you’ll come across. Even many of the free themes are beautifully crafted to help engage your audience.
As most have elaborate packages for customization, you have less to worry about when it comes to uploading your own icons or worrying about CSS or HTML adjustments. This makes Streamlabs Desktop probably one of the most user-friendly streaming apps I’ve used thus far.
With so many options available, you can find something that goes along with whatever game you’re playing or the branding you wish to deliver.
What Is Your Favorite Theme or Overlay?
I don’t necessarily have a favorite theme in Streamlabs Desktop. All of the ones I’ve chosen to use have unique elements that are perfect for the game I’m playing. There are some options that are easier than others to change, such as the social icons on Craft being easier to adjust than on Viking. But for the most part, I am happy with the ones I’ve chosen.
I just hope developers keep adding more variety and game-specific layouts. I remember back when there were less than 100 themes available. Now, there are thousands ready to be viewed.
The only drawback is that most of the more elaborate and stylish layouts are locked behind Streamlabs Ultra. But given the sheer amount of tools and integrations you get, it might be worth the $180 per year.
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