How to Disable NDI Tools: Complete Guide with Steps and Tricks

If you need to stop using NDI on your computer or are struggling with errors when opening OBS after installing the plugin, here's how. disable and uninstall NDI Tools and its runtime safely on both Windows and macOS, plus how to turn off NDI in applications like Microsoft Teams, Resolume or NDI Studio Monitor.

You will also see what to do when the warning “NDI Runtime not found NDIPlugin.LibError.Message NDIPlugin.RedistUrl.Win” and how to remove the NDI plugin from OBS without reinstalling the program. Along the way, we review the key features of NDI, its network and bandwidth limitations, and some Tricks to avoid common traffic jams.

What is NDI and what does NDI Tools include?

NDI (Network Device Interface) is a NewTek technology for sending video and audio over the local network without hardware information, which allows, for example, to broadcast from a Mac to a PC (and vice versa) or send the mobile camera with the NDI camera app to any connected device.

In practice, NDI works similarly to Syphon/Spout but designed for the network: you can take the output of an application (such as a Resolume running on a computer) to another instance on another computer, with a simple Ethernet connection. At the capacity level, there is no “connection limit” imposed by codecs, although bandwidth is king: for a 1080p/60 fps NDI stream, calculate at least 150 Mbit/s sustained.

The NDI Tools package includes utilities such as NDI Studio Monitor, Scan Converter, and others. Studio Monitor lets you view and manage NDI sources over the network, open multiple instances to set up a home multiview program, control the web from your mobile phone by scanning a QR code, and choose where the monitoring audio outputs, among other very useful new features.

If you are going to install or re-install, the official download is at https://ndi.tv/tools/ for macOS and Windows. Still, when your goal is to disable or remove NDI, the important thing is to know how to stop its output and, if necessary, uninstall NDI Tools and NDI Runtime.

Disable vs. uninstall: which is best for you?

Disabling NDI means preventing your computer from publishing or receiving NDI streams at that time (for example, by turning off the option in Resolume, Teams or Studio Monitor). Uninstalling means removing NDI Tools from your system and, in Windows, also removing the NDI Runtime which appears as an independent program.

If you just want to cut broadcasts or specific tests, the normal thing to do is to deactivate it in the app itself. If it's breaking your Boot from another app (like OBS) or you're not going to use it anymore, uninstall NDI Tools and the runtime to avoid future conflicts.

How to uninstall NDI Tools on Windows (and the NDI Runtime)

In Windows, the correct way is through the Control Panel. It's the cleanest way to remove NDI Tools and its runtime and leave the system without any trace of its services.

• Open the Start menu and search for “Control Panel.”
• Go to Programs > Uninstall a program.
• In the list, locate “NDI Tools” or the specific NDI software you want to remove.
• Right click > Uninstall and follow the wizard.

Important: the NDI Runtime It's installed separately, and you'll see its own entry in Programs and Features. If you no longer need it, uninstall it as well to avoid error messages about missing libraries or hanging dependencies.

If you want to do a fine cleanup, after uninstalling you can delete leftovers in C:\\Program Files\\NDI if it still exists. Do this carefully and only if you are sure there are no more third-party apps that depend on from the runtime.

How to uninstall NDI Tools on macOS

On a Mac, the process is more straightforward: it involves moving apps to the Trash and checking for supporting files. This is the usual way to remove utilities that don't have an uninstaller.

• Open Finder and go to Applications.
• Find NDI Tools (or the specific NDI apps you installed).
• Drag it to the Trash and, when you're done, empty it if you want to recover space.

As an additional cleanup, check if there are any support files left in typical paths of the System or User Library (for example, in Application Support). If you're unsure, don't blindly delete and prioritize only what you recognize as part of NDI, as other programs may share similar structures.

Remove the NDI plugin from OBS and fix the runtime error

A very common case: you have installed the NDI plugin for OBS but your version is not compatible (for example, the plugin you see is for OBS 25 and you continue with the version 24 on an older MacBook Pro). On startup, OBS fails to start and displays the warning “NDI Runtime not found NDIPlugin.LibError.Message NDIPlugin.RedistUrl.Win”, sometimes with an empty link.

If you don't want to reinstall the entire OBS, you can remove the plugin manually. The goal is to remove the NDI plugin files so that OBS works again. start without charging it:

• Windows: Locate the OBS plugins folder, for example, C:\Program Files\obs-studio\obs-plugins\ (and any subfolders, such as 64bit). Delete the NDI-related folder/files (for example, “obs-ndi”).
• macOS: Check /Library/Application Support/obs-studio/plugins/ and ~/Library/Application Support/obs-studio/plugins/ and remove “obs-ndi” if it exists. You may also want to uninstall the NDI Runtime if you installed it separately.

After removing the plugin, OBS should open normally. If you want to use NDI later, install a package compatible with your version of OBS and your operating system. If you were planning to use a capture card (e.g., an Elgato), you may not even need the NDI plugin, so don't reinstall it unless you absolutely need it.

Disabling NDI in Microsoft Teams (and what it means)

Teams allows you to output audio and video signals via NDI to your local network and also to SDI hardware, but it will depend on the administrator enabling the production/dissemination directiveIf you want to turn it off, simply leave the feature off during the meeting or uncheck the production toggles.

To understand How active (and thus be able to deactivate):

• Go to Settings and more > Settings.
• In Production Tools, you can download and install the latest NDI binaries.
• After installation, the switch Production Tools (it is not possible to activate it within a meeting).
• During a meeting, go to More actions > Streaming > Broadcast via NDI to start the output.

To deactivate, simply do not start the broadcast during the meeting, or if it is already active, stop broadcasting from the same menu and turn off the Production Tools toggle in Settings when you don't need it. Attendees receive a notification when NDI broadcasting is enabled; when you turn it off, that output is no longer available on the network.

When NDI is active in Teams, multiple streams can be generated: Main Speaker (automatically switches to the active speaker and does not include your own equipment), Local News (the A/V you send from your device), Individual Users (each user with the same mixed incoming audio), Screen Shared Content, and the modes Large gallery and “conference mode”, each with its own output.

In parallel, Teams can output to SDI hardware using Blackmagic Design or AJA Video Systems devices, always with the NDI/Broadcast policy enabled by the administrator. In Settings > App Permissions, “Production Capabilities” is enabled, and once in a meeting, the “send video to the hardware” from More options next to the participant.

Technical limitations to keep in mind: the number/quality of transmissions will depend on what your client receives; this is good practice. pin the video you're interested in to ensure the connection; try limiting the number of simultaneous NDI outputs to two or three per device to improve stability; switching to "conference mode" or "large gallery" reduces the other inputs, so that only that layout is transmitted; and, for now, the Apple Mac with Blackmagic devices are not supported for hardware output.

NDI in Resolume: How to disable outputs and avoid network issues

In Resolume, the NDI inputs They are always available and appear in the Sources tab. You can load them as clips and use as many as your network can handle. Output is enabled by enabling NDI in the Output menu; at that same point, if you don't want to output, disable NDI and ready.

Resolume Arena adds advanced control: treat an NDI output as an independent display for warping or choosing specific regions, and even change the width and height of the output. Additionally, if you use NDI-compatible PTZ cameras, you can control pan/tilt/zoom directly from the software.

Important tip about network adapters: NDI doesn't allow you to choose an interface, and if you have both Wi-Fi and Ethernet enabled, it may use Wi-Fi (especially on macOS). For stability, disable wireless when configuring NDI or prioritize the wired NIC from the system, as sending video over Wi-Fi is not supported. it's usually a bad idea.

Discovery vs. Connection: Sometimes you'll see a source in Sources, but it displays as "Offline" with a size of 0x0 when you use it. This is usually an IP mismatch: the devices "see" each other, but they're not in the same IP range, so the pixels don't travel. Solution: Disable any adapters you're not using and set manual IP addresses to the same range (e.g., the original text quotes 192.169.1.100 and 192.169.1.101; in home networks it is common to use 192.168.xx). The essential thing is that both computers share subnet.

NDI is professional video over IP. If this sounds like gibberish to you, that's normal: it requires networking knowledge. If the project is critical, ask someone who has experience with it for help. experience configuring IPs and LAN topologies.

Pending improvement (according to the shared wish list):

• Audio input and output in NDI.
• 16-bit video (new in NDI 4).
• NDI HX output (input is already supported).
• Tally information and feedback.
• YUV output.

NDI Studio Monitor: Useful Features and How to Stop It

NDI Studio Monitor comes with the NDI Tools package. After installing it from https://ndi.tv/tools/, when you open it you will see the network sources in the menu in the upper left corner. You can open multiple instances (ideal for setting up a multiview NDI without extra cost) and control them from a web interface with the “Screen Web Control” by scanning the QR code that appears on the screen.

In Audio, Studio Monitor detects your available devices (integrated card, external interface, HDMI monitor, etc.) and lets you choose where the audio comes out. monitoring soundIt's a simple yet powerful feature if you have multiple audio paths in your studio.

In Video you have options like “Safe Area”, show alpha channel or checkerboard for transparencies, Tally indicators (red or green line when the signal is in Program or Preview on your TriCaster) and the possibility to show or hide audio meters.

The Overlay section has two modes: “Overlay Using alpha” to overlay an image or video with transparency (ideal for labeling), and “Picture in Picture” to add another small signal above the background, as in a typical presentation composition.

In Output, you can make the window full screen, snap to the nearest quadrant, or remove borders. By combining multiple instances with these options, you get a clean and very practical multiview without the need for hardware. In PTZ Settings, in addition to virtual control of NDI PTZ cameras (such as NewTek's NHX), Studio Monitor can do virtual zoom and pan on a signal coming from VLC, taking advantage of the source resolution.

Featured Update (cited version 4.5 in 2020): NDI Monitor now also records what you are monitoring with a Red button. In addition, NDI Tools includes KVM support: you activate KVM in Scan Converter on PC1 and, from Studio Monitor on PC2, click the KVM icon to control PC1's keyboard/mouse/video as if it were a TeamViewer on your local network.

To strictly "disable" Studio Monitor, close the application and it will no longer subscribe to sources or publish overlays or KVM. Remember that NDI is designed for local networks: although you can access the web interface via Wi-Fi on your mobile device, It is not a system for the internet; keep everything within your LAN to avoid problems.

If you need to completely stop NDI on a computer that has several utilities from the suite (Studio Monitor, Scan Converter, etc.), close them all and, if you want to root out services and libraries, proceed with the Uninstalling NDI Tools and NDI Runtime as explained above.

With all of the above, you now know how to disable NDI outputs in apps, how to remove NDI from Windows and macOS, and how to resolve typical conflicts like the OBS plugin not matching your version or the classic "no runtime" error at startup. If you still have questions, check adapters and IPs, limit the number of simultaneous streams, and, when appropriate, disable or uninstall what you are not going to use to keep your system fine.