How to Save VODs on Twitch
Recording is off until you turn it on, and even then the clock is already running on everything you keep.
In the creator dashboard, open stream settings and switch on storing past broadcasts. From that point every stream is kept as a VOD.
The recording is temporary. Twitch deletes past broadcasts after a retention period that depends on the account type, with affiliates and partners keeping theirs longer than ordinary accounts.
To keep a stream permanently, export it to YouTube from the video producer, or download it before the deadline.
Two separate decisions decide whether a stream survives, and most streamers only discover the second one after losing something.
The first is whether the broadcast is recorded at all. Past broadcast storage is a setting, it defaults off for new channels, and a stream that happened while it was off does not exist afterwards. There is no recovery, because nothing was written.
The second is retention. Twitch stores past broadcasts for a limited period and then deletes them automatically. The length depends on the account level, and the deletion is silent — no email, no warning, no grace period you can request.
That makes Twitch a bad archive by design, which is reasonable: it is a live platform and video storage is expensive. The practical consequence is that anything you want to keep has to leave.
The two exits are exporting to YouTube, which the video producer does directly, and downloading the file, which is slow but gives you the master. Highlights and clips live under different rules and are not deleted on the same schedule, which is why many streamers cut highlights from a broadcast before its deadline rather than keeping the whole thing.
Switching recording on
Creator dashboard, settings, stream. The option is for storing past broadcasts.
It applies to future streams only. Nothing retroactively records a broadcast that already happened.
The same page has the option to publish VODs for subscribers only, which is a separate decision from recording them.
Check it after any account change, because streamers report it reverting when accounts are migrated or reconnected.
How long a VOD lasts
Retention depends on the account type, with affiliate and partner accounts keeping past broadcasts longer than non-affiliates.
The countdown starts when the stream ends, and the deletion is automatic.
The dashboard shows the remaining time for each video, which is the only warning you get.
Highlights and uploads are not subject to the same expiry, which is the loophole worth using.
Keeping a stream permanently
Export to YouTube from the video producer, which uploads the recording directly to a connected channel.
Download the file from the same screen, which is slow for long streams and produces a large file.
Cut highlights, which persist beyond the broadcast's expiry and are the native way to keep the good parts.
For anything you care about, do both: a highlight on Twitch and a copy somewhere you control.
Muted audio and copyright
Twitch scans recordings for copyrighted music and mutes the affected segments in the VOD, while the live stream was unaffected.
The live and recorded experiences therefore differ, and a stream that sounded fine can produce a VOD with silent stretches.
Muting is applied to blocks rather than to single notes, so one track can silence several minutes.
Strikes are a separate and heavier matter, and repeated issues affect the channel rather than only the video.
Who can watch your VODs
Past broadcasts are public by default once recording is on.
They can be restricted to subscribers, which is a setting on the same page.
Individual videos can be deleted at any time, and deletion is immediate and permanent.
Viewers cannot download your VOD through Twitch; third-party downloaders exist and are outside the platform's terms.
Questions people ask about Twitch VODs
Does Twitch record my streams automatically?
No. Storing past broadcasts is a setting and is off by default, and it cannot be applied to a stream that already happened.
How long do Twitch VODs stay up?
A limited period that depends on the account type, with affiliates and partners keeping theirs longer. Deletion is automatic and silent.
How do I keep a stream forever?
Export it to YouTube from the video producer, download the file, or cut it into highlights, which are not deleted on the same schedule.
Why is part of my VOD silent?
Copyrighted music was detected in the recording and that section was muted. The live broadcast is scanned separately.
Can I make VODs subscriber-only?
Yes, in the same stream settings area. Recording and publishing are separate choices.
Can I recover a VOD that expired?
No. Once Twitch deletes a past broadcast it is gone, and support does not restore it.
Keep reading
- views on a Twitch video — A recording nobody opens in its first days is a recording that expires unwatched, and views on a Twitch video acts on that window.
- unpublished recordings — A VOD that exists but has no public page is a different state, and unpublished recordings explains it.
- how Twitch counts views — The counters on a channel mean specific things, and how Twitch counts views takes them apart.