How to Download a Twitch Clip and Stream Recording (VOD) in 2026

Twitch lets you download your own clip or stream recording (VOD) straight from the site as an MP4: for a clip, use the download button in the Share menu of the Creator Dashboard; for a broadcast, use Video Producer and the Download option in the video menu. There is no official button for other people's VODs, and other people's clips are usually saved with free downloaders such as Streams Charts. Don't put off saving recordings: regular channels keep VODs for 7 days, Affiliates for 14, Partners plus Prime and Turbo users for 60, and highlights and uploads together are capped at 100 hours.

What exactly can you download from Twitch

Video on Twitch comes in three kinds, and each has its own rules.

Video type	What it is	How long it is kept
Clip	A 5 to 60 second excerpt of a stream, which a viewer or the streamer can create	No auto-deletion, and the 100-hour limit does not apply to clips
Broadcast recording (VOD)	A full copy of the stream, if saving past broadcasts is turned on	7, 14 or 60 days depending on the channel status
Highlight and upload	A segment cut from a VOD, or a video you uploaded manually	No expiry, but no more than 100 hours per channel in total

Which gives a simple rule: clips almost never disappear on their own, stream recordings are deleted on a timer, and highlights last until the channel hits its limit.

How to download your own clip

If the clip was made on your channel or by you, Twitch gives you the file without any third-party services:

1. Click your avatar in the top right corner and open the Creator Dashboard.
2. In the left menu choose Content, then Clips. This is the clip manager.
3. Open the clip you need and click Share.
4. In the pop-up window, click the download icon (the arrow pointing down).

The file is saved as an MP4 in the quality of the original stream. The mobile app usually has no download button, so it is easier to open Twitch on a computer.

If you have hundreds of clips, since September 2025 the Twitch API has an official Get Clips Download method. It returns links to clip files on behalf of the channel owner or their editor, up to 10 clips per request. It is used by editing services and bots and you will not need it by hand, but if your editor asks for editor access so they can export clips in bulk, this is the legitimate way.

How to download your own stream recording

First make sure recordings are saved at all. In the Creator Dashboard open Settings, then Stream, and turn on storing past broadcasts. On new channels this switch is off by default, and then there is nothing to download after a stream.

After that it is simple:

1. Open the Creator Dashboard and go to Content, then Video Producer.
2. Choose the tab with past broadcasts.
3. Click the three dots next to the recording and choose Download.
4. Twitch prepares an MP4 file; a long stream can take a few minutes to prepare.

If you only need a piece of the stream, don't download a 6-hour recording. Create a highlight from the VOD, mark the start and end of the segment you want, publish it and download that instead. Afterwards you can delete the highlight so it doesn't eat into your storage limit. The process is covered in detail in the article how to make highlights from a stream.

VOD retention periods

Channel status	How long recordings are kept
Regular channel	7 days
Affiliate	14 days
Partner, as well as Prime and Turbo users	60 days

The countdown starts when the stream ends. When the time runs out, the recording is deleted and cannot be brought back. Clips cut from a deleted VOD stay where they are.

The 100-hour limit on highlights

Since May 19, 2025, highlights and manually uploaded videos together are limited to 100 hours per channel. If a channel goes over the limit, Twitch deletes the excess itself, starting with the videos that have the fewest views. Past broadcasts and clips are not affected by this limit. If you have built up an archive of highlights over the years, check the total duration every couple of months and save old videos to your own drive.

How to download someone else's clip

Twitch has no official download button for other people's clips: the download option in the Share menu is available to the channel owner, their editors and the creator of the clip. If you didn't cut the clip and it isn't your channel, you are left with third-party downloaders, and it is best to stick to well-known ones:

• Streams Charts Clip Downloader (streamscharts.com/clips/downloader) is a free web service from the analytics company Streams Charts. You paste the clip link, choose 1080p, 720p, 480p or 360p resolution and get an MP4. Nothing needs to be installed.
• TwitchDownloader is a free open-source program on GitHub. It saves clips, stream recordings and even chat, and comes as a GUI version for Windows and a command-line version for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Avoid browser extensions with names like Twitch Downloader from unknown authors, and sites that open ad tabs when you click a button. Such tools often install adware and steal login data. Never enter your Twitch username and password on third-party sites: a proper clip downloader doesn't need them.

What about copyright

A downloaded clip does not become yours. The rights to the recording belong to the streamer, and the frame may also contain someone else's music or game. Saving a funny moment for yourself or sending it to a friend is normal practice. But re-uploading other people's clips to your own YouTube, TikTok or VK Video, building compilations from them and earning money on them without the author's permission is not allowed: the streamer has the right to file a complaint, and your channel will get a strike. If you want to make compilations, agree it with the streamer; many are looking for clippers themselves.

Can you download someone else's VOD?

An honest answer: there is no official way. The Download button in Video Producer is only available to the channel owner and their editors, and the public Twitch API has no method for exporting stream recordings. Technically, programs like TwitchDownloader can save public VODs, but the same copyright rules apply as for clips, only stricter: a full recording of someone else's stream is someone else's work in its entirety.

Limitations worth knowing in advance:

• subscriber-only recordings cannot be downloaded without subscribing to the channel;
• segments where Twitch muted music because of copyright will be silent in the file too;
• no program can bring back a VOD that was deleted on expiry or by the streamer;
• if the streamer turned off saving recordings, there is simply nothing to download.

If you are an editor or you make compilations for a streamer, the right way is to ask them to give you the editor role. Then you download recordings officially and without intermediaries.

How to save a stream before it is deleted

The most common problem is not how to download but how not to lose it. There are four working options, and you can combine them.

1. A highlight of the best moments. Highlights are not deleted on a timer as long as the channel stays within 100 hours. This suits short, bright segments, but not a full archive.
2. Downloading after every stream. Get into the habit of downloading the VOD in Video Producer the same day. An hour of 1080p60 recording weighs several gigabytes, so keep a separate drive or cloud storage for the archive.
3. Export to YouTube. For many years the video menu in Video Producer had an Export option that, once a YouTube channel was linked, moved the recording there without downloading. Streamers were still using it in 2025, but we could not verify the current status of the feature for 2026 in the Twitch help center. If you don't have the option, download the file and upload it manually. We described how to do this without losing quality in the article transferring a VOD from Twitch to YouTube. For a Russian-speaking audience, a fallback is VK Video: the file is uploaded the same way.
4. Local recording in OBS. The most reliable option: OBS writes the stream to your drive at the same time as broadcasting, and Twitch has nothing to do with it. Click Start Recording together with Start Streaming, or turn on automatic recording in the settings.

How to set up recording in OBS

In Settings, Output, Recording, choose the Hybrid MP4 format (in new OBS profiles it is the default since version 32) or MKV. Neither format loses the file if your computer freezes or OBS crashes in the middle of a stream. MKV can easily be converted to MP4 later through File, Remux Recordings, or you can turn on automatic remuxing. You can leave recording quality at Same as stream, which puts less load on the computer. If you want a better picture for YouTube than on Twitch, set a separate encoder and a higher bitrate for the recording, but keep in mind that this is extra load on the graphics card. A step-by-step guide is in the article how to set up OBS for streaming.

What format and quality the file will have

• Format. Both clips and recordings downloaded from Twitch come as MP4. Any player or video editor opens it without conversion.
• Quality. The file cannot be better than the original stream. If the stream was 1080p60, you get 1080p60; if it was 720p, it will not go above 720p. For most channels the ceiling is 1080p.
• Sound. If Twitch muted segments because of music, they stay silent in the downloaded file. To avoid this, use copyright-free music or record the stream locally and cut out the problem spots yourself.
• Chat. A standard download saves only the video. TwitchDownloader can export the chat separately.

Why download your own clips and recordings at all

A downloaded stream is raw material for growth: it becomes videos for YouTube, vertical cuts for Shorts, TikTok and VK Clips, and teasers for a Telegram channel. New viewers come more often from such short videos than from the Twitch directory. So that clips and recordings don't sit with zero views and reach recommendations faster, you can add starter views for Twitch clips and VODs, which helps the first viewers see that the video is being watched. Other tools for your channel are collected in the Twitch services section.

Frequently asked questions

Why don't I have a Download button on my stream recording?

Most often because the recording wasn't saved: check whether storing past broadcasts is turned on in the stream settings. The second reason is that the 7, 14 or 60 day retention period has expired. The third is that you are not signed in to the channel owner's or an editor's account.

Can I download a clip from my phone?

The Twitch app usually has no download button. It is easier to open twitch.tv in a mobile browser in desktop mode or download the clip from a computer. The Streams Charts downloader also opens in a phone browser.

How long are clips kept on Twitch?

Clips have no retention period, and the 100-hour limit does not apply to them. A clip disappears only if the channel owner, the clip's creator or Twitch (for a rules violation) deletes it. Even when the original VOD is deleted, the clip stays.

Can I recover a deleted stream recording?

You should not count on it. After the retention period ends or the VOD is deleted manually, it disappears from Twitch, and there is no way to bring it back in the channel settings. So download important streams right away or record them locally in OBS.

Is it legal to download other people's clips?

Saving a clip for personal viewing is normal practice, but the rights to it remain with the streamer. Re-uploading, editing into your own videos and monetizing someone else's content without permission is not allowed, and you can get a complaint and a strike for it.

What quality is a VOD downloaded in?

In the original quality of the stream, as an MP4. The file will not be better than the broadcast, so if you plan to re-upload recordings to YouTube, it is worth streaming in 1080p or recording the stream in parallel in OBS at a higher bitrate.