How to save Twitch streams of your game before the VODs expire
Published · Numbers as of
60 sthe longest clip any logged-in viewer can make from a Twitch VOD. The clip stays on Twitch after the VOD expires
Clip the moments you need while the VOD is still up. Any logged-in Twitch viewer can make a clip of up to 60 seconds from a past broadcast, unless the streamer has turned clips off, and the clip stays on Twitch after the VOD expires. For a longer part, ask the streamer to keep it as a highlight.
Don't wait. Of 257 VODs of indie game streams we checked on 27 Sept 2026, 91% were on channels that normally keep them for 14 days or less.
What expires and what stays
| Kind | Who makes it | How long it stays |
|---|---|---|
| Past broadcast (VOD) | Twitch, if the streamer saves broadcasts | 7, 14 or 60 days, depending on the streamer's account |
| Clip, up to 60 seconds | any logged-in viewer, the streamer or their editors | until the streamer or the person who made it deletes it, also after the VOD expires |
| Highlight | the streamer or their editors | no expiry date, but a channel can keep only 100 hours of highlights and uploads |
The days each Next Fest VOD expires are in how long Twitch VODs from Next Fest stay online.
Clip the minutes that matter
- Log in to Twitch and open the VOD at the minute you noted.
- Press the Clip button in the video player. Twitch opens a clip editor at that point of the video.
- Trim it to the part you need, up to 60 seconds, and give it a plain, neutral title.
- Publish it and copy the link into your notes, next to what happened in that minute.
A clip is public and lives on the streamer's channel, with your account shown as the one who made it. The streamer sees it and can delete it. If the Clip button is missing, the streamer has turned clips off or limited them to followers or subscribers; respect that and keep the VOD link and the minute instead.
Ask for a highlight for longer parts
A highlight is a longer part of a past broadcast that the streamer saves to their channel. Highlights have no expiry date, but since May 2025 a channel can hold only 100 hours of highlights and uploads, and Twitch deletes the least-watched ones above that (TechCrunch). Only the streamer or their editors can make one, so ask, say which minutes, and say why. It is their channel and their call.
What not to do
- Don't download a streamer's VOD to keep a copy. Twitch's terms let you watch other people's content but not download it (Twitch Terms of Service).
- Keep clips for you and your team. Making a clip doesn't give you the right to use the footage, so don't put one in a trailer, a store page or a post without asking the streamer first. A clip shows their face, voice and commentary, not only your game.
Keep a note even without a clip
For each moment, write the VOD link, the minute and one line on what happened. When the VOD is gone, the note still tells you what to look for in the next round of streams. Where the notes come from: how to find Twitch streams of your game and what to do with them after Next Fest.
How we counted
The share of short-lived VODs is from 257 VODs behind our game pages, checked 27 Sept 2026, with the retention estimated from the channel type through the Twitch API. The rules for clips come from Twitch Help (“How to use Clips”, “Clips settings”) and the Twitch API documentation, checked 7 October 2026; the 100-hour limit from Twitch's announcement as reported by TechCrunch.
What this doesn't tell you
- Twitch changes these rules from time to time. Check Twitch Help if a button or limit looks different.
- Twitch doesn't show which streamers have Prime or Turbo, which keeps VODs for 60 days, so some VODs last longer than their channel type suggests.
Demo in the October Next Fest?
Overheard finds the Twitch streams of your Steam game or demo and tells you where streamers got stuck, what broke and what they liked, each with a link to the minute in the VOD. Send us the Steam page: we email you when enough streamers have played it, and you decide then whether the $49 report is worth it.