You cannot change the expiration date on a Twitch VOD after it uploads

Twitch sets VOD expiration automatically based on your account type, and you cannot manually extend or shorten that date once the video is live. What you can control is whether the VOD saves at all, and how long Twitch keeps it before deletion. The expiration timeline depends on whether you are a Twitch Affiliate, Partner, or standard account holder — each tier has different storage rules.

If you want a VOD to stay permanently, you need to download it before the expiration date arrives, then re-upload it to another platform or your own server. This is the only way to preserve a stream indefinitely.

Key Takeaways

  • Standard Twitch accounts keep VODs for 14 days; Affiliates and Partners keep them for 60 days, and you cannot change these windows.
  • You can turn off VOD saving entirely in your Creator Dashboard settings if you do not want streams recorded at all.
  • Downloading your VOD before expiration and uploading it elsewhere is the only way to keep a stream permanently.
  • Clips you create from a VOD stay on Twitch indefinitely, even after the original VOD expires.
  • If a VOD has already expired, Twitch does not restore it — the deletion is permanent.

How long Twitch keeps VODs by account type

Standard Twitch accounts — those without Affiliate or Partner status — have VODs deleted after 14 days. Twitch Affiliates and Partners both receive 60 days of storage. This is a hard limit set by Twitch, not a setting you adjust. The clock starts the moment your stream ends, regardless of how long the broadcast was.

If you stream regularly, older VODs will disappear automatically once they hit their expiration date. You will not receive a warning or notification before deletion. The only way to know a VOD is about to expire is to check your Videos page in the Creator Dashboard and look at the upload date yourself.

Turning off VOD recording in Creator Dashboard

If you do not want Twitch to save your streams as VODs at all, you can disable recording. Log into your Creator Dashboard, select Settings, then go to Stream. Under the Stream Settings section, find the option labeled "Store past broadcasts" and toggle it off. This prevents any VOD from being created when you go live.

Disabling VOD storage does not affect clips — viewers can still create clips during your stream, and those clips will remain on your channel indefinitely. This setting only stops the full broadcast from being saved. If you turn it back on later, future streams will be recorded again, but previously deleted VODs cannot be recovered.

Downloading a VOD before it expires

To keep a stream permanently, download the VOD file to your computer before the expiration date. Go to your Videos page in Creator Dashboard, find the VOD you want to save, click the three-dot menu next to it, and select "Download." Twitch will prepare the file, which typically takes several minutes to an hour depending on stream length. You will receive a download link via email once it is ready.

The downloaded file is an MP4 video file that you can store on your computer, external drive, or cloud storage. You can then upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, your own website, or any other video platform. This is the standard way streamers archive important broadcasts, tournament VODs, or content they want to reference later.

What happens to clips after a VOD expires

Clips created from a VOD remain on Twitch permanently, even after the original broadcast is deleted. If a viewer clipped a moment from your stream, that clip will stay on your channel and in their library indefinitely. The clip is stored separately from the full VOD, so expiration does not affect it.

This means if you want to preserve key moments from a stream without downloading the entire VOD, you can ask viewers to clip highlights, or create clips yourself during or shortly after the broadcast. Clips are also easier to share on social media and typically get more engagement than full VODs.

Recovering a VOD that has already expired

Once a VOD expires and is deleted by Twitch, it cannot be recovered. Twitch does not maintain backups of deleted VODs and does not restore them under any circumstances, even if you contact support. If you needed to keep a stream and did not download it before expiration, the only option is to re-stream the content if you have a recording from another source.

This is why downloading important VODs before their expiration date is critical. Set a reminder on your calendar for day 13 if you have a standard account, or day 59 if you are an Affiliate or Partner, to download anything you want to keep.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pay Twitch to extend a VOD expiration date?

No. Twitch does not offer any paid option to extend VOD storage beyond the standard limits for your account type. The only way to preserve a stream longer than 60 days is to download it and store it yourself or upload it to another platform.

Do I lose my VODs if I cancel my Twitch Affiliate status?

No. If you lose Affiliate or Partner status, your existing VODs are not immediately deleted. However, your future streams will follow the standard 14-day expiration instead of 60 days. VODs created while you were an Affiliate or Partner keep their original 60-day window from the date they were uploaded.

What if I want to keep all my streams permanently?

Download each VOD before it expires and store the files on your computer or cloud storage. Alternatively, upload them to YouTube or another video platform that does not delete content. Many streamers use YouTube as their permanent archive while keeping recent VODs on Twitch for discoverability.

Can viewers download my VODs?

No. Only the channel owner can download VODs from the Creator Dashboard. Viewers cannot download streams directly from Twitch, though they can screen-record or use third-party tools — but those methods violate Twitch's terms of service.

Do Twitch Partner contracts require me to keep VODs?

No. Keeping or deleting VODs is your choice. Some Partners delete VODs to save storage space or for privacy reasons. Twitch does not mandate that Partners maintain an archive of past broadcasts.