How to Download Twitch VODs (Videos on Demand)

Whether you’re a streamer who’s been grinding on Twitch for years or a freshman on the platform just starting out, VODs are one of the most useful features Twitch has for creators.

Not only is it rewarding to go back and look at all of your best moments on stream, but you can also use these downloads to make tons of content that you can post on your socials to help grow your audience across multiple platforms.

So, we’re going to talk about all things VOD. By the end of this read, you’ll know what they are, how to download them, and how you can use your streams to make fantastic videos for your socials.

What Is a Twitch VOD?

VOD is an acronym for “video on demand,” and it’s not an acronym unique to Twitch. In a broad sense, VOD is a system that allows viewers to access video content whenever they want instead of waiting for a broadcast.

Today, VODs are the norm across most video platforms. Twitch, YouTube, Netflix, and the like have a stockpile of content ready for you to watch anytime with only a few clicks.

On Twitch, viewers can click on the profile of any streamer, scroll over to the “Videos” tab, and have a selection of all of that streamer's past streams ready for them to watch (if they have an internet connection, of course).

Context

But when creators on Twitch refer to their VODs, they typically talk about a more specific thing than just on-demand videos of their streams. They’re talking about a full download of their entire stream on their hard drive.

Now, VODs like this are only accessible to the creators themselves. Viewers can’t go in and download streams themselves. If they want to watch your VODs offline, it has to be posted on another platform for them to download. But viewers can always watch your VODs on your Twitch channel.

Why Should You Download Your Twitch VODs

So you know what a VOD is, but what’s the point of them? If your viewers can watch all your streams on Twitch on demand, do you really need to make the effort to keep them on your drive?

Content, Content, Content!

If you’re trying to become a serious streamer and make some or all of your income through streaming, you will need to utilize other platforms to grow your audience and reach people who might not be on Twitch.

You need to make clip compilations for YouTube. You can post hilarious moments in your games on TikTok. You can even make short patch update breakdowns or tutorials for Instagram Reels. There are tons of content types and platforms that you need to take advantage of.

Tons of creators out there will download their VODs and upload them into a video editor to take out the best moments from their stream and make them into smaller videos for other platforms. That’s why downloading your VOD is so important to understand.

What’s the Benefit of Posting to Multiple Platforms?

This might seem like a ton of extra work. There are ways to make it way easier (which we’ll talk about in a minute), but at first, it can seem pretty daunting and not worth all the trouble. But this extra time and effort can help you in the long run.

For starters, it’s a way to reach people you wouldn’t have reached otherwise. There are tons of passionate gaming enthusiasts out there who grind on their games every day but have never logged onto Twitch once. That said, they’ll watch a Reel or TikTok about their game of choice every day of the week. Making this content can reach those fans.

On top of that, Twitch’s algorithm is not designed to get small streamers’ content in front of new viewers. Because of this, breaking out as a small streamer is a huge grind. So utilize the TikTok algorithm to grow quickly. Drive people from your socials to your Twitch once you rope them in, and you’ll watch your channel grow way faster than before.

And finally, you gotta think about that bag! Twitch does fairly well when it comes to paying creators for the engagement they get. But getting tons of engagement can be difficult. If you grow multiple platforms, you’ll develop multiple streams of income, helping you grow quicker and providing you more stability in the long run.

How to Download Your VODs

Now that you know the importance of VOD downloading, let’s talk about how to do it. Twitch makes downloading your VODs incredibly easy.

Here’s how you can download your VODs in just a few easy steps:

Enable VOD Storage

First things first: You’re going to need to enable VOD storage on your Twitch account. Head to your Creator Dashboard on Twitch. Open the settings tab and then click “Stream.” There’s a section there called “VOD Settings” where you’ll see a slider next to the words “Store past broadcasts.”

Simply click this slider into the on position, and you’ll enable Twitch to archive your VODs on your account. But beware! Twitch won’t store your VODs forever. Twitch Partners have their VODs stored for 60 days, Affiliates can have them stored for 14 days, and other streamers can only have them stored for seven days.

Always Publish VODs

While you’re in the VOD settings, it’s probably a good idea to click the slider that says “Always Publish VODs.” This will make it so that your VODs are automatically published to your Twitch page for your viewers to go back and watch.

Head to Video Producer

Now that your settings are all in order, you can head back to your Creator Dashboard. Once you’re there, click on the “Content” dropdown menu and select “Video Producer.” This will take you to a new page where you can manage all your VODs, highlights, and uploads.

Download Your VOD

On this page, you’ll be able to see all your VODs in one place. Find the VOD you want to download and click the three dots on the right side of the bar. This will pull up a dropdown menu. Simply click the “Download” option, and it will start a local download of the VOD to your device.

It may take a few seconds for the download to begin based on the size of the video you’re downloading. So be patient — your download will start shortly. Once it’s done, you’ll have a copy of your VOD on your device ready for you to do whatever you want with it.

A Better Option for Content

Of course, you can always download your VODs, chop them up in a video editor to make compilations, and get clips to post on your socials. But, thanks to AI technology, there is now a far easier way to easily get top-quality content. It’s called Powder.

Powder is an AI software that helps you get clips from your streams. The AI is specially trained to detect big moments in your game and capture clips of them. Whenever it detects a kill, victory, or another big moment, it records the past several seconds so you have a perfect clip for your other platforms.

And if you’re playing with friends, Powder also has a laughter and loudness detector. So it will even capture hilarious or rage-inducing moments on your stream.

How to Use Powder

All you’ve got to do is create a free account, upload your VOD to Powder, and watch the magic happen. Powder also allows you the option to just connect your Twitch account to Powder, and Powder will have your latest stream waiting for you in the app whenever you’re ready to make clips. Powder will analyze your VOD and then show you all the big moments as short, shareable clips, and give you the reason it captured them.

From there, you can format how you want the clips to appear. You can change the layout to fit a vertical or horizontal screen and then download the clips individually or even have Powder create a quick compilation of the clips from the stream.

Now, in just a few clicks, you have created several clips that are ready to post to your socials AND a long-form clip compilation to post to YouTube. Powder can save you hours of work and still give you the ability to grow your audience across multiple platforms.

Use Your VODs to Grow as a Streamer

Now you know how to download your VODs straight from Twitch and generate social media content quickly and easily. Whether you like to post clips of you coming in clutch or post hilarious moments of your friends roasting each other in chat, Powder can help you get the content you need in minutes.

For more information about Powder and how you can grow your gaming career across all varieties of social media, check out our resources.

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