Twitch is the largest streaming platform in the world. Most streams are about gaming, but there are other formats like music, creative streams, IRL streams, political commentary, history, etc. People can enjoy their favorite streams for free but also as subscribers. You can follow different channels, interact with others, and enjoy the content.
Since Twitch is designed as a live streaming platform, you have to watch videos in real time. Sadly this isn’t always possible as people have jobs, school, and other commitments in life. Sometimes their favorite streamers go live only when viewers have to do other things and don’t have free time. Unfortunately, only registered users with paid subscriptions can download live streams and watch them later.
Casual viewers don’t have this option. However, what if we told you there are ways to download Twitch videos even if you’re not a subscriber?
In this article
Part 1: Download Twitch Videos Using Twitch VOD
Twitch VOD is initially designed for content creators to help them grow their channels. The platform added it later and intended to support media in delivering their content to people who can’t be present during live streams.
However, there are many misconceptions about VOD videos and how they work. The biggest one is that viewers can download videos from their favorite streams. Sadly you can’t – you can only use this option to download the videos you’ve broadcasted.
What Is Twitch VOD?
Twitch VOD is short for Video on Demand, and this feature allows streamers to watch previous streams online, even after the live broadcast, and download them. That is only possible if the channel owner enables VOD storage. Twitch VOD videos are stored for different periods depending on the account settings:
- Typical broadcasters get a 7-day storage period;
- Affiliate broadcasters have 14-day storage;
- Partner users get 60-day storage;
- Turbo users get 60-day storage;
- Prime users get 60-day storage.
Simply put, you can download the video using Twitch VOD while the video is stored. After the storage time has expired, the video will be lost forever. Even Though this is a good feature, some people might want to store videos indefinitely or save them for later use. That isn’t possible with Twitch VOD.
Before Downloading Twitch Videos With VOD
Before you can start downloading your Twitch VODs, you will have to enable automatic storage. This is very important because you can’t download VOD videos unless this feature is enabled. In other words, your videos aren’t stored by default. Here’s how to do it:
Step1 Go to the Twitch website in your browser on log into your account.
Step2 Click on your profile username located in the upper-right corner.
Step3 Scroll down in the drop-down menu and click Settings.
Step4 When you reach the Settings window, click Channel and Videos.
Step5 Click on the Steam card in the menu on the left.
Step6 Turn on the Store Past Videos feature in the Stream Key & Preferences window.
Downloading Twitch Videos on Desktop With VOD
Once you’ve enabled storing videos automatically, you can start downloading them. Of course, you will first have to broadcast some videos so they can be stored. Here are all the steps:
Step1 Log into your Twitch account and click on your profile username located in the upper-right corner.
Step2 Click on Video Producer in the drop-down menu on the right.
Step3 Click the All Video tabs and check Past Broadcast to see all the saved videos.
Step4 Go through all the VODs you want to download, click on the three dots next to the video, and press Download to save your videos.
Part 2: Online Video Downloaders
Another option for downloading videos from Twitch is to use an online video downloader. These simple tools can be free or come with a subscription package. These tools are designed for downloading videos from various platforms, including Twitch.
Twitch Video Downloaders Explained
Video downloaders work with YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and other streaming platforms. You can choose different formats for downloading videos, including M4A, AVI, MOV, MP3, MP4, etc. These tools let you save and download clips in different resolutions like 4K, 1K, 720p, etc.
Most of these downloaders allow you to download multiple videos simultaneously. In other words, you can open up several Twitch videos and download them. You can download highlights, clips, and VODs using these tools.
Apart from adjusting the quality of the video and its format, some of these tools also let you choose the length of the video. You can set the starting and end points regardless of the total length of the stream. This is an excellent option for clipping videos or extracting favorite stream highlights.
How Online Video Downloaders Work
As an example, we’ve chosen UnTwitch to show you how online video downloaders work. Most of them work with similar principles. The first thing you have to do is open a video in your browser. Open streaming or playing video on Twitch. Open Twitch and find the video you want to download.
When you’re in viewing mode, right-click on the address bar in your browser and copy the video link. An alternative method is to use the share button and find the copy link option to copy the video link to the clipboard.
Once you’ve copied the link, you need to go to the web page of the online downloader (UnTwitch or some other downloader) and paste the link into the box. Once you’ve done that, you only have to press download, and your video download will start.
Many content creators even embed video links on their channels so you can copy them directly into the downloader. Here’s how to use UnTwtich to download Twitch videos.
Step1 Open UnTwitch.com in your web browser or search for the tool online.
Step2 Find the Twitch video you want to download and open the live stream.
Step3 Copy the address of the video from the URL bar (select + right click + copy)
Step4 Switch back to your UnTwitch window and paste the video address into the bar and click “SUBMIT.”
Step5 Choose the desired download format and download option.
Step6 Choose the download path and click Save. Wait for the download to finish.
Part 3: Download Twitch Videos With a Desktop Downloader
Desktop downloaders are the most reliable option for downloading Twitch videos. Some of them are even supported by Twitch and come with various tools that let you process and edit videos right off the bat.
What Are Desktop Downloaders?
Desktop downloaders are similar to online downloaders but must be installed on your device. They also come as free and paid options and give you even more options when choosing formats, adding video effects, video quality, etc.
Overall, these tools are more reliable than their online counterparts. Furthermore, this software also comes with video editing features that let you polish your downloaded videos for whatever purpose.
Some of these tools are specifically made for Twitch and let you download entire playlists from a channel. In some cases, you can even set up automated downloads, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on anything.
How They Work
You must first download a desktop video downloader of your choice and install it on your device. There are many options available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. After you’ve downloaded your tool, you need to start the program and provide a video link to start the download.
The process is similar to online downloaders, but apart from choosing the download location, you can instantly convert videos, edit them, cut videos, etc. Desktop tools offer more reliable results and download videos more quickly.
However, they aren’t 100% reliable and sometimes download corrupt videos. Here’s a step by step guide on how to download videos with VideoProc Converter:
Step1 Start VideoProc Converter and select Downloader.
Step2 Find the streaming video on Twitch you want to download and copy the URL address from the address bar.
Step3 Click on the Add Video feature in VideoProc
Step4 Paste your URL into the address bar and click Analyze.
Step5 Select the video you want to download on the left, choose the right quality, and click Download Selected Videos in the bottom right corner.
Step6 Click on Start Recording, and your video will be recorded in real time.
Step7 When you want to stop real-time stream recording click Stop Recording.
Part 4: Bonus Tip: How to Repair Corrupt Videos
As we mentioned, Twitch video downloaders aren’t 100% successful. Downloads sometimes last too long, they get interrupted, or you might end up downloading corrupt videos that don’t work properly. Luckily, you can use various video repair tools to repair corrupted video files and get them working.
One of the best options for this is Wondershare Repairit, which lets you preview and use an advanced video repair feature that can handle even the most severe issues with video files. Once the video is fixed, Rapairit also lets you preview the video and see if you have the desired results before saving the file.
This tool works with all major video file formats, including MOV, M2TS, MTS, INSV, FLV, AVI, MP4, 3GP, and MKV. The process is quite simple, and here’s a complete guide on how to use Repairit.
Repair damaged videos with all levels of corruption, such as video not playing, video no sound, playback errors, header corruption, flickering video, missing video codec, etc.
Conclusion
Downloading videos from Twitch requires a bit of effort, but it’s not complicated. Use the tools we’ve mentioned today to store videos quickly and use them for your needs. Take the time to find the software that works best for you and has all the features you need.