Preserving your streams is a good way to have a library of past events that you can use in compilation videos or simply remember how far you’ve come since the start. This post will cover several options you can take in order to store your past VODs indefinitely after your stream has ended.
There are 4 primary ways to save your old Twitch VODS:
- Upload to Cloud Storage
- Store on Harddrive
- Restream to YouTube
- Clips and Highlights
How Long Do Vods Last?
For most streamers, Twitch will delete VODs after 14 days. The only exception to this rule is for Twitch Partners or Twitch Turbo members in which case Vods will last 60 days. If you want to preserve your VODS any longer than this, you’ll need to find a different option to store your recordings.
Upload VODs to Cloud Storage
An alternative option is to use encrypted cloud storage. Not only will this save space on your computer, but you also won’t have to worry about losing your data if your equipment crashes. Cloud storage gives you access from any device and some providers allow you to share specific files with others, allowing you to easily grant access to your database to potential editors.
One of the best cloud storage services is pCloud. Unlike other services, pCloud offers both annual and lifetime plans, meaning that you can choose to pay once and never have to worry about it again. pCloud puts security first and has encrypted layers to protect your information and your account.
The platform also allows some syncing from select services so that you don’t have to take any extra steps. Again, this will work from all devices for your convenience. It also has a built-in video player, allowing you to look at your past memories without having to re-download them to your computer.
Store Twitch VODs on a Hard Drive
VODs can take up a lot of space, especially if you are producing at least 1080p quality. If your plan is to download your VODs and store them on your computer, it is a good idea to store them on a second drive as taking up too much space on your main drive will slow it down substantially.
Depending on how often you plan to stream and the quality of your streams, you will probably want to go with at least a 2 TB drive, though a 3 or 4TB drive is probably more ideal. You will need to find an option that is compatible with your computer. You can also select a portable hard drive if you plan to move the data or need it elsewhere for editing.
IronWolf
- 4TB Internal HDD
- SATA 6.0 Gb/s
- 64MB cache
Lacie
- 4TB External HDD
- USB 3.0
- Shock/Rain Resistant
IronWolf
- 5TB External HDD
- USB 3.0
- Schedule Backups
Save VODs By Restreaming to YouTube
You can also save your VODs by restreaming to a private YouTube channel (if you are affiliated or partnered with Twitch). You could then download these videos and edit them further in the future. You may have to worry about certain parts being muted if you are playing copyrighted content on your stream.
To restream to YouTube, you will need to use a service such as Restream or use a streaming software like MelonApp. Melon is a simple-to-use streaming service that allows you to multi-stream to several different platforms at once and brings in other streamers easily onto your channel. It isn’t as customizable as other software, but if you want something easy, Melon is a good option.
Create Clips and Highlights
You can save some memories of your stream on your channel by creating Twitch clips and highlights of the best parts of your VoDs. Clips and highlights will stay on a channel past the 14/60 days. You should know, however, that the platform may delete them at any time, just as they did due to DMCA standards on Twitch. Due to that, it is a good idea to use harddrive storage to ensure that none of your channel’s memories are lost.
Conclusion
It is important to save your past Twitch memories. As you grow in popularity, you will be able to create YouTube compilations that show just how far you’ve come or how channel memes were originally created. Build your channel to be a community where people are passionate about remembering how everything started.
Zac
Zac is a part-time tech blogger. He’s an avid gamer with a taste for old-school RPG’s and Indie Sandbox games. He excels at theory crafting and finding new ways to enjoy a well-loved game.