Twitch video glossary
Twitch's UI uses three words for "the recording": VOD (also called past broadcast), clip, and highlight. They look similar, but they mean different things — and they have different rules for how long they stay and how you save them.
Side by side
Past broadcasts, clips, highlights, uploads, and sub-only past broadcasts — what each one is, how long Twitch keeps it, and how VOD Manager handles it. No marketing math; the sub-only row is honest about a known limitation we're working on.
| Type | Definition | Bulk import? | Chat replay? | Twitch retention | 100hr cap? | Archive support | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Past broadcasts (VODs)
|
Auto-recorded copy of a live stream. |
Yes Channel-wide toggle |
7 / 14 / 60 days
Tier-based |
Full pipeline |
The most time-sensitive type — the retention clock starts when the stream ends. Sub-only past broadcasts: coming soon. | ||
|
Clips
|
Short shareable moment, made by viewers, mods, or the streamer. |
Sourced live From parent past broadcast |
Indefinite
Until deleted |
Video saved |
Clip chat is rendered live from the parent past broadcast and disappears when the parent expires — VOD Manager intentionally skips chat archival on clips. | ||
|
Highlights
|
Streamer-curated saved section of a past broadcast. |
Inherits From source range |
Indefinite
But in 100hr cap |
Combined with uploads |
Survives the 100hr cap |
Twitch auto-deletes least-viewed highlights when channels exceed the 100-hour cap. Archived copies survive on your storage. | |
|
Uploads
|
Non-livestream video uploaded directly via Video Producer. |
None No live stream chat |
Indefinite
But in 100hr cap |
Combined with highlights |
Survives the 100hr cap |
Same 100hr bucket as highlights. The chat sidecar is always empty — uploads never had associated stream chat to begin with. |
Auto-recorded copy of a live stream.
The most time-sensitive type — the retention clock starts when the stream ends. Sub-only past broadcasts: coming soon.
Short shareable moment, made by viewers, mods, or the streamer.
Clip chat is rendered live from the parent past broadcast and disappears when the parent expires — VOD Manager intentionally skips chat archival on clips.
Streamer-curated saved section of a past broadcast.
Twitch auto-deletes least-viewed highlights when channels exceed the 100-hour cap. Archived copies survive on your storage.
Non-livestream video uploaded directly via Video Producer.
Same 100hr bucket as highlights. The chat sidecar is always empty — uploads never had associated stream chat to begin with.
Quick answer
VOD
The whole stream. Kept for 14 days as an Affiliate; up to 60 days as a Partner, Turbo, or Prime user. Non-monetized streamers need to opt in (~7 days).
Clip
A short moment. Kept indefinitely while the source channel exists. Built for sharing, not archiving.
Highlight
A saved section from a VOD that you hand-picked. Avoids the VOD timer but counts against Twitch highlight + upload storage.
A VOD is the full recording of one stream, from the moment you went live until the moment you stopped. Twitch also calls it a past broadcast — the wording you'll see in settings and help pages.
Twitch creates VODs automatically only when "Store past broadcasts" is turned on. If that setting is off, there's no full recording to save after the stream ends.
VODs are the version with the strongest running-out-of-time pressure. They can include chat replay, chapters, and the whole stream context — but Twitch keeps them on a short timer before they disappear from the past-broadcast list.
A clip is a short moment captured from a live stream or saved video. Built for one play, joke, reaction, or surprise that you want to share without sending someone the whole broadcast.
A highlight is a saved section of a past broadcast that the streamer chooses to keep. It can feel clip-like, but highlights are usually made from the creator side, often after the stream is over.
VOD Manager is built around saving the full broadcast first, because that's the version with the deadline and the most context. A VOD gives you the whole stream, not just the parts that were clipped later.
When Twitch makes them available, VOD Manager also pulls chat replay and chapters so the archive is easier to review later.
Which to rely on
Use VODs when you want full-stream playback later. Use clips for sharing and discovery. Use highlights as a streamer-curated supplement for moments that deserve a permanent spot on the channel.
Clips and highlights are valuable, but they're fragments of the broadcast. If you may need the whole stream, save the VOD before the Twitch timer runs out.
Keep reading
Reference
See the 14-day and 60-day windows, plus how clips and highlights fit in.
More details
Setup
Turn on past broadcasts before your next stream ends.
More details
Early access
Auto-detected highlights can be cut into clips with one click — no re-encoding, no manual scrubbing.
More details
Save the broadcast
VOD Manager saves the full VOD, optional clips, chat replay, and chapters when Twitch makes them available, then puts the files in storage you control.
Twitch may change retention rules, clip rules, highlight storage limits, and help-page wording. Check Twitch Help for current details: Twitch VODs, Twitch clips, Twitch highlights.