Guide
How to clip a stream (Twitch, Kick and YouTube)
To clip a stream you have three options: the platform's clip button (up to 60 seconds on Twitch, 10 to 180 seconds on Kick), cutting the recording yourself, or running the whole recording through an AI like iaclips, which finds the moments that stand on their own and delivers them vertical with captions. iaclips takes a finished YouTube live link or a file: for Twitch or Kick, download your VOD first, then upload it. It works for streams where people talk, not for gameplay without commentary.
Updated October 20, 2026
What are the ways to clip a stream?
For one moment, the platform's clip button is fastest. To get several clips out of a whole stream, you need the recording: cut it yourself or run it through an AI.
From Twitch's and Kick's help centers, checked October 20, 2026.
How do I clip a Twitch stream?
For one moment, click the clip icon on the player, set the length (up to 60 seconds), add a title and click Publish. Twitch also makes a portrait version you can post straight to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram or Snapchat. To get several clips from a whole stream, download the VOD and upload it to iaclips:
Turn on Store Past Broadcasts
Before you go live, check in your Stream Settings on the Creator Dashboard that Store Past Broadcasts is on. It can only be turned on from the web, not in the app; if it was off, that stream wasn't saved.
Open the Video Producer
In the Creator Dashboard, open the Content menu and choose Video Producer. Your past broadcasts (VODs) are there.
Download the VOD
Click the 3 vertical dots next to the video, then Download. For a long stream, the download can take a while to start. Parts Twitch muted for copyrighted audio stay muted in the download.
Upload it to iaclips
In iaclips, click Upload and choose the file. Under From and To, mark the part with the most talking (say, the chat segment at the start) and pick the clip length. Click Process.
Review and post
Adjust each clip's start and end from its transcript, fix words if needed, and download the clips for TikTok, Shorts or Reels.
Twitch keeps past broadcasts for 7 days; 14 days for Affiliates and 60 days for Partners and Prime or Turbo users. Download the VOD before it's deleted. Source: Twitch help.
How do I clip a Kick stream?
For one moment, click the Clip icon (or press C), set the length with the slider, add a title and click Publish; the clip, 10 to 180 seconds long, can be downloaded as an .mp4. To get several clips from a whole stream, download your VOD and upload it to iaclips as a file.
Kick keeps VODs for 7 days on non-verified channels and 30 days on verified ones (source). To download one, Kick's help suggests third-party tools such as Kicklet.app or Streams Charts' KICK VOD Downloader: copy the VOD's link from your browser, paste it in, choose the resolution and download (source).
If you stream with OBS, you can also record on your computer while you stream, so you have the file without downloading anything. OBS recommends recording to MKV and remuxing it to MP4 from the File menu, or you can use our MP4 converter. Source: OBS recording guide.
How do I clip a YouTube live stream?
When the stream ends, YouTube can archive it as a video if it ran under 12 hours. Paste that link (youtube.com/live/… or youtube.com/watch?v=…) into iaclips and choose what to process; there's nothing to download.
- While it's still live, or while YouTube is still processing the recording, iaclips can't process it: wait until it shows as a regular video and paste the same link.
- From a link, iaclips takes videos up to 4 hours long. If the stream ran longer, download the recording from YouTube Studio (Content, the video's Menu, then Download: an MP4 in 720p or 360p, up to 5 times a day) and upload it as a file.
- To share just one moment inside YouTube, the Clip button makes a 5 to 60 second clip; during a live stream, this only works if DVR is on (source).
- On a computer with Chrome, the iaclips extension adds a button under the finished stream's video that opens it in iaclips with the link filled in. Add to Chrome
- To post the clips as Shorts, follow how to turn a YouTube video into Shorts.
Source: archive live streams and download videos you've uploaded, YouTube Help.
Which streams work with iaclips?
Streams where people talk: Just Chatting, live podcasts, interviews, classes, breakdowns and commentary on camera. iaclips picks moments from what's said, so a gameplay stream with no commentary, or a music stream, gives it nothing to work with. If it hears nobody talking, it says so and nothing is charged.
- If your camera sits in a corner over the game, Automatic framing follows whoever is talking, One person keeps you in frame, and Whole frame shows the full screen with bars above and below.
- iaclips has no stacked layout (camera on top, game below) like Twitch's clip editor: for clips like that, use Twitch's clip button.
- If the stream already has captions on screen, iaclips covers them with its own, but a recording without captions looks better.
What if the stream runs for hours?
On iaclips' free plan, each video can be up to 30 minutes (30 minutes of video every 30 days): from a long stream, pick the best half hour under From and To. On Creator ($12 a month, 5 hours of video) and Pro ($29 a month, 12 hours), an uploaded file can be as long as the hours you have left that month; from a YouTube link, up to 4 hours. Only the part you choose to process counts, and only if it gets clips.
You can close the page while it processes: we email you when the clips are ready. For what to check in each clip, read how an AI clip generator works.
Frequently asked questions
How do I clip Twitch streams for TikTok?
With the clip button: Twitch makes a portrait version of every clip, up to 60 seconds, that you can post straight to TikTok. For longer clips, or several from a whole stream, download the VOD from the Video Producer and upload it to iaclips: you get vertical clips up to 3 minutes long with captions.
Is there an AI that clips Kick or Twitch streams?
iaclips works from the recording: download your Twitch or Kick VOD and upload it as a file. It doesn't connect to your channel or take Twitch or Kick links; it does take YouTube links, finished live streams included. The free plan includes 30 minutes of video every 30 days.
Can I paste the link of a YouTube stream that's still live?
No. iaclips only processes streams that have ended and that YouTube already shows as a regular video. When it ends, paste the same link; it takes recordings up to 4 hours long from a link, and longer ones if you upload the file.
How long does Twitch keep my streams?
According to Twitch's help, 7 days for most channels, 14 days for Affiliates, and 60 days for Partners and Prime or Turbo users. They're only saved if Store Past Broadcasts was on before you went live.
Does it work for gaming streams?
Only if you talk. iaclips picks moments from what's said, so it works for streams where you commentate, chat with your viewers or interview someone, not for gameplay without commentary. For plays with no talking, use your platform's clip button.
Can I clip someone else's stream?
On Twitch and Kick, viewers can make clips with the platform's button, and on Twitch each channel decides whether those clips can be posted to social media. To download the recording and upload it to iaclips, the stream has to be yours, or you need permission from whoever made it.
Sources
- Twitch help: on-demand content (VODs)
- Twitch help: how to create, edit and share clips
- KICK help: how to create clips
- KICK help: VODs (stream replays)
- KICK help: how to download your VOD
- YouTube Help: archive live streams
- YouTube Help: download videos you've uploaded
- YouTube Help: Clips
- OBS: recording guide
Checked October 20, 2026 on each platform's own help pages. Button names can change with app updates.
Keep reading
Got the recording?
Paste the YouTube link or upload the file and get vertical clips with captions. Free: 30 minutes every 30 days, no watermark.