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Short answer: A Twitch rerun is a new broadcast of prerecorded footage, and Twitch’s official rerun workflow does not document a way to bring the original VOD’s timestamped chat replay into that broadcast. Keep the original VOD and direct viewers to it for the original chat. On YouTube, Live Chat Replay is on by default for archived livestreams; check its setting and avoid editing the archive if chat replay matters.

First, distinguish the archive from a rerun

An archived livestream and a rerun are different playback experiences. The archive is the original stream recording, where its timestamped chat replay may be available. A Twitch rerun is prerecorded content rebroadcast on the channel, with viewers using the new broadcast’s live chat. Twitch describes reruns as “non-live content that you can play on your channel” in On-Demand Content on Twitch.

Twitch’s documented rerun controls label and schedule the rebroadcast; they do not promise to transfer the original archive’s chat replay. That is not proof that no separate production setup could display chat, but the official workflow does not guarantee it. If viewers need the original chat, preserve the original VOD and point them to it rather than suggesting the rerun will recreate the chat.

Keep the original Twitch VOD and its chat available

Enable VOD storage before the stream

  1. Before going live, open Twitch Creator Dashboard → Settings → Stream (Stream Settings).
  2. Turn on Store Past Broadcasts. Twitch says VOD storage is not enabled by default, so a stream that was not saved cannot be assumed to have an available archive or chat replay.

Save important VODs before Twitch retention expires

Twitch’s published retention periods are 60 days for Partners and Prime or Turbo users, 14 days for Affiliates, and 7 days for other broadcasters. These are platform retention windows, not permanent archival guarantees. Find the recording in Video Producer and download or export important VODs before the applicable period ends. Keeping a local copy preserves the video file, but does not by itself restore Twitch’s timestamped chat replay in a later rerun.

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Label the new broadcast as a rerun

  1. Use an encoder of your choice to capture and stream the VOD back to your Twitch channel.
  2. In Twitch’s rerun workflow, select the Rerun checkbox.
  3. Start the title with [Rerun] and identify it as a rerun in the go-live notification.
  4. Link or otherwise direct viewers to the original VOD if they want its chat replay.

The label describes the new broadcast; it is not a control for restoring the old chat. Avoid promising that the original timestamped messages will appear alongside the rebroadcast unless your own separate setup has been verified.

Keep chat replay on a YouTube gaming archive

Check the archive’s setting

YouTube says Live Chat Replay is available on stream archives and is on by default, but it can be unchecked for an individual archived video. In YouTube Studio, open the archived livestream, go to its Customization settings, and verify that Live Chat Replay is enabled. See YouTube’s live chat help.

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Do not edit the video if chat replay is essential

YouTube states: “Live streams that are edited in the video editor will not have chat replay.” If keeping chat matters, leave the livestream archive unedited in YouTube’s video editor. Direct viewers to the YouTube watch page: YouTube says live chat is available there, but not in embedded players. The limitation is documented in YouTube’s live streams help.

Do not confuse Twitch Stream Rewind with chat replay

Stream Rewind lets eligible viewers pause and seek backward during a live Twitch broadcast. While a viewer is behind, chat continues live; it is not the original chat replay synchronized to the earlier point in the video. Twitch says only Affiliates and Partners can enable Stream Rewind, with Store Past Broadcasts and Always Publish VODs enabled. Viewer access is limited to qualifying channel subscribers or Turbo users. See Twitch’s Stream Rewind documentation.

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Why chat may be missing for viewers

  • The original Twitch archive is missing: Store Past Broadcasts may have been off when the stream aired, or the VOD may have passed its retention window. Enable storage before future streams and export important recordings in time.
  • Viewers are watching the Twitch rerun: The new broadcast has its own live chat; Twitch’s official rerun workflow does not document transferring the original VOD’s timestamped chat. Send viewers to the original archive for that experience.
  • YouTube archive chat replay is off: Check Live Chat Replay in the archived video’s Customization settings.
  • The YouTube archive was edited: YouTube says livestreams edited in its video editor do not have chat replay.
  • The viewer is using an embedded player: YouTube live chat is not available in embedded players. Twitch’s developer documentation also says chat replay is unsupported in its embedded player: Twitch Video and Chat Embedding.
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