Twitch Logs: When and How to Check Them

A simple guide to checking Twitch logs and chat history

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Why Check Twitch Logs

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FAQ

Do you need to see a user's past comments on your Twitch channel? You can view a user's chat logs on Twitch by typing /user, followed by their username, into your channel's chatbox. If you're a streamer or a moderator, you can also check Twitch logs using chat moderator view, by watching VODs, using a special URL in your web browser, and through use of bots Nightbot or Chatty. This wikiHow article will teach you the easiest ways to view Twitch logs on a PC or Mac.

Things You Should Know

You can use the /user command, a 3rd-party chatbot, or rewatch a VOD to view your Twitch channel's logs.
Alternatively, use moderator view if you're a mod on another Twitch channel to see that channel's chat logs.
Reviewing chat logs is a good way to catch chats you missed and a great way to understand your audience.

Section 1 of 3:

Checking Chat Logs

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Type /USER followed by the username into your own channel's chatbox. This command displays a log of everything the user has said in the channel, as well as channel-specific comments from mods, ban history, and timeouts.^{[1]
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- You'll also see how long they've been following you and how long they've had their account.
- Comments that were removed by a moderator will not appear.
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View chat logs in your web browser. As a moderator of a channel, you can also view logs in a web browser while logged in to the Twitch website. Just replace "STREAMNAME" with the channel name, and "USERNAME" with the user's username, in the following URL: https://www.twitch.tv/popout/STREAMNAME/viewercard/USERNAME

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Use a 3rd-party chatbot. Bots like Chatty, Nightbot, and Streamlabs allow you to easily see and download your channel's chat history.
- To install a chatbot on your Twitch channel, simply go to the bot's website and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Some bots can also track milestones in your channel, such as displaying how many hours you've watched a streamer.
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Use chat moderator view. If you have mod abilities on another channel, you can check that channel's chat logs. All you need to do is enter moderator view and click on any user's name to see their entire chat history on that channel.
- To enter moderator view, click the sword icon in the lower right corner of the Twitch chat panel.
- This is the only way you can see chat logs for a channel other than your own.
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Watch your VODs. If you have VOD (video-on-demand) enabled, then you can re-watch past broadcasts. Comments will appear in chat as they appeared for the live stream, so you might be able to catch comments before moderators removed them.
- Many VODs will instantly play on a channel that's offline. You can also look at a streamer's "Past Broadcasts" to see VODs on other streams.
- Many websites got cease and desist letters from websites displaying chat logs, but if you're the moderator of a channel https://logs.ivr.fi/ might work for you.

Section 2 of 3:

Why Check Twitch Logs

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Understand audience behavior. By reviewing your Twitch logs, you can see what you do that people respond to. Is it the polls you create or the open-ended questions you ask in the stream?
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Identify loyal viewers. If you see a username popping up often in your chat logs, you'll know that you want to thank them for being loyal and being around a lot in your streams.
- You may also discover an inside joke or maybe even a clever idea for a future stream in those comments that you missed during the live stream!
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Review moderators. Mods don't always make the right choices, so you'll want to review any actions they took in your Twitch logs.
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Remove inappropriate comments. Your moderators might have missed something, which allows an inappropriate comment to remain on your channel. By checking the logs, you're able to catch this mistake and remove the comment before Twitch gets involved.

Section 3 of 3:

FAQ

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Can I see chat logs on someone else's channel? You can only see chat logs from other channels if they share it or if you're a moderator of that channel.
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How can I download my chat history? Use a 3rd-party chatbot like Nightbot to can download your history.
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Why did Twitch block public access to chat logs? You used to be able to check public chat logs on websites like OverRustleLogs. However, Twitch sent out a cease and desist letter to these websites. Twitch most likely banned this activity because a lot of inappropriate content was logged in those chats and it was almost too easy for anyone to find offensive comments in conversations on Twitch, which wasn't the sort of branding that they wanted.
- Even though Twitch prohibits public access to logs, you can still check your own channel's chat logs.