If you’re a fan of live streaming, then you must have heard of Twitch. This popular platform has become the go-to choice for gamers, content creators, and viewers alike.

As one of the most popular video game streaming platforms, millions around the world tune into Twitch every day to watch their favorite streamers and play online games.

But how much data does Twitch use?

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the amount of data Twitch uses and how you can keep track of your streaming and watching habits.

Is Twitch Hard On Data?

The short answer is that Twitch’s data usage depends largely on how you use it.

For example, if you are streaming a game, then your data usage will be higher than if you were just watching someone else stream.

That being said, Twitch does have some guidelines for the data it uses depending on how you watch or stream.

When Watching Twitch Streams

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If you’re just watching a Twitch stream, then the amount of data the platform uses depends on how high of a quality you’re streaming at.

The higher the video quality, the more data you’ll use up. For example, if you were to watch a stream in a low-quality setting, you would use around 300 MB per hour.

However, if you were to watch at higher settings such as 1080p or 4k, then the data usage can go up to 7 GB per hour.

When Streaming Twitch Games

If you’re streaming your games onto Twitch, then the data usage relies on how high of a quality you’re streaming at.

If you were to stream in 720p or higher settings then the data usage can go up anywhere from 3GB-5GB per hour.

It’s also worth noting that even if you’re not streaming on Twitch, the data usage will still be relatively high.

For example, even if you’re just playing a game on your computer and not streaming it, your data consumption can go up to 40 to 300 MBs per hour depending on how graphically intense the game is.

How Much Data Does Twitch Use?

The amount of data used by streamers on Twitch varies based on their streaming settings.

If the streamer has their settings set to high quality, they can expect to use up to 6 Mbps (megabits per second).

This is how much data the streamer will be sending and receiving, so the faster their internet connection is, the better quality their stream will be.

For viewers, it depends on how high of a resolution they are watching in. If they are streaming in 1080p (Full HD), then they can expect to use up to 5 Mbps.

If they are streaming in 720p (HD Ready), then the data usage drops to around 3 Mbps.

This number includes both live streaming and video-on-demand content.

Based on that figure, we can estimate that Twitch’s daily data usage is somewhere in the ballpark of hundreds of GBs per day.

How To Track The Data Usage?

If you’re worried about the data Twitch is using up, there are a few ways that you can track your usage.

Most routers have built-in data tracking tools that allow you to monitor the amount of data your devices are consuming.

You can also use a third-party app such as NetLimiter or GlassWire to track how much data is being used by specific programs.

Doing so can help you keep track of the data you’re using on Twitch and also other programs are consuming.

This way, you can make sure that your devices aren’t using too much data, which can slow down your internet connection.

Once you have an idea of how much data you’re using on Twitch, you can then decide how to adjust your settings to save as much data as possible.

Tips for Optimizing Data Usage on Twitch

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For streamers, it is important to optimize your settings so that you save as much data as possible while still keeping a good quality stream.

If you want to reduce the amount of data Twitch is consuming, here are a few things you can do: 

Lower the Resolution

One of the simplest ways to save on data usage is by reducing the stream quality. Lowering the resolution will drastically reduce the data Twitch consumes when streaming.

For example, switching from 1080p to 720p can reduce data consumption by up to 50%.

Reduce Framerate

Another way you can lower the data Twitch is using is by reducing the framerate. Most streamers use 60fps, but you can reduce this to 30fps for Twitch to consume less data.

This will also help with optimizing your stream for lower-end machines.

Compress Video

Twitch also offers an option to compress your video while streaming. This can drastically reduce Twitch’s data usage, as well as make your stream look better on certain devices.

However, it should be noted that compressing your video too much could lead to a decrease in quality. 

Wrapping Up 

In conclusion, how much data does twitch use? It’s impossible to know for sure as it depends on many different variables like resolution and frames-per-second rate.

However, we can estimate that Twitch consumes a couple of hundreds of data every day. This is an impressive amount of data and a testament to how popular the streaming platform is.

Whether you’re a streamer or just an avid viewer, it’s hard not to be impressed by the amount of data Twitch is using!