How to record a Whatnot show and keep the full file
Whatnot saves a replay of each show for 60 days. It only plays inside the Whatnot app, and the help center lists no way to download the full video. To keep the whole show, stream through OBS on a computer and turn on automatic recording. OBS then saves a full file of every show while you sell.
A three-hour show holds a week of clips: countdowns, price reveals, big pulls, your reactions. To cut them, you need the footage. Whatnot keeps a copy for you, but only for 60 days and only inside its app.
What Whatnot saves after your show
According to Whatnot's help center, sellers get two kinds of video for up to 60 days after a show ends:
- Full show recordings. Whatnot calls these VODs (videos on demand). They play in the Whatnot app only, not on whatnot.com.
- Video receipts. Short clips of the moment each item came up, which you open from an order in Seller Hub on whatnot.com.
To watch a past show, open the app, tap Seller Hub, open the menu in the top right, then go to Manage, Shows, Past. While it plays, you can scrub through the show, capture and download clips, and jump to highlights like purchases and giveaways. Chat from past shows isn't kept.
Two limits matter once you want clips for TikTok, Reels and Shorts. The replay is gone after 60 days. And the help center describes watching and clipping the replay, not downloading the whole show.
Why keep your own recording
- No deadline. The file stays on your computer after Whatnot's 60 days run out, so a moment from last month can still become a clip.
- Any moment, any length. You can start a clip anywhere in the show and run it as long as the moment needs.
- Already vertical. Whatnot's OBS setup uses a 1080x1920 vertical canvas, per its OBS help article. That's 9:16, the vertical format TikTok recommends for in-feed video.
Recording the show is step one of how we work with sellers. We set up OBS with you once, in about 15 minutes, and every show after that saves a file on its own.
How to record a Whatnot show in OBS
You need a computer, OBS Studio and a Whatnot seller account. The steps use the names you'll see in OBS and on Whatnot.
- Install OBS Studio. It's free and open source, for Windows, macOS and Linux, from obsproject.com.
- Connect OBS to Whatnot. Open the Show Tools page on Whatnot and connect to OBS. Per Whatnot's OBS guide, the two link over a websocket, and Whatnot applies its required output settings during first-time setup. Whatnot also hands OBS a fresh stream key for each show, so you don't copy keys by hand.
- Restart OBS once. After first-time setup, close OBS and open it again before your first show. Whatnot warns that OBS often misses the new resolution until a restart. If Whatnot's health check reads your canvas as 1920x1080, restart again. You want 1080x1920.
- Turn on automatic recording. In OBS, open Settings, then General, and turn on automatic recording when streaming, an option listed in the OBS Studio overview. Every show now records from the moment the stream starts.
- Pick a folder and a format. In Settings, then Output, set your recording path to a drive with room to spare. Record in MKV. The OBS recording guide recommends it because MKV won't corrupt the whole file if a recording stops without a clean finish, like a crash or a power cut.
- Start the show from Show Tools. Whatnot tells OBS sellers to start shows from the Show Tools page, not from the livestream page. Your recording starts with the stream.
- Convert the file after the show. In OBS, go to File, then Remux Recordings, and turn the MKV into an MP4. Or switch on Automatically remux to MP4 under Settings, then Advanced, and OBS converts each file the moment recording stops.
Leave the recording quality on Same as stream, in Settings, then Output. The OBS recording guide notes that any other recording quality uses extra computer resources. During a three-hour show, you want your computer's full attention on the stream.
How much space a show takes
A recording's size is its bitrate times its length. On Same as stream, the recording uses your stream's bitrate, which you can see in Settings, then Output. The math works out to:
| Bitrate | 1-hour show | 3-hour show |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Mbps | 2.7 GB | 8.1 GB |
| 10 Mbps | 4.5 GB | 13.5 GB |
| 15 Mbps | 6.75 GB | 20.25 GB |
Two three-hour shows a week at 10 Mbps come to about 27 GB a week. Delete files once you've clipped them and backed up the ones you want to keep.
If you stream from your phone
When you go live from the Whatnot app, OBS isn't part of the setup, so nothing records a full file on your side. You still have two options:
- Clip the replay. For 60 days, open the past show in the app and capture and download clips from it. That covers a handful of moments per show.
- Bring your phone into OBS. Whatnot's Seller Academy calls your phone the best product camera for OBS and lists apps that turn it into one, in its Production Guide. You stream from the computer, keep your phone's camera, and OBS records the whole show.
Not sure which setup fits you? Our FAQ covers how we get your show either way.
What to do with the file
Keep the file until you've clipped it. In a three-hour show, we look for the countdowns, price reveals, big pulls, bidding wars and your reactions. What we clip lists those moments for beauty, electronics, jewelry and fashion shows.
To cut them yourself, follow our guide to clipping a Whatnot stream. Clips are one part of filling your next show, and our guide on how to get more viewers on Whatnot covers the rest.
To hand the work off, drop the file into the private upload link we send you. You get vertical clips with captions back within 48 hours.
Questions sellers ask
Can you download a full Whatnot show?
Whatnot's help center lists no way to download a full show. Sellers can watch full show replays in the Whatnot app for 60 days and capture and download clips from them. To keep the whole show, record it yourself in OBS while you stream.
How long does Whatnot keep show replays?
Sellers can watch full show recordings for up to 60 days after a show ends, in the Whatnot app only. Video receipts for sold items stay in Seller Hub on whatnot.com for 60 days after purchase.
Does OBS record Whatnot shows in vertical?
Whatnot's OBS setup uses a 1080x1920 vertical canvas, so a recording of that canvas comes out vertical. That is the 9:16 shape you post to TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
What format should I record my Whatnot show in?
MKV. OBS recommends it because MKV won't corrupt the whole file if a recording stops without a clean finish, like a crash or a power cut. Turn it into an MP4 afterwards with File, then Remux Recordings.
I stream from my phone. Can I still record my show?
Use the 60-day replay in the Whatnot app to capture and download clips. For a full file, stream through OBS on a computer. Whatnot's Seller Academy lists apps that turn your phone into a camera inside OBS, so you keep the phone's camera.
Sources
- Watch your past shows and video receipts, Whatnot Help Center. Opened Oct 9, 2026.
- Using OBS with your Livestream, Whatnot Help Center. Opened Oct 9, 2026.
- Production Guide, Whatnot Seller Academy. Opened Oct 9, 2026.
- OBS Studio, OBS Project. Opened Oct 9, 2026.
- OBS Studio Overview, OBS Knowledge Base. Opened Oct 9, 2026.
- Standard Recording Output Guide, OBS Knowledge Base. Opened Oct 9, 2026.
- Auction In-Feed Ads: video specifications, TikTok Ads Help Center. Opened Oct 9, 2026.