Managing your Twitch chat is crucial for creating a positive and welcoming environment for your community. Sometimes, that means taking action against disruptive viewers by banning them or timing them out. Whether you're dealing with trolls, spammers, or inappropriate behavior, knowing how to ban and unban users on Twitch is essential. Here’s a quick guide to help you maintain control over your chat.
How to Ban a Viewer on Twitch
If a viewer is violating your community guidelines and you need to remove them from your chat permanently, you can use the ban command:
Using the chat command: Type /ban [USERNAME] in the chat box and press Enter.
Using the chat interface: Click on the offending user's username, then select the three vertical dots and click Ban.
Once banned, the user will no longer be able to participate in your chat.
How to Unban a Viewer on Twitch
If you’ve banned someone but later decide to give them another chance, you can unban them easily:
Using the chat command: Type /unban [USERNAME] in the chat and press Enter.
Using the Creator Dashboard:
- Go to ‘Settings’ > ‘Moderation’ > ‘Banned Chatters’.
- Find the user you want to unban and click the option to remove the ban.
How to Timeout a User
If a user is being disruptive but doesn’t necessarily deserve a permanent ban, you can temporarily remove them from chat with a timeout.
Using the chat command:
- Type /timeout [USERNAME] [SECONDS] in the chat box.
- Example: /timeout JohnDoe 300 (This would mute JohnDoe for 5 minutes).
Using the chat interface:
- Click on the user’s name in the chat.
- Select the clock symbol to issue a timeout.
Timeouts are useful for giving users a chance to cool off before they can rejoin the conversation.
