How to Use Twitch on PC or Mac

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parts

1Creating an Account

2Finding Channels

3Following, Subscribing and Donating

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This How.com.vn teaches you how to get started on Twitch as a viewer, and find some interesting channel streams to follow, using a desktop internet browser. If you want, you can also start streaming on your own channel.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Creating an Account

1. 
   1
   Open the Twitch website in your internet browser. Type www.twitch.tv into the address bar, and hit ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
2. 
   2
   Click the Sign up button on the top-right. This is a purple button in the upper-right corner of your screen. It will open the sign-up form in a new pop-up window.

   • If you already have an account, click the Log in button next to Sign up.
3. 
   3
   Enter a username for your new account. Click the text field below Username, and type a username for your account.

   • Your username will also be your display name in your streams and in other streamers' chats.
4. 
   4
   Enter an account password for your account. You will use this password to log into your account.
5. 
   5
   Select your birthdate on the form. Under the Birthday heading, click and select the Month, Day, and Year of your birth.
6. 
   6
   Enter your email address. Your email address will be used to verify your account.

   • Alternatively, you can click the Connect with Facebook button at the top of the form, and sign in with your Facebook account.
   • Make sure to enter a valid email address here. If you lose your password, you will have to use this email to reset it.
7. 
   7
   Complete the captcha task. Click the checkbox next to "I'm not a robot" and complete the given task to check it.

   • This will verify you're a real human, and not a malicious computer bot.
8. 
   8
   Click the Sign Up button. This is a purple button at the bottom of the form. It will create your new account, and sign you in.
9. 
   9
   Select some games you're interested in watching. When you first sign up, you'll be prompted to select your areas of interest. This will help Twitch personalize the content you see on your home page.

   • You'll have to pick at least three games or categories here. You can pick more if you want.
   • You can also use the Search bar on the top-left to find a game.
10. 
    10
    Click the Next button. This is a purple button on the top-right corner of the page. It will confirm your selection, and suggest you some channels based on your interests.
11. 
    11
    Click Skip or Follow at the bottom of the page. You can watch the channel stream here, and follow or skip it before getting to the home page

    • This step is optional. You can just click Done and find channels later.
12. 
    12
    Click Done on the top-right. This is a purple button below your profile name in the upper-right corner of the page. It will finish setting up your account, and open your home page.
13. 
    13
    Click the orange verification bar at the top of your home page. This will send your email address a verification email, and allow you to verify your account.
14. 
    14
    Click the verification link in your email. Open your mailbox, and click the purple Verify your email button in the automated Twitch email.

    • This will instantly verify your email address, and allow you to securely use all of Twitch's features.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Finding Channels

1. 
   1
   Open your Twitch home page. Click the twitch logo on the top-left corner to open your personal home page.

   • If you're not already logged in, click the Log in button on the top-right, and enter your username and password to sign in.
2. 
   2
   Scroll down your home page for personalized channel suggestions. Your home page is personally curated based on your interests. You can find some interesting and popular stream channels here.
3. 
   3
   Click the channel name or picture below a stream to open it. Below every stream on your home page, you'll see the channel's name and picture. Clicking the name or picture will open the stream on a new page.
4. 
   4
   Click Browse on the top navigation bar. This button is located on a purple navigation bar in the upper-left corner of your screen. It will open a list of popular games you can watch.
5. 
   5
   Click the game you want to watch. Find an interesting game on the Browse page, and click on it to see some live, online streamers.

   • Optionally, you can click the drop-down next to "Show me" at the top of the Browse page, and select another category to watch.
   • Besides games, you can browse Communities, Creative Communities, and Channels here.
   • You can also change the sorting method at the top and select Popularity or Relevancy.
6. 
   6
   Click the Follow button on the top-right. This is a purple button in the upper-right corner of the game page. It will add this game to your list of followed games.

   • If you don't want to watch live streams, you can also click and browse Videos and Clips at the top of the game page.
7. 
   7
   Click a channel on the live channels list. When you select a game, you'll see a list of all the popular streamers who are currently online in this game. Click a channel here to open the stream.

   • You can also filter channels based on the streaming language. Just click the Language drop-down on the top-left of the stream list, and select a language or more.
8. 
   8
   Scroll down on the channel page to read the streamer's profile. Most streamers fill out their profile with useful information about their personal interests, social media accounts, hardware details, and streaming schedules.
9. 
   9
   Click the chatbox on the bottom-right corner. The chatbox is labeled "Send a message" in the lower-right corner of the stream page.

   • You can read the live chat on the right panel and join the conversation.
10. 
    10
    Send a message to the chat. Type your message into the chatbox and click the purple Chat button to send your message. Your message will show up in the live chat.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Following, Subscribing and Donating

1. 
   1
   Open the channel you want to follow. You can find a channel on your home page, click a channel on the left panel of your screen, or explore new channels on the Browse page.
2. 
   2
   Click the Follow button above the stream video. This is a purple button labeled with a white "♥" icon at the top of the channel page. It will add this channel to your followed channels list.

   • The Follow button will turn green when you follow a channel.
   • Your followed channels will show up on a list on your left navigation panel. Here you can see when a channel you follow is online, and quickly open it.
3. 
   3
   Set your notification preferences for this channel. Toggle the Notifications switch on or off in the pop-up window below the Follow button, and enable or disable notifications from this channel.

   • Notifications are enabled by default when you follow a new channel. This way, you'll get push notifications when the channel goes online.
4. 
   4
   Click the Subscribe button at the top of the channel. Subscribing will allow you to access premium channel features, and provide financial support for the streamers you like and enjoy.
5. 
   5
   Select your subscription method. You'll be prompted to select a subscription method in a pop-up window when you click the Subscribe button.

   • If you select Twitch Prime, you'll get access to site-wide features like a free game loot every month and ad-free viewing.
   • If you've never used Twitch Prime before, you can try it for free by clicking Start Your Free Trial.
   • If you select the Subscribe Now option, you can subscribe to this channel without signing up for Twitch Prime. This will charge you the selected subscription fee on a monthly basis.
6. 
   6
   Scroll down and click the donation option on the streamer's profile. Most streamers allow you to make personal donations without a subscription. If you see a donation button on their profile, you can click on it to see your options.
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