How to Make Twitch Emotes

To make a Twitch emote, design a square PNG with a transparent background, then upload it in the Creator Dashboard under Viewer Rewards → Emotes. Upload one file between 112 × 112 and 4096 × 4096 px (max 1 MB) and Twitch resizes it, or upload 28, 56 and 112 px versions yourself. Animated emotes use GIFs.

Twitch emote size and file requirements

Twitch shows emotes at 28, 56 and 112 px. You can upload in one of two ways:

• Auto-resize mode (the default): upload one square image between 112 × 112 and 4096 × 4096 px. Twitch creates the smaller sizes for you.
• Manual mode: turn off Auto-resize and upload 28 × 28, 56 × 56 and 112 × 112 px versions of the same image. This gives you control over how each size looks.

Animated emotes use the first frame as the static thumbnail unless you upload a custom one. For the full size chart, see Twitch emote size.

How to make an emote, step by step

1. Pick one idea per emote. A single expression or reaction, like hype, laughing or love, works much better than a scene.
2. Work large. Draw on a square canvas of at least 112 px. Bigger, like 1000 × 1000 or more, gives you room for clean lines, and you can still upload it directly up to 4096 px.
3. Remove the background. Export as a PNG with full transparency. If you started from a photo, cut out the subject and check the edges.
4. Test it at 28 px. Shrink it down and look at it next to text, on a dark and a light chat background. If you can’t tell what it is, simplify it.
5. Resize and export. Our emote resizer turns one image into the 28, 56 and 112 px files for manual mode, or try the emote maker to build a bold text emote like GG or HYPE. Avoid single letters, which Twitch rejects (see the guidelines below).

Design tips that work at 28 px

• Keep it simple. Twitch warns that with only 28 px to work with, too much detail or too many words clutter an emote. Big shapes and one clear expression read best.
• Use bold outlines and strong contrast. A thick dark or light outline keeps the emote visible in both dark and light mode chat.
• Crop tight. Fill the square with the face or subject. Empty space shrinks the part people need to see.
• Light photos well. If an emote is based on a photo, Twitch recommends good lighting so the expression is clear.
• Make a matching set. Use the same style, colors or artist across your emotes for a consistent brand.
• Build on your community’s jokes. Emotes based on your own channel’s memes last longer than generic internet memes. Ask chat what they’d actually use.
• Keep text short. If you add words, check them at 100% size so letters are correct and readable.

How to upload emotes on Twitch

1. Open your Creator Dashboard. In the left sidebar, click Viewer Rewards → Emotes → Subscriber Emotes.
2. If you don’t have an emote prefix yet, set one first. Your full emote code is the prefix plus the name you choose, for example prefixLove.
3. Click the + button under the tier you want, or Upload New to add the emote to your Library without placing it in a slot.
4. Upload your file. Leave Auto-resize on for one large image, or turn it off and upload all three sizes.
5. Type a name in the Emote Code field and click Upload Emote.

For animated emotes, the steps are the same with a GIF. You can also choose Easy Animate to add a ready-made animation to a static PNG: Shake, Rave, Roll, Spin, Slide In or Slide Out.

Until an emote is approved, it shows as Pending Approval with a watch icon. Every uploaded emote is saved in your Library, so you can move it between slots or tiers later.

Who can upload emotes, and how many

Sub points unlock more slots: a Tier 1 sub is worth 1 point, Tier 2 is 2 points and Tier 3 is 6 points. Unlocked slots are permanent, even if your sub count drops later. Follower Emotes are a free tier viewers unlock by following. If you need a starting point, Twitch also offers 120 free default emotes.

Twitch emote guidelines: what gets rejected

Most emotes can be used across all of Twitch, so the rules are stricter than the general Community Guidelines. They apply to both the image and the emote name. Twitch denies, among other things:

• Hateful conduct, slurs, offensive stereotypes and caricatures
• Harassment or insults aimed at a person or group (a general “Noob” emote is fine)
• Threats, and realistic gore or violence (cartoon slapstick and minor blood are allowed)
• Sexual content, nudity or implied nudity, underwear or swimwear, and fetish content
• Illegal drugs, vulgar words or gestures, and political phrases, symbols, flags or figures
• Single letters or characters, such as “W” or “L”
• Copies of Twitch global emotes or retired Twitch emotes (limited Kappa and VoHiYo derivatives are allowed)
• Content you don’t have the rights to use

Twitch also notes that an emote that’s fine as a still image can be rejected once animated. If an emote is rejected, you get an email with the general reason. You can change the design and resubmit, but repeatedly resubmitting rejected content can lead to penalties.

Instant emote upload

Eligible Affiliates and Partners skip review, and their emotes go live right away:

• Affiliates: stream on at least 60 unique days in a rolling year. Days streamed before you became an Affiliate don’t count.
• Partners: at least 60 days since becoming a Partner and since your last warning or suspension.

A warning or suspension removes instant upload. It usually comes back after another 60-day period without enforcement, but some suspensions remove it permanently. Twitch can still remove any emote that breaks the rules later.

Making sub badges too? Size them with the badge resizer, and check the Twitch badge size guide.

Sources: Twitch Help: Emote Formatting & Instant Emote Upload Requirements · Twitch Help: Subscriber Emote Guide · Twitch Help: Animated Emotes · Twitch Help: Emote Slots · Twitch Help: Follower Emotes · Twitch Help: About Monetization on Twitch · Twitch Safety Center: Emote Guidelines