To timeout someone on Twitch, type /timeout followed by their username in chat and press Enter: that bans them from chat for 10 minutes by default. Add a number of seconds after the username to set your own length.
This page is about timeouts and nothing else. I've based it on Twitch's own chat commands help page, which I checked as of Nov 2026. If you need a permanent removal, skip to the end, where I point you to the right guide.
First, should this be a timeout at all?
Work through it like this. Has the person crossed a line once, in a moment of heat, or posted something you want out of chat right now while you think? Then a timeout fits: Twitch describes it as a temporary ban from the chat room. Do they keep coming back to cause the same trouble, or did they do something you'd never want in your channel again? Then a timeout is the wrong tool, and a ban is the call. Is the problem not one person but a chat that's moving too fast to read? Then neither, and slow mode (below) is worth a look.
Who can do this matters too. Twitch says the moderation commands are for broadcasters and the channel moderators the broadcaster has appointed. If you're a viewer, you can't timeout anyone. If you're the streamer and want help, my guide on making someone a moderator is the place to start.
Typing the timeout command
- Click into the chat text box.
- Type
/timeout username, swapping in the person's username. - Optionally, add a number of seconds after the username.
- Press Enter.
A note on how Twitch writes these. On its help page, a word in square brackets marks an optional value, so the seconds part of the timeout command can be left out entirely, or replaced by a number of seconds. Twitch's own example of that number is 10. You don't type the brackets themselves, only the username and, if you want it, the number.
According to Twitch's chat commands page, if you leave the seconds out, the timeout lasts 10 minutes. Twitch says you and the person you've timed out will both see it confirmed in chat when it works. Here's how the parts fit together:
| What you type | What it does |
|---|---|
/timeout username | Temporarily bans that user from chat for 10 minutes, the default |
/timeout username seconds | Bans them for the number of seconds you set (the seconds value is optional) |
A second /timeout on the same user | Overwrites the old timeout with the new one |
/timeout username 1 | Overwrites the current timeout with a 1-second one, which clears it |
/unban username | Ends a timeout early (it also lifts bans) |
Twitch's page doesn't give a maximum timeout length, so I won't quote one. If you find yourself reaching for a very long timeout, that's often a sign the decision above has already been made for you.
Clicking instead of typing
Prefer not to type commands mid-stream? Twitch says you can click the clock symbol, either directly in chat or on the user badge that appears when you click a username. Same result, no typing. The help page doesn't give separate step-by-step menus for the mobile app, so I'm not going to invent them.
Changed your mind? Ending a timeout early
It happens. Someone was joking, you misread the tone, or they've apologised. Twitch gives you two ways to undo it:
- Use the unban command:
/unban username. Twitch notes this ends a ban early and that this applies to timeouts too. - Overwrite the current timeout with a new 1-second one, so it runs out almost at once.
Either works. I'd use unban, because it says what you mean and nobody reading the mod log has to work out why you timed someone out for a second.
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When the problem is bigger than one person
A timeout handles one person for a short spell. Twitch's commands page lists a few other tools moderators use alongside it:
/slow secondslimits how often people in chat can send messages./monitor usernameand/restrict usernamelet you keep an eye on, or restrict, a user's messages, with/unmonitorand/unrestrictto stop./user usernameopens their profile card, where you can see moderation comments, when they made their account, and their chat, timeout and ban history in your channel.
That last one is the one I'd check before deciding. A history of earlier timeouts tells you whether this is a one-off.
What next if a timeout isn't enough
If they're back to the same behaviour once the timer runs out, it's time for a permanent ban, and my guide on banning someone from your Twitch chat covers that in full. If the trouble is reaching you personally rather than in your channel's chat, blocking is a separate step, explained in how to block a user on Twitch.
Quick answers
How long is a Twitch timeout by default?
Twitch says a timeout bans someone from chat for 10 minutes by default. Add a number of seconds after the username to change that.
How do I remove a timeout on Twitch?
Use /unban username, which Twitch says also ends timeouts, or overwrite the timeout with a new 1-second one.
Who can timeout someone on Twitch?
The broadcaster and the channel moderators they've appointed.
What's the longest Twitch timeout?
Twitch's chat commands page doesn't give a maximum length.
