Streamlabs now calls its AI game-highlighting feature Replay, though Streamlabs Desktop still documents a manual clipping workflow under Highlighter. You can either mark moments yourself with a hotkey while streaming, or use Replay’s Auto Record for supported games and review its captured moments afterwards.
The choice depends mainly on whether your game is supported for event detection and whether you want to decide exactly when a clip is saved. Both paths lead to reviewing, editing and exporting a reel; neither means that Streamlabs automatically publishes it for you.
What Streamlabs Calls Highlighter Now
The name has shifted, which explains why a search for “Streamlabs AI Game Highlighter” can lead to pages with different labels. Streamlabs’ current product page calls the feature Replay and describes it as formerly Streamlabs Highlighter. Its Desktop help guide still uses the name Highlighter for the tab and its hotkey-based workflow. Look for the equivalent label in the version you have installed rather than assuming every screen has already been renamed.
The useful distinction is between two documented paths. Streamlabs Desktop Highlighter lets you press a configured hotkey to save a recent stretch of gameplay. Replay’s newer Auto Record setup is intended to detect gameplay events in supported titles while you play. The first relies on your judgement and a keypress; the second relies on game support and automatic event detection.
Streamlabs describes events such as eliminations, deaths, victories and defeats as possible cues. That does not make every game compatible, nor does it mean every notable moment in a supported game will necessarily match what you would choose to keep. Check the current Streamlabs product page and supported-game information before relying on Auto Record for a particular title. The list and app details may change.
This is a gameplay clipping and editing tool, not a general method for capturing any desktop activity or automatically publishing a finished video. If your session is a live broadcast, you still need a separate streaming setup. Streamlabs’ workflows here concern saving and shaping moments for a later reel.
Before You Start: Choose a Replay Workflow
Choose manual capture when you want to mark moments yourself, particularly if your game is absent from Replay’s supported list. Choose Auto Record when your title is supported and you prefer the app to identify gameplay events for later review. Manual capture asks you to remember the hotkey; automatic capture asks you to verify support, enable its recording workflow and accept the possibility that event detection will not select every moment you care about.
| Question | Manual Desktop Highlighter | Replay Auto Record |
|---|---|---|
| Who selects moments? | You press a hotkey during play | Replay detects events in supported games |
| Main setup choice | Hotkey and replay duration | Enable Auto Record and complete any Recorder Extension prompt |
| Game support | The documented hotkey workflow is the alternative when automatic support is unavailable | Depends on the current supported-game list |
| Best fit | A particular moment matters, or automatic support is uncertain | You want event-based capture without pressing a key each time |
| After play | Open Highlighter, edit, preview and export | Return to Replay to review, edit and compile clips |
Before installing or changing settings, check the current Streamlabs download and product pages for requirements that apply to your operating system and version. The advertised requirements can change; do not assume an old guide’s menu labels or compatibility notes are current. If you are preparing for a public stream, a short private test session is a more useful way to confirm that the controls appear and the workflow suits your setup than discovering a mismatch during a long session.
Also think about what the reel is for. A vertical cut for a short-form feed may need different framing from a horizontal highlight for a video channel. If you intend to publish in both formats, decide whether you will make two exports rather than expecting one crop to suit every destination. This is where a separate guide to changing a video’s aspect ratio for YouTube and Shorts can help you plan the output before editing.
Set Up Manual Clips and a Hotkey
For the manual route, open Streamlabs Desktop and select the Highlighter tab from the left navigation panel. Configure a hotkey and replay duration before going live. The duration controls how much recent gameplay is included when you press the key, so pick a span that gives a moment enough context without saving a great deal of material you do not need.
Choose a key combination you can reach without interfering with the game’s controls. Avoid a key that already performs an important in-game action or triggers a system shortcut. If you play with a controller, test how you will reach the keyboard at the moment you want to save. The correct setting is the one you can use reliably without disrupting play, not simply the first convenient key.
The replay duration is a practical compromise. A very short capture may preserve the decisive second but omit the lead-up that explains it. A longer capture gives you more room to trim later, but creates more footage to review. Set it for the type of moment you expect to clip: a quick goal or elimination may need less context than a sequence that builds over several exchanges.
Streamlabs’ Desktop Highlighter guide documents setting the hotkey and duration, capturing while live, and editing after the stream. Since application menus can shift between versions, use the current in-app labels if your layout differs from the guide. Confirm the setting is saved, then do a brief test before relying on it for a session you cannot repeat.
If your purpose is broadcasting as well as clipping, treat those as separate jobs. Check that the stream itself is running as intended, then check whether the clip control works. A working broadcast does not by itself prove that the hotkey is configured, and a saved clip does not prove that your live output is healthy. For troubleshooting a different part of the chain, such as a connection problem affecting a live YouTube broadcast, this Airtel Xstream Fiber troubleshooting guide addresses network checks rather than Streamlabs clipping settings.
Capture Moments During a Stream
Once you are live, press the configured hotkey after a moment you want to keep. The control saves the configured recent duration, rather than starting a conventional recording at the instant you press it. That difference matters: you are marking footage that has just happened, so you can react after the moment rather than predict exactly when it will begin.
Try not to press it repeatedly for every small event. Each capture becomes a candidate for the final reel, and a session full of near-duplicates makes the review slower. A useful clip has a clear reason to exist: a turning point, a clean play, a funny exchange or a complete short sequence. If you are unsure, capture selectively and decide during editing; the aim is a reel that makes sense to someone who did not watch the full stream.
It helps to build a small habit around the key. After an event, press it once, then return to play. If your configured duration includes a useful lead-in, you do not need to anticipate the event. If the key conflicts with the game or you cannot reach it comfortably, pause between sessions to change the binding and test it rather than trying to adapt mid-match.
Manual clipping is especially useful when the title is unsupported for automatic detection, when you want to capture a non-event such as an amusing conversation, or when your idea of a highlight differs from the events a game integration can recognise. Its trade-off is attention: you must remember that the feature exists and mark moments while playing. A hotkey is not a substitute for checking clips later; it only gives you material to review.
Find and Edit Clips After the Session
When the session ends, return to the Highlighter tab to find the clips you saved. Review each one before assembling a reel. Keep clips that tell a complete story, trim away dead time, and remove moments that are confusing without the full match or conversation. A smaller sequence with a clear beginning and ending is often easier to share than a long collection of unrelated fragments.
The Desktop workflow allows you to trim clips by adjusting their edges, reorder them, include or disable individual clips, and delete clips you do not want. You can also alter transitions and their length, add an intro or outro, and add background music. Make these changes with the intended viewer in mind: a short intro may identify a channel, while a long branded opening can delay the moment people clicked to see.
Order affects meaning. Put a clip first if it gives viewers a reason to stay, and group moments that belong together. A transition should help distinguish two scenes or ease a change in pace; it does not need to be elaborate. If you add music, listen for whether it competes with game audio, voice chat or commentary. Keep the original sound when it carries the story, and use music only where it contributes rather than covering it.
Do a pass for context as well as polish. A capture may begin after the action has started or end before the result is clear. Trim carefully so the viewer can understand what happened, but do not leave long waits that were useful only to the players. If the clip includes names, private chat or other information you do not want to share, remove or exclude it before export.
For a channel that publishes clips as part of a broader creator plan, editing is only one stage. Consider where the reel sits alongside full streams and other uploads; a guide to making money streaming discusses the wider creator context without changing how a clip is captured. Do not treat a highlight reel as a promise of audience growth or income. Its immediate job is to present selected moments clearly.
Use Auto Record and the Recorder Extension
Replay’s automatic path begins in Replay rather than with the Desktop Highlighter hotkey. Download and install Replay from Streamlabs’ current page, open it, and accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy when prompted. During first-run setup, enable Auto Record. If the app prompts you to install its Recorder Extension so it can record the screen, follow that prompt; then choose Activate Auto Record.
The exact prompts can vary by version and operating system, so follow what the installed app presents rather than relying on a screenshot from an older guide. The Streamlabs Replay introduction describes the current workflow and its extension prompt. Streamlabs also has a Replay guide covering setup, editing and sharing; check those official pages and the app for current details.
After Auto Record is active, launch a supported game and play. Replay is intended to record in the background and log moments associated with recognised gameplay events. It is not a universal game recorder with guaranteed detection for every title. Verify that your game appears on the current list before a session where you depend on automatic clips, and remember that the listed events are cues rather than a promise that every worthwhile moment will be chosen.
If the game is not supported, or if you want a specific exchange that event detection may not identify, use manual hotkey capture where the Streamlabs Desktop Highlighter workflow is available. The methods solve different problems: automatic capture reduces the need to press a key, while manual capture gives you direct choice about when to save recent footage. You can choose based on the session rather than treating one as a universal replacement for the other.
After playing, return to Replay and inspect what it captured. Streamlabs’ Replay materials describe editing and compiling moments, importing existing footage or clips, adding subtitles and music, and adapting video for horizontal or vertical formats. Treat direct sharing destinations shown in a guide as subject to change; confirm what appears in your app. In either workflow, review the finished video and decide where to upload it yourself. Streamlabs does not automatically publish the clip simply because it detected an event or exported a reel.
Preview and Export Your Reel
Before exporting, preview the compilation from beginning to end. Check that clips appear in the intended order, cuts do not remove the outcome of a play, transitions are not distracting, and the sound is balanced. A preview catches problems that are hard to notice when you have been editing one clip at a time, such as an abrupt audio change between scenes or an intro that is longer than the moments that follow.
Choose the frame shape for the destination. Horizontal video is usually the natural choice for a conventional full-width video; a vertical version may suit a short-form feed. Replay materials describe editing for both orientations, but framing choices remain yours: check whether the important action stays visible after a crop. For a vertical crop, keep the player, scoreboard or other relevant detail within the frame rather than assuming a centred crop will preserve it.
In Highlighter, select Export, choose the available export settings, and export the reel. Save the resulting file somewhere you can find it, watch the exported version, and then upload it to the social channel you choose. Do not assume an export action is the same as publishing. If the app offers a sharing destination, confirm that it is currently available and that the right account and format are selected before proceeding.
Keep an unedited copy of source clips if you may want a different cut later. A reel edited for one platform may not suit another, and the source gives you room to change the order, aspect ratio or soundtrack without repeating the capture. If storage is limited, keep only footage you have a reason to revisit and remove intermediate exports after confirming the final file is intact.
If your actual goal is a continuously running YouTube channel rather than occasional gameplay highlights, this workflow is not a replacement for a 24/7 broadcast setup. StreamNeo addresses a different problem: it removes the need to keep your own computer switched on to run an uploaded video as a continuous YouTube live stream. For a channel that needs a radio station streamed to YouTube from a NAS, that is a separate publishing workflow from creating a gaming reel.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Is Streamlabs Highlighter the same as Replay?
Streamlabs’ current product materials use Replay for the feature previously called Highlighter, while its Desktop support guide still documents a Highlighter tab and manual hotkeys. Labels can differ by app version and workflow, so check the page or menu names in your installed build.
Does Auto Record work with every game?
No. Streamlabs describes automatic event capture for supported games, and its supported list can change. Check the current official list for your title; if it is not supported, look for the manual hotkey workflow in Streamlabs Desktop instead.
Does Streamlabs upload my reel automatically?
No. Capturing and editing clips produces material for review and export; it does not mean a finished reel has been published. Preview the export, then upload it yourself or confirm the destination and account if the current app offers a sharing option.
Should I use Auto Record or a hotkey?
Use Auto Record when your game is supported and you prefer event-based capture for later review. Use the hotkey when you want to mark moments yourself, need a specific kind of moment, or cannot rely on automatic support for your title. You can decide separately for each session.