How to Record an X Space and Find, Share or Download the Replay

Only the host can record an X Space, and they have to switch on Record Space before the Space starts. Once the Space ends, X says the recording is immediately and publicly available, anyone can replay it on web, iOS or Android, and on current app versions it stays up until the host deletes it.

That covers most of what people search for. The rest is detail: where the replay appears, how the host can get an audio file, why recordings go missing and how to turn a replay into more reach. Everything below comes from X’s help center and X’s Spaces product pages unless it says otherwise. If you’re still setting up your first Space, read how to host an X Space first.

Recording an X Space at a glance

Question	Answer
Who can record?	The host, using the Record Space toggle
Where can you record?	Hosts record on iOS and Android; anyone can listen on web, iOS and Android
When do you turn it on?	On the setup screen, before you start or schedule the Space
Who can hear the replay?	Anyone; it is public as soon as the live Space ends
How long does it last?	Until the host deletes it (iOS 9.15+, Android 9.46+); 30 days on older app versions
Can the host download it?	Yes, from the X data archive as a .ts file
Can a listener download it?	No
Can the host delete it?	Yes, from the more icon on the recording

How to record a Space (host)

1. Open the X app on your phone. Recording is a host feature on iOS and Android, and starting a Space isn’t possible on the web.
2. Start creating a Space. Long-press the compose button and tap the Spaces icon, or use the Spaces tab.
3. Set the name, description and up to three topics. X’s product page lists these on the same screen as the recording toggle.
4. Tap the toggle next to Record Space. This is the step people forget.
5. Start now, or tap the calendar icon to schedule. You can record a scheduled Space too.

X’s instructions put the toggle on the setup screen, so treat the decision as a pre-flight check. X doesn’t describe any way to switch recording on halfway through a Space, so if you realize at minute 20 that it was off, plan on those 20 minutes being gone.

While it’s recording, a recording symbol shows at the top of the Space. According to X’s help center, co-hosts and speakers who enter a recorded Space see a REC symbol, and listeners see it too. That’s your cue to mention it out loud at the start. It costs nothing, and anyone who joins late hears it from you instead of finding out later.

What ends up in the recording

X’s help center says recordings show the host, co-hosts and speakers from the live Space. Listeners can see the REC symbol, but they will not be visible in the recording. That matters if you’re a listener nervous about being on tape: you aren’t in it unless the host brings you up to speak.

If someone speaks, they are in a public recording. Brief your guests before you go live. Our Spaces hosting guide has a run-of-show template that includes a short welcome where you can say this.

What happens when the Space ends

Straight after the live Space, X shows the host how many people attended, along with a link to share in a post. If you close that screen, go to Notifications and tap View details to post the recording. Two more things are worth doing right away:

• Edit the start time. In host settings you can choose where the replay starts, which cuts the dead air at the beginning.
• Check Host Analytics. On the Space card of your recording, hosts can open a Host Analytics dashboard. According to X, it shows live listeners, recording replays, participants and duration for both the live and recorded versions.

Per X, the recording is immediately and publicly available for anyone to listen to. There is no separate “publish” step, and X describes no private or followers-only option, so decide before you start whether you’re comfortable with everything said on stage being public.

Where to find and listen to a replay

You don’t need to be a follower and you don’t need the app. X says anyone can listen to a Spaces recording on web, iOS and Android. The common routes:

1. The link. Open the Space link from the host’s post or DM. X says the shared link shows the Space’s current state, such as live or ended, so ask the host for the recording link if the old one doesn’t play.
2. The Spaces tab. X describes the Spaces tab as a place to discover live Spaces, recorded Spaces and podcasts. Which recordings show up for you depends on X’s recommendations, so don’t count on finding a specific one there.
3. Your own recordings. X says that once a Space ends, a host can view, replay, share and delete their previous recorded Spaces in their X settings.

Recordings also include closed captions, so people can follow along without sound.

How long X Space recordings are kept

This is where older articles disagree, because X changed the rule. The current help center wording is:

Host’s app version	How long the replay is available
iOS 9.15 or later, Android 9.46 or later	Indefinitely, until the host deletes it
Older versions	30 days

X also says it retains audio copies for 30 days after a Space ends to review them for Rules violations. If a violation is found, X may keep the copy for up to 120 days in total, so people have time to appeal. For indefinitely recorded Spaces, X says it keeps a copy for as long as the Space is replayable, and no less than 30 days after the live Space ended. That internal copy is separate from the public replay.

If you hosted a Space a long time ago on an old app version, don’t assume it’s still there.

Sharing a replay

According to X, anyone except accounts you’ve blocked can share your recording in a post or DM. You can also embed it on your own website, and share a link to it on other platforms. So the replay is built to travel, and you don’t have to be the one posting it.

When you post it yourself, give it a one-line reason to press play: the best question asked, who spoke, and how long it runs. Pin that post while you promote it. Our guide on getting more listeners on X Spaces covers the promotion routine around it.

Can you download an X Space?

X is direct about this. It says it is currently not possible to download a Spaces recording to your device as an audio file. There’s one official route, and it’s for hosts only:

1. Open Settings and privacy, then Your account.
2. Tap Download an archive of your data (X may ask you to log in again from your mobile web browser).
3. Under X data, tap Request archive.
4. Wait for X to tell you the file is ready, then open the .zip and go to data, then spaces_media.

You’ll find the recording as a .ts file. X says it can be converted to an audio file like .mp3 or .wav, or even a video. This works as long as you haven’t deleted the recording, because it’s a copy of what X still holds.

Two limits to note. First, it only works for Spaces you hosted. Second, X’s help pages don’t offer a way for a listener to save someone else’s Space. We don’t recommend outside downloader tools. The archive route is the official one, and it costs nothing.

Deleting a recording

The host can end public access any time. Tap the more icon on the recording itself and delete it. After that, listeners can no longer play it.

Clips are the part people miss. X says that if you turn off clipping after clips were made from a recorded Space, those existing clips aren’t removed. To delete them you have to delete the Space entirely. If you want no clips at all, turn clipping off from the start.

What listeners can and can’t do

• Can: Replay any recording on web, iOS or Android, share it in a post or DM, embed it if they run a site, and read the captions.
• Can: Make a 30-second clip of a live or recorded Space and post it, unless the host has switched clipping off. X says clips are created on iOS and Android and can be played on all platforms. X describes clipping as rolling out gradually, so you may not see the clip icon yet.
• Can’t: Switch recording on, or download the recording as a file.
• Can’t: Appear in the recording unless the host brings them up as a speaker.

X’s help pages don’t set out a separate rule for listeners recording a Space with an outside tool, so we won’t guess. The safe route is the one X built: clip the moment with X’s own tool, so the host’s clip settings apply, and credit the speaker when you post it.

Why your Space recording is missing

Problem: You hosted or attended a Space and can’t find a replay.

Why: The usual causes, from most to least likely:

1. Record Space was off. Check whether a REC symbol was showing during the Space. If it wasn’t, there’s no recording, and none can be created later.
2. The host deleted it. A deleted recording is no longer publicly available.
3. It was on an old app version. Recordings from hosts on older versions are only available for 30 days.
4. The host broke the Rules. X says limits can be placed on a Space after a violation, for example making it ineligible for replay, and hosts can appeal.
5. You’re looking in the wrong place. Use the host’s original post or the Space link, or the host’s own list of recordings.

Fix:

• If you’re the host, check Notifications for the View details option and the recordings list in your settings, and update the app.
• If you’re a listener, ask the host for the link. They can share the recording at any time.
• For next time, add “Record Space on?” to your pre-start checklist. If nothing works on your side, our guide on X Spaces not working covers the other common Spaces problems.

Using a replay to grow

A recording is the only part of a Space that keeps working after you stop talking.

• Post the replay with a reason to listen. Name the strongest moment and the guest. Repost it a few days later, because the first post only reaches part of your audience.
• Clip two or three moments. Clips are 30 seconds long and, unless you’ve turned them off, can show on your profile after the live Space is over. A tight clip can reach people who wouldn’t listen to an hour of audio.
• Write a thread from the best answers. People who don’t like audio will read it. How to write a thread on X shows the structure.
• Check Host Analytics. Compare live listeners and replays on the same Space card to learn whether your audience prefers live or catch-up listening.
• Send the replay to speakers. Anyone can share it, and speakers who share it bring their own followers.
• Announce the next Space in the replay post. Replays reach people who weren’t there live, and those are the people you want in the next room.

If you also go live on video, the same replay-and-clip routine applies; see how to go live on X.

Where paid Space listeners fit

Some hosts use OnlyTwitter’s Space listener service to avoid opening a live Space to an empty room. It only applies to a running Space, and the listeners don’t speak, ask questions or share your link. They also aren’t a replay audience, and per X’s help center, regular listeners aren’t visible in the recording anyway. X’s platform manipulation policy prohibits artificially inflating engagement, so weigh that risk before using any service. The organic steps above are what make a recording worth hearing.

Key takeaways

• Only the host can record, and the Record Space toggle is on the setup screen before the Space starts.
• The replay is public as soon as the live Space ends, and anyone can listen on web, iOS and Android.
• Current app versions keep a recording until the host deletes it; older versions keep it for 30 days.
• X doesn’t let anyone download a recording directly; hosts can request their data archive and find a .ts file in spaces_media.
• A missing replay usually means recording was off, was deleted or came from an old app version.
• Post the replay, clip the best moments and check Host Analytics to make each Space keep working for you.