Create a Twitch account without a phone number in 2026

Yes. Twitch's own help center says you can create an account "using your email address or phone number," and you only have to verify one of them. Pick email, confirm the 6-digit code, and the account works with no phone attached. A number only comes up later, for specific channels and features.

Short answer: sign up at twitch.tv or in the Twitch app with your email address, a username, a password and your date of birth, then enter the code Twitch emails you within 5 minutes. Some streamers require a verified phone to chat in their channel, and Twitch's two-factor authentication starts with SMS, so you'll need a mobile number for those.

Everything below comes from Twitch's Help Center as of November 3, 2026.

What Twitch asks for when you sign up

Twitch's article on creating an account lists the same requirements whichever way you sign up:

There are two ways in. A standard sign-up uses your email or phone. Social login uses an existing Google, Apple or Amazon account, and Twitch says it "will access your name and email address" from that provider. Neither route needs a phone.

One thing to know about social login: Twitch says accounts made that way "cannot add a password from the settings page," and you can't disconnect the social login yourself. If you want a plain email and password account, use the standard sign-up.

How to create a Twitch account with just an email

1. Go to twitch.tv, or open the Twitch app, and select Sign Up.
2. Choose a username. If it's taken, Twitch asks for another, and it doesn't release inactive names.
3. Set a password. Use one you don't use anywhere else.
4. Enter your real date of birth.
5. Give your email address as the verification method, not a phone number. Double check the spelling. Twitch says accurate details "will greatly assist" account recovery later.
6. Enter the 6-digit code from Twitch's email within 5 minutes.

If the code doesn't arrive, Twitch suggests checking the address you typed, looking in spam or junk, and waiting a few minutes because "delivery can be delayed." If you used Apple's Hide My Email, check the junk folder in Apple Mail too.

If your email is already on another Twitch account

Once an email is verified on one account, Twitch blocks it from making more accounts, to "prevent abusive behavior against you." If you want a second account on the same email, turn on Enable additional account creation in the first account's Settings. Twitch says that allows one extra account. If you forgot the old account exists, the recovery tool at twitch.tv/user/account-recovery emails you a list of every username tied to that address.

When Twitch asks for a phone number later

Twitch's help articles describe three situations where a phone comes up. None of them is watching streams or following channels.

A channel requires phone verification to chat

This is the most common one. Twitch's phone number article says "some channels require a verified phone number or email" before you can send messages. That choice belongs to the streamer, not to Twitch.

Twitch's chat verification settings article explains what streamers can pick. For phone verification they choose one of three options:

Under "Some chatters," a streamer can require a phone only from first-time chatters, or let you chat without one once your account is older than a set age (1 hour to 6 months) or you've followed the channel for a set time (10 minutes to 3 months). So in some channels, an email-only account just needs to wait. Streamers can also exempt subscribers, VIPs and moderators from both phone and email checks.

If one channel says "verify your phone" and others don't, that channel chose it. Your options are to wait out any timer it set, subscribe if it exempts subscribers, add a number, or chat elsewhere.

The same settings exist for email verification, which is why verifying your email right after sign-up matters: it clears every channel that only asks for an email.

You want two-factor authentication

Twitch's two-factor authentication guide is clear: "SMS verification is always required first, even if you plan to use an authenticator app." You need a verified email, then a phone number for a text code, and only then can you add an authenticator app. In the mobile app, setup uses SMS.

Twitch also says that turning on 2FA "automatically" creates an Authy account linked to your phone number, whichever authenticator app you use. If you later lose that number, Twitch points you to Authy's phone change form.

You want to become an Affiliate or Partner

The same guide says "to get started as an Affiliate or Partner, you need to turn on Two-Factor Authentication." Since 2FA starts with SMS, earning money on Twitch means adding a mobile number at some point. If you only watch and chat, it doesn't apply.

Which phone numbers Twitch accepts

If you do add one, Twitch's rules are simple:

• Mobile numbers only. "Twitch only accepts mobile phone numbers on a cellular network."
• No VoIP. "VoIP numbers (like Google Voice) are not supported." The sign-up article also rules out landlines.
• One number can be on several accounts. Unlike email, Twitch lets you verify the same number on more than one account with no extra settings.

That last point comes with a catch. Twitch's chat verification article says that if a phone-verified account "is suspended site-wide or banned at the channel level, all accounts tied to that number" are too. The "receive SMS online" numbers some guides suggest are shared by strangers, so one person's ban can land on your account. Don't use them.

Why Twitch asks for a number at all

In Twitch's words, a phone number "can provide an additional layer of security" and "gives us another way to contact you with important messages about your account, such as payout information changes, password changes, and login attempts."

For streamers, it's about bots. Twitch says phone verification will "make it harder for malicious actors to spam-bot your channel en masse," and it designed the tool so that when one account on a verified number is suspended, all of them are. A mobile number costs more to get than a new email address, so it slows down people who make accounts in bulk.

How to remove a phone number from Twitch

If you added a number and changed your mind, Twitch's phone article gives the steps:

1. Go to twitch.tv/settings/security.
2. Click the trash can icon next to your phone number.
3. Confirm you want to delete it.

If the same number is on other accounts, Twitch says it's "only removed from this account." Keep your email verified before you remove it, because Twitch says email is how it sends you notifications and critical account information, and it's your recovery route once the number is gone. Removing the number also means channels that require phone verification will ask again.

To change a number instead, Twitch requires a code sent to the current number first.

Use an email that needs no phone either

The email you give Twitch becomes your account's recovery route, so choose it with care. Gmail and Outlook can ask for a phone during their own sign-up; we cover each in creating a Gmail without a phone number and creating an Outlook account without a phone number. If you're also on Discord, the Discord version of this guide covers how its phone checks differ, and our email without a phone number page compares the big providers.

Secria Mail's sign-up is a name, the address you want and a password, with no phone number and no card. You save a 12-word recovery phrase at sign-up, so getting back into your email doesn't depend on a number. The free plan has 1 GB and 2 email aliases, so you can give Twitch an alias and keep your main address private. You can create a free account here.

FAQ

Can I create a Twitch account without a phone number? Yes. Twitch lets you choose email as your verification method at sign-up and says you only need to verify one method. Enter the 6-digit code from the email within 5 minutes and the account is ready.

Can I verify my Twitch account without a phone number? Yes, with email. Verifying your email clears every channel that only requires a verified email. Channels set to require phone verification for all chatters still need a mobile number, unless they exempt you as a subscriber, VIP or moderator.

Why does one Twitch channel want my phone number? The streamer turned on phone verification in their chat settings. It may apply to everyone, only to first-time chatters, or only until your account or follow reaches a set age.

Can I use Google Voice for Twitch? No. Twitch says VoIP numbers "like Google Voice" are not supported and only mobile numbers on a cellular network work.

Can I turn on Twitch two-factor authentication without a phone? No. Twitch says SMS verification is always required first, even if you then add an authenticator app. Affiliate and Partner status need 2FA too.