A Beginner's Guide to a Multi Stream Viewer

A multi stream viewer is a tool that lets you watch several live streams or videos at once in a single browser tab. Instead of juggling windows, you arrange streams from platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Kick into a single grid. ViewGrid is a free multi stream viewer that works right in your browser, with no account needed to get started.

This guide will walk you through what these tools are for and how to set up your first viewing grid in just a few minutes.

When Does a Multi Stream Viewer Actually Help?

The main reason to use a multi stream viewer is to follow action happening in multiple places at the same time. Trying to do this with separate browser tabs often leads to a confusing mess of windows and overlapping audio. A viewer organizes it all into one clean interface.

Here are a few common situations where it comes in handy:

Esports and Tournaments: You can watch the official tournament broadcast while keeping an eye on your favorite player's personal point-of-view stream. This gives you both the big picture and the specific gameplay you care about most.
Creator Collaborations: When a group of streamers team up for a game, you can see everyone's perspective simultaneously. You get the full context of their interactions and reactions instead of having to pick just one.
Breaking News and Live Events: During a major event, you can pull in live feeds from different news sources or camera angles to get a more complete view of what’s happening.
Keeping Up with Favorites: Sometimes, a few of your favorite creators are live at the same time. A grid lets you hang out in all their communities at once, switching your focus to whoever is doing something interesting.

It’s a simple idea, but it’s practical. At ViewGrid, we see that about two thirds of all grids created have three or more streams running, so people are regularly building these custom dashboards.

Setting Up Your First Multi Stream Grid

You can build a grid in under a minute. There’s no software to install; you just add the streams you want to watch.

1. Open the Grid Builder
2. Go to the ViewGrid multi-stream viewer. You’ll see a screen with empty slots, ready for you to add content.

1. Add Your Streams
2. You can add streams from Twitch, YouTube (both live and regular videos), Kick, and Rumble. The easiest way is to copy the URL of a stream or channel and paste it into an empty slot. You can also just type a channel name. For YouTube, there’s a search bar inside ViewGrid to find live streams directly. The viewer also supports direct HLS (.m3u8) video links.

1. Choose a Layout
2. As you add streams, they will automatically fill the grid. You can change the layout at any time using the controls in the top toolbar. On a desktop computer, you can choose layouts for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, 16, or even 20 streams. On a phone, the smaller screen size limits layouts to a maximum of 6 streams.

1. Manage the Audio
2. Every stream you add starts muted. This is intentional, so you aren't hit with a wall of sound. To hear a stream, click the volume icon on that specific player. You can only listen to one stream at a time; clicking to unmute a new stream will automatically mute the one you were just listening to.

1. Open Live Chat
2. For streams from Twitch, YouTube, or Kick, you can open the live chat in a side panel. Click the chat icon in the toolbar, and then select which stream's chat you want to follow. The chat appears next to your video grid.

That’s all there is to it. The streams play using each platform's official embedded player, so you get the same video quality and experience as you would on the source site.

Getting More Out of Your Grid

Once your grid is running, a few extra features can improve the experience.

Sharing Your Layout

The web address (URL) in your browser bar updates automatically as you add or remove streams. This means you can share your exact layout with someone just by copying and pasting the link. When they open it, they’ll see the same streams you have arranged in the same way.

Focus and Immersive Views

If one stream gets exciting, you can click on it to activate "Focus View." This makes that video large and moves the others to the side as small thumbnails. Click it again to return to the full grid. For an even cleaner look, you can hide the top toolbar by clicking the "Immersive View" button, giving the videos more screen space.

Pre-Made Grids for Events

For big gaming tournaments, product launches, or other major broadcasts, check the [Events calendar](/events). You can often find pre-made grids that bring together the official broadcast, popular co-streamers, and feeds in different languages. This saves you from having to hunt down all the links yourself.

A Quick Note on Performance

Watching many video streams at once requires a decent internet connection. This is true for any multi stream tool. If you find that streams are constantly buffering or stopping, the first thing to try is reducing the number of videos in your grid. You can also try lowering the quality setting within each individual video player (using the gear icon) to reduce bandwidth demand.

How to Watch on a TV

Many people want to put their grid on a big screen. ViewGrid doesn't have a dedicated "cast" button like you might find in the YouTube or Netflix apps. Instead, you use your existing device's features to show your browser on the TV.

Here are the three common ways people do it:

TV's Web Browser: If you have a smart TV with a web browser, you can navigate directly to viewgrid.tv and set up your grid there.
HDMI Cable: This is often the most reliable method. Connect a laptop to your TV with an HDMI cable, and your TV will act as a second monitor.
* Screen Mirroring: Most modern computers and phones have a built-in screen mirroring function (like AirPlay or Miracast) that can display your screen on a compatible TV.

What a Multi Stream Viewer Doesn't Do

It’s also helpful to know what a tool like this is not for. ViewGrid is designed only for viewing content.

It is not a broadcasting tool for streamers. It doesn't use a stream key and has no features for going live.
It does not let you record or download streams.
* It is a website and does not have a native Chromecast function.

If you are curious about how different tools compare, our article "Best Multi Stream Viewer for Twitch, YouTube & Kick" offers a detailed breakdown of features across different platforms.