# Dock or overlay: which one do you need?
A dock is a panel inside the OBS window. It is not part of your video, so viewers never see it. An overlay is a Browser source inside a scene, so it goes out on the stream. KickBot's guide says there are two ways to add Kick chat to OBS, and "most streamers want both".[4]
| Goal | Use | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Read chat while live | Kick popout chat dock | Only you |
| Show chat on stream | Chat widget as Browser source | Your viewers |
| See chat over a game | Phone or always-on-top window | Only you |
| Stream without OBS | Web Go Live Chat Box | Your viewers |
Neither OBS route lets you send messages. KickBot's comparison table answers "No" for typing in both the dock and the overlay, and its advice is to "Keep kick.com open in a browser or on your phone to type."[4] The same OBS ideas apply on Twitch; our guide to showing Twitch chat on stream covers docks and Browser sources in more depth. This page stays with what is different on Kick.
# Read Kick chat inside OBS (the dock)
This is the only method Kick documents. It sits under Streaming tools and integrations in Kick's Help Center.[1]
- Open OBS and select Docks in the menu bar.[1]
- Choose Custom Browser Docks. Enter a name for the dock, for example KICK Chat.[1]
- Paste your popout chat URL. Kick's example is https://kick.com/popout/YOUR_ACCOUNT/chat.[1] Replace YOUR_ACCOUNT with your Kick username.[4]
- Click Apply, then Close.[1]
- Open the dock. Select Docks again and click the name you gave it.[1] You can then drag it where you want it in the OBS window.[4]
Because you cannot log in from the dock, Kick's help article does not say whether moderator tools are reachable from it either. If you moderate your own chat, plan on doing it from kick.com or the app. Our Kick moderator guide covers what mods can do there.
# Show Kick chat to viewers (the overlay)
An overlay is a web page that OBS draws inside your scene. Kick's help pages read for this guide do not offer an overlay of their own for OBS. KickBot's guide says: "The dock uses Kick’s own popout chat. The overlay needs a chat widget from a tool such as KickBot or Streamlabs."[4] The steps below use KickBot because its documentation gives every setting. Other tools work the same way: you get a URL and paste it into a Browser source.
Step 1: get a chat widget URL
- Connect your channel. You need a KickBot account with your Kick channel connected. "KickBot does not need to be a moderator for the chat overlay to work."[5]
- Install a chat style. Open the widget library, click Basic Chat Widget or another chat style, then click Install widget.[5]
- Copy the URL. Open Saved widgets and click Copy URL on the chat widget.[5]
Step 2: add it to OBS
- Add a Browser source. Select your scene, click + under Sources and choose Browser.[4]
- Paste the URL and set the size. Set Width to 800 and Height to 600, then click OK.[5]
- Place it. Drag the corners of the source in OBS. To change the text size, change Font size in KickBot instead, so the text stays sharp.[5]
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free plan |
| Size | 800 × 600 pixels |
| Deleted messages | Removed from overlay |
| 7TV emotes | Channel must be linked on 7TV |
| Streamlabs or Meld | Same URL works |
In KickBot's words: "The chat widgets in the library work on the Free plan." The three official styles are one size: "All three are 800 × 600 pixels." The widget "removes messages that your moderators delete". For other software: "Add the same URL as a browser source in Streamlabs Desktop, Meld or any app that can show a web page."[5]
Using Streamlabs instead
If you stream with Streamlabs, its Kick guide lists "a chat box widget for on-screen chat display" among the tools that work with Kick.[6] For Talk Studio it says to turn on the Chat Box under Apps and Widgets; it does not give the steps for Streamlabs Desktop, so check its widget settings for the current menu names. Our Streamlabs vs OBS comparison helps if you have not picked your software yet.
# Seeing Kick chat on one monitor
The dock lives inside the OBS window.[4] With a full-screen game on a single monitor, the OBS window is behind the game, so the dock does not help while you play. The overlay does not help you either, because it is drawn into the stream output, not onto your screen. There are three practical routes.
- A phone or tablet. Open your channel on kick.com or the Kick app. This is also where you type, since neither OBS route can send messages.[4]
- An always-on-top chat window. Stream Designz shows a free route: Social Stream Ninja makes the chat link, and Electron Capture, from the same maker, keeps a chat window on top. In their words, it lets you "put our chat on top of our monitor above everything else".[7] Their walkthrough shows a Windows warning during the Electron Capture install. Decide for yourself whether you trust the download before you click through it.
- A second monitor. If you are thinking about one, our second monitor guide covers what to put on it.
# Kick and Twitch chat together
If you multistream, you can merge chats into one feed. Streamlabs says its chat integration "aggregates messages from KICK and other platforms into a single unified feed".[6] Social Stream Ninja is the other route. Stream Designz sets it up with Twitch and says: "This is going to work the same way if you are on Kick or YouTube."[7]
# No OBS: the Chat Box in Web Go Live
Kick's Web Go Live lets you start a stream from the Kick website "without using streaming software". Its widget list includes Chat Box, next to camera, image, video, screen share and alerts.[2] You can show or hide the chat widget, bring it forward or send it back, snap it to an edge, and "Lock the position of the chat widget".[2] If you only need camera, screen share and chat on stream, this skips OBS entirely. Our Kick streaming guide covers the OBS and mobile routes.
Chat on screen. You set the viewer count.
Streamrise sells Kick viewers. Your channel link only, no password, and you set the speed and window, from 30 minutes to a month. Kick's Community Guidelines prohibit "Bots, engagement manipulation, or third-party tools that artificially inflate views, followers, or interactions".[3] Read them and decide for yourself.
- Your channel link only, no password
- From 30 minutes to a month
- Delivery log per order
# Why Kick chat is not showing in OBS
Match what you see to a row. The first three rows are dock limits that Kick documents, so they are expected behaviour, not faults.
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dock says Disconnected | Not logged in to Kick | None, messages still arrive |
| Banner covers the dock | Kick's cookie banner | Make the dock wider |
| Cannot type in the dock | Dock is read-only | Type on kick.com or phone |
| Overlay stays empty | Partial URL or no new chat | Re-paste URL, send a test |
| Solid background | Custom CSS was changed | Restore the default CSS |
| Blurry chat text | Source was stretched | Reset size, raise font |
| No 7TV emotes | Channel not linked on 7TV | Link it on 7TV |
For an empty overlay, KickBot says to type a message in your Kick chat, wait a few seconds, then right-click the source and choose Refresh cache of current page.[5] For a solid background, its guide notes that "The OBS browser source has a default custom CSS that makes the page background transparent", so delete any changes you made in that box.[4] For blurry text the diagnosis is short: "You made the source bigger in OBS." Set it back to 800 × 600 and raise Font size in KickBot.[5] The guide's own wording is "Stretching makes the text blurry."[4]
If the problem is that you cannot send messages on Kick at all, even on the website, that is a chat setting or account issue rather than OBS. See why you can't chat on Kick.
# The bottom line
Getting Kick chat on OBS is two jobs. For you, add a Custom Browser Dock with your popout chat URL, and accept that it cannot log in or send messages.[1] For viewers, add a chat widget as a Browser source; KickBot's is free and 800 × 600.[5] On one monitor, keep chat on a phone[4] or in an always-on-top window.[7] If you do not need OBS at all, Web Go Live has a Chat Box built in.[2]
# FAQ
How do I get Kick chat on OBS?
To read it yourself, add a Custom Browser Dock in OBS with the URL https://kick.com/popout/YOUR_ACCOUNT/chat, using your Kick username. To show it to viewers, add a chat widget URL, for example from KickBot, as a Browser source in your scene.
Where do I find my Kick chat URL?
Kick's help article gives the format https://kick.com/popout/YOUR_ACCOUNT/chat. Replace YOUR_ACCOUNT with your Kick username. This is the URL for the dock, not a transparent overlay.
Can I type in Kick chat from OBS?
No. Kick says you cannot log in to Kick or send chat messages from the dock, and a chat overlay only displays messages. Keep kick.com open in a browser or on your phone to type.
How do I make Kick chat transparent in OBS?
Use a chat widget made for OBS, such as KickBot's Basic Chat Widget, which has no background, and add it as a Browser source. If you still see a background, check that the source's Custom CSS has not been changed.
Why does my Kick chat dock say Disconnected?
Kick says it means you are not logged in to Kick, and that it does not stop new messages from appearing in the dock. You cannot log in from the dock, so the message stays.
Does Kick chat work in Streamlabs?
Streamlabs lists a chat box widget for on-screen chat among its Kick tools. KickBot also says its chat widget URL works as a browser source in Streamlabs Desktop and Meld.
How do I combine Kick and Twitch chat?
Use a tool that merges chats, such as Streamlabs' chat integration or Social Stream Ninja. Before you show a merged chat on a Twitch broadcast, read Twitch's multistreaming rules.