Live Stream Downloader
Two ways to save live video: record a still-airing broadcast with the Chrome extension, or convert the finished replay into one MP4 below. Free, in your browser, nothing uploaded.
Pick your path: airing now, or already ended?
Live HLS content exists in two states, and each has the right tool. Using the wrong one is why most “live stream downloader” attempts fail.
The broadcast is airing right now
The broadcast has ended
Why live streams are different from normal videos
A normal HLS video has a complete playlist: segment 1 through segment 400, an end marker, done. A live stream playlist is rewritten by the server every few seconds — new segments appended at the bottom as the event unfolds, old ones falling off the top once they're far enough behind the live edge. At any moment, the playlist describes only a window (often the last 30 seconds to a few minutes), and that window keeps moving.
This is why “just download the m3u8” fails for live content: there is no complete set of segments to download, and the segments that scrolled off the top of the window may already be gone from the server. Two strategies actually work, and this page is built around both — record while it airs (capture the window continuously as it moves), or convert the replay (wait until the event ends and the platform publishes the fixed playlist). The HLS downloader covers the technical details of playlist downloads.
A third case sits in between: DVR windows. Many live platforms keep hours of segments available while the event runs, letting viewers seek back through the broadcast. Segments inside the DVR window can be downloaded directly, even mid-event — useful for grabbing the first half of a match while the second half is still being played.
What people save with a live stream downloader
Webinars and classes — capture the session as it happens so a platform outage or paywall never takes it away, or grab the replay afterwards for offline study at double speed. Services and ceremonies — churches and community organizations stream live weekly; families rely on recordings to rewatch. Sports and esports — full-event replays converted to MP4 for archival, highlight cutting, or watching in another timezone. Gaming streams — your own sessions, saved as clean MP4s without re-streaming through another service.
In every case the output is the same: one standards-compliant MP4 that plays anywhere, edited like any other file, owned by you rather than hostage to a platform's retention policy.
Recording vs. screen capture vs. replay conversion
Stream recording (this page) captures the original video data the player receives — exact quality, no re-encode, no second window, notifications or cursor in the frame. Screen recording films your display — it works on anything, but quality is capped by your screen, audio can drift, and a 2-hour event takes 2 hours plus processing. Replay conversion downloads the finished broadcast in parallel — the fastest and cleanest option, available the moment the platform publishes the replay.
Rule of thumb: if the event hasn't started or is airing, record it. If it's over, convert the replay. If the platform blocks both and serves DRM, no tool should touch it — respect the lock.
Recording starts with the extension
Install M3U8to once — it detects live HLS streams on any page and records them with one click, then saves the broadcast as a normal MP4.
Live stream downloader FAQ
The live-versus-replay questions, settled.
Can I download a live stream while it is still airing?
Yes — but not by downloading its playlist, because a live playlist never finishes: it is a sliding window rewritten every few seconds, with old segments dropping off the top. For still-airing broadcasts, use the recording mode of the M3U8to Chrome extension: it saves the stream as it plays, capturing every segment the player buffers, and hands you a complete MP4 when you press stop. The broadcast keeps running; your copy keeps growing until you decide it's done.
How do I download a live stream that already ended?
Wait for the replay. When a broadcast ends, platforms publish it as a normal HLS VOD — a fixed playlist with every segment listed from start to finish. Copy that replay's m3u8 URL from the Network tab, paste it into the converter on this page, and download the whole event as one MP4. Replays download several times faster than real time, in the original quality, with nothing re-encoded.
What's the difference between recording and downloading?
Downloading collects a finished set of segments described by a complete playlist — fast, parallel, and exact, but it needs a playlist that has an end. Recording captures a stream in real time as it plays — slower than playback would suggest (it runs at 1x), but it works on streams that have no end yet. Live content needs recording while it airs; everything recorded is saved as the same MP4 you'd get from a download.
Does this work with YouTube Live, Twitch, or Facebook Live?
Those platforms serve their live video through proprietary, often DRM-protected pipelines and don't expose plain HLS playlists — this tool does not bypass their protections, and no legitimate tool does. Where a platform does serve standard HLS without DRM (many smaller services, church and school streams, IPTV-style channels, self-hosted setups like nginx-rtmp or OBS media servers), recording and replay conversion both work as described on this page.
What quality does a recorded live stream have?
The quality the player delivers while you record — normally the top variant for your connection, since players adapt upward automatically. Record at your stream's highest available quality for best results, and avoid starving the connection: the recording captures what the player buffers, so a stuttering stream produces a stuttering file. Replays, by contrast, download in parallel and always arrive at their full original quality.
Is it legal to record live streams?
Recording your own broadcasts — webinars you host, church services you stream, your own gaming sessions — is straightforwardly fine and the most common use of this page. Saving other people's broadcasts for personal, lawful use may be permitted; republishing them is a different matter and generally isn't, without the rights holder's permission. Don't bypass DRM or paywalls, and respect each platform's terms of service.