Online M3U8 Downloader

Download HLS/M3U8 video streams and save as MP4

How It Works

  1. The browser downloads the .m3u8 playlist and all .ts segments
  2. Segments are combined into a single MP4 file
  3. The download is processed entirely in your browser (no server upload)
  4. Note: This is a conceptual guide — direct M3U8 download requires specific tools

Recommended Tools for M3U8 Download

ffmpeg

Command-line tool. Run: ffmpeg -i "url.m3u8" -c copy output.mp4

yt-dlp

Supports M3U8 natively. Run: yt-dlp "url.m3u8" -o output.mp4

Streamlink

Live stream downloader. Excellent for capturing live HLS broadcasts and piping to other tools.

Browser Extensions

Video DownloadHelper, Stream Recorder, and similar extensions can detect and capture M3U8 streams.

Important Notes

  • Respect copyright and terms of service — only download content you have permission to save
  • DRM protection — some streams use Widevine or FairPlay DRM and cannot be downloaded
  • AES-128 encrypted streams — require the decryption key URL from the M3U8 playlist
  • Live streams — have moving DVR windows; only a portion of the stream is available at any time

Related Articles

📚 About M3U8 & HLS

Understand M3U8 playlist structure and how .ts segments are referenced. Essential knowledge for effective M3U8 stream downloading and archiving.

🔧 Troubleshooting Guide

Fix common download errors including CORS blocking, expired segment URLs, and HTTP 403 errors when fetching M3U8 playlist content.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to M3U8 and HLS questions including format support, video privacy, adaptive bitrate, and embedding the player on your own website.

🌐 Free M3U8 Playlists & Resources

Discover free public M3U8 streams for testing download tools, plus learning resources and open-source utilities for HLS video processing.

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