Want to save YouTube livestreams to relive an epic match, gameplay, or witty highlights? While some creators keep the livestreams on YouTube for viewers to watch later, other don't. The direct download option is not available for viewers either. Fortunately, third-party tools can help you save streams offline.
In this article, we'll explore 4 effective methods to download uploaded YouTube live streams or save them from the beginning. Keep reading to discover the easiest and fastest way to save your favorite live streams!
Method 1. Download YouTube Livestream to MP4 via YouTube Downloader
When your favorite YouTube livestreams end and replays are uploaded, you may find no download option available. To make the process easy, you can use YouTube live stream downloaders. VideoHunter YouTube Downloader is a dedicated downloader designed for downloading long YouTube videos, including livestreams. It is available on Windows, Mac, or Android.
VideoHunterr supports high-quality options like 8K resolution and MP4 format, ensuring no loss in quality. You can save livestreams as local files and watch them on any device anytime. Designed for efficiency, VideoHunter offers 6X faster download speeds and supports batch downloads for lengthy livestream videos, even those up to 12 hours long. It can also download entire playlists or all videos from your favorite YouTuber's channel, saving you time and effort!
Downloading YouTube livestreams with VideoHunter is much easier than you thought. Follow the 3 steps below to get it done.
Step 1. Copy the Live Stream Link from YouTube
Firstly, find the YouTube live stream you want and copy the link from above.
NOTE After the YouTube live stream ends, you can get the link of the live stream via the channel of the streamer. Just click the profile of the streamer > click "Videos" and find the videos you want to download. Then copy its link.
Step 2. Paste A YouTube Live Stream Video Link
Download and run VideoHunter YouTube Downloader. On the downloader's home screen, paste the YouTube live stream video link to the address bar. Click the "Analyze" button and the program will initiate the link analysis.
Step 3. Download YouTube Live Streams to MP4
When a window pops up with various output settings, select the output format and quality you prefer, such as "MP4" and "1080P". Then click the "Download" button and the program will download the live video from YouTube in no time.
Tips: For video definition, it would be better to choose 720P if the YouTube live stream exceeds 3 hours. In this way, it will be kept in comparatively small size but decent quality.
NOTE VideoHunter delivers a powerful upgrade to its all-in-one VideoHunter Video Downloader, making it easier than ever to save videos from streaming platforms (e.g. YouTube, Netflix), social media (e.g. TikTok, Instagram), and 1,000+ websites. If you use multiple platforms, don't hesitate to give it a shot!
Method 2. Download YouTube Livesream Video Online for Free
Another free option is to use online YouTube downloaders. Among the many available, Y2mate stands out as a convenient and free tool for efficiently downloading YouTube live streams. Being web-based, it allows you to save live videos directly from your browser, making it accessible on any device with ease.
Do note that online tools like Y2mate don't offer different quality options to select. On Y2mate, you can only download YouTube live streams as videos at the highest 720P (even the original video sources deliver 1080P image quality). Also, the messy pop-up ads on the website can be a threat.
- First, copy the link of the wanted YouTube live video from YouTube.
- Open a new tab in the browser and turn to Y2mate. After pasting the link to the address bar, it will automatically parse the link and convert the video for you.
- Select a format and a resolution to download YouTube live stream video as a local file on your device.
Method 3. Extract a Livestream from YouTube via Open-Source Tool
As an open-source tool with hidden YouTube video download features, VLC media player has been long used to download YouTube videos. Therefore, using VLC to download live streams from YouTube for free is also a solution.
However, during the test, VLC often encountered unexpected errors, probably because it's free and open-source without regular maintenance. It runs slower than other YouTube livestream downloaders when parsing the link. Sometimes it failed to parse the link of YouTube live videos longer than an hour.
Additionally, VLC lacks options for video quality and formats, with 720P being the maximum resolution supported for YouTube live streams. If you’re looking to download YouTube videos in 1080P MP4, VLC might not be the best choice.
NOTE If you would like to download YouTube live stream videos in HD, VideoHunter YouTube Downloader is a more ideal option. It can download YouTube livestreams with up to 8K quality and also guarantees a 100% success rate. You can install it for free and try it now.
Still, this cross-platform multifunctional tool is a good option to download YouTube live streams. Here are 5 steps to free downloading YouTube streaming Videos with VLC.
Step 1. Copy the YouTube live stream link.
Step 2. Open VLC Media Player and go to "Media" on the menu bar. Select "Open Network Stream" from the list.
Step 3. In the pop-up window, paste the link of the YouTube live stream you want to download to the search bar, then click "Play".
Step 4. Go to "Tools" and choose "Codec Information". When the window pops up, press "CTRL+A", and then "CTRL+C" to copy the link from the address bar below. (Using the mouse to copy the link is not allowed.)
Step 5. Then open a new tab in the browser, and wait for seconds. When the video start playing, indicating that the YouTube livestream has been successfully extracted, you can click the download button. Then the download task will start automatically.
Method 4. Save YouTube Livestream from the Beginning
To download YouTube live videos from the start or the one that's already in progress, using tools from GitHub, like ytarchive, can be a valuable workaround. This tool offers customizable video quality settings, allowing you to choose resolutions from 144p to 2160p (4K). An audio-only option is also available to extract just the sound from the livestream. Additionally, it can preserve metadata and information for easier file management.
However, ytarchive only supports Windows and Linux computers. It also requires some technical knowledge and is not beginner-friendly. If you're ready to give it a try, follow the instructions below.
- Install ytarchive and ffmpeg on your computer.
- Press Win + S, search for Environment Variables, and open it. Under System Variables, find and edit the Path variable.
- Add the directory where you downloaded the ytarchive.exe file to the list. Also Add ffmpeg's bin folder to the same path as well.
- Then press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter, to run the command prompt.
- Type the location where you downloaded the ytarchive.exe file.
- Then run the command like below. Remember type the actual YouTube livestream video ID (this is the string after v= in the video URL) in the designated field.
Tip:To customize output quality, metadata preservation, IP versions etc., you can follow the instructions on the GitHub page by typing different command options.
FAQs About YouTube Livestream
Q1 Is it possible to download a YouTube live stream for over 2 hours?
Definitely you can. To download long YouTube videos that are over 2 hours, using professional YouTube downloaders like VideoHunter YouTube Downloader can help you out. It ensures fast downloads and lossless quality to export YouTube videos to MP4, with subtitles merged. Compared with other YouTube live stream downloaders, this one ensures great stability in downloading long YouTube videos without errors.
Q2 How to download my own YouTube livestream?
If the live stream is under 12 hours long, YouTube can automatically archive it as a 1440p or 2160p (4K) video for YouTubers. And it is totally free to download your live streams to MP4 from your YouTube Studio. Simply follow the steps below to download your own YouTube live streams:
- Go to YouTube, and click your profile icon in the upper right corner.
- Choose YouTube Studio > Content > Live to access your live stream videos.
- Click the three-dot icon next to the live stream, and choose "Download". The live stream will be downloaded to an MP4 file .
Q3 How long can I live stream on YouTube?
There's no time limit on a YouTube live stream. That means you can live stream as long as you want on YouTube. However, YouTube can only capture live streams up to 12 hours long. So, if you want your stream to be complete and saved for viewing at a later time, 12 hours is the maximum limit.
Conclusion
Downloading YouTube live streams is a great way to preserve your favorite live events, matches, or broadcasts. If you are going to download YouTube live videos from the start, ytarchive is your go-to method.
For downloading uploaded YouTube livestream, whether you choose to use a dedicated YouTube downloader, an online tool, or an open-source program, each method offers distinct advantages based on your needs. Among these methods, using YouTube downloader like VideoHunter YouTube Downloader is the most recommended one, since it can offer 6X lightning-fast speed to download YouTube live stream in up to 8K quality. Download and try it now!
Download YouTube videos, audios, playlists, channels, and subtitles easily.
videohunter
Top 1 Online Video Downloader
