KB: How to download M3U8 URLs

To download an M3U8 URL you either need to click the 'Add' button (see below) or use the Find web browser.

Add button location on M3U8 Downloader main window

Following either of these paths will show the 'Add URL' window:

Add URL window in M3U8 Downloader

If the 'Add URL' window was launched from the Find web browser then the URL will be pre-populated.

Now enter or browse to where you would like to save the resultant MP4 file to.

Finally, click the 'Add' button. This will then download the specified M3U8 file and analyse it. If this is a master M3U8 file with multiple streams defined then you will be presented with the 'Select Stream' window to choose which stream to download.

Select Stream window in M3U8 Downloader

Select the desired stream and click 'OK'.

The download will then be added to the downloads list on the main window. If your options allow it, the download may start straight away or be queued.

Main window in M3U8 Downloader with a download in-progress

Clicking on a download will display the download progress, if enabled (as shown above).

You can view additional information about the download by right-clicking the download and selecting 'View Details...'.

Download file details window in M3U8 Downloader showing master M3U8 file contents

This contains lots of useful information regarding the download, including a log, which can be very useful to debug download issues.

When a download has completed, it will immediately be stitched together to produce the resultant MP4 file, which will get saved to the location you selected earlier.

When the stitching process has completed, it will be marked as "Complete" in the downloads list.

Main window in M3U8 Downloader showing completed downloads

Double-clicking a "Complete" download will launch the resultant MP4 file in your system configured video player.