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YouTube Live has become one of the most popular platforms for live streams, including games, webinars, and real-time tutorials. As a stream creator, you may want to download your live broadcasts. Or, as a viewer, you may want to save a live YouTube stream for future viewing. In these cases, an effective way to record YouTube Live is vital.
However, YouTube doesn't offer viewers an official feature to download live streams. So, in this article, we will provide both the official way for creators and practical ways for the audience, covering Windows, Mac, iOS, Android devices, and online recording tools. Let's get started now!
Why Record a YouTube Live Stream?
Recording a YouTube live stream has many benefits for both creators and viewers.
For creators:
• For creators: Live streams aren't always saved by default.
• Repurpose stream content: Use the recording to create highlights, short clips, reaction videos, and other second production.
• Avoid technical fault: Having a local recording can save your content if your internet lags or something goes wrong during the stream.
For viewers:
• Watch offline: Record the stream to watch later anywhere and anytime.
• Save streams permanently: Recording ensures you don't miss out even if creators delete or hide streaming videos.
• Review valuable information: Convenient for webinars, Q&A sessions, or tutorials you may want to revisit.
How to Record YouTube Live Stream as a Creator
If you are a YouTube streamer, you can easily record your live stream using the official archive feature. Here is a step-by-step guide for you.
STEP 1. Start a live stream on YouTube.
STEP 2. The feature will record your live stream automatically in the background as broadcasting, and then the recorded videos will show up in YouTube Studio later.
STEP 3. You can review it when the live stream ends, publish, hide, or delete it as you like.
Although convenient, the more guaranteed method is to record and preserve the YouTube live video in the local files as a backup. So, please read on to get a native and permanent YouTube live stream download!
How to Record YouTube Live Stream as a Viewer
If you are a viewer, you can try the third-part programs to record YouTube live streams. The following are two feasible ways for you.
Record YouTube Live Stream with VideoSolo Screen Recorder
With various streaming video capture tools available, VideoSolo Screen Recorder must be our top recommendation for YouTube live stream recording on both Windows and Mac. It helps you record real-time and even on-coming YouTube live streams in up to 4K resolution. If you've never used a screen recorder before, the intuitive user interface of VideoSolo will definitely provide a smooth user experience with its great features.
VideoSolo Screen Recorder
- Capture YouTube live stream with lossless quality
- Customize recording area to record YouTube live stream
- Lock the window and block disturbances during YouTube live stream capture
- Scheduled Recording to record live stream YouTube automatically
- Provide trimming tools after you record live YouTube
Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP macOS 10.7 or above
Next, I will walk you through every step of how to record a YouTube Live Video. Install and launch this software, and let's get it started.
STEP 1. Click "Video Recorder" to Capture YouTube Live Stream
If you want to record the video and audio of a YouTube live stream simultaneously, you should choose Video Recorder. To record only audio from the YouTube live stream, click Audio Recorder. You may also learn more details through this article How to Record Audio from the Internet (Include Streaming Music and Radio).
STEP 2. Select the Recording Area and Adjust System Sound
As you proceed to Video Recorder, you may choose to record the full screen or customize the recording area by selecting a region/window or some fixed dimensions.
After that, remember to toggle on System Sound to set a proper system volume. To avoid unnecessary noise, it is suggested to turn off the microphone unless you want to narrate during the YouTube Live stream capture.
STEP 3. Start to Record YouTube Live Stream
Click on the red REC button to begin recording a YouTube live stream. Of course, during the recording process, you can click buttons on the floating panel to pause/resume the recording, add annotations, and add shapes and arrows.
After recording, VideoSolo provides a preview of your recordings. You can trim the recorded YouTube live stream and save it to your computer drive.
Bonus Tip:
You can use Task Schedule (which is shown as a Clock icon) to set the recording process in advance. (This function is only launched in the Windows version.) Click Task Schedule > Add new task, and set its start time and stop time. Press OK to save your operation. The program will automatically start recording at the preset start time, making it also convenient to record YouTube live streams.
For a detailed guide on using this function, you may read this article: How to Use Task Scheduler of VideoSolo Screen Recorder (Windows).
Record YouTube Live Stream with OBS Studio
Apart from VideoSolo, OBS Studio is also a great tool to record YouTube live streams, which is a free and open-source recording software. Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, it is ideal for recording YouTube streams and exporting them as MP4 files with various definitions up to 4K. Further, the custom transition feature helps you to switch naturally between scenes.
Let's see the steps in detail using OBS.
STEP 1. Install and launch OBS Studio.
STEP 2. Adjust the output parameters.
Click "Settings" in the lower right corner. Click "Output" to select the saving path and format. Select "Audio" to change the "Desktop Audio" to "Default". "Video" to choose the desired resolution.
STEP 3. Set the recording window.
Tap "+" in the Source section and choose "Window Capture", then select the window you need to record in the dropdown list of "Window". Then, click "OK".
STEP 4. Hit "Start Recording" in the lower corner. Stop the recording until the desired recording finishes.
Note: OBS exists drawsides compared to VideoSolo Screen Recorder.
• The professional interface with a wide range of functional settings is not beginner-friendly.
• No built-in video editing function.
• Does not support scheduled recording.
• High requirements for system resources, older computers may experience lag.
How to Record Live YouTube Stream on Your Phone
Given that some of you would like to record live YouTuhbe streams on your phones, we also offer a comprehensive guide for iPhone and Android devices. You can employ the built-in screen recording tool to directly process recording. Read on to get!
Record YouTube Live Stream on iPhone
STEP 1. While playing a YouTube live stream, swipe down from the top right of your screen to launch the control center.
STEP 2. Tap the Record button and wait for the countdown to begin.
STEP 3. When the YouTube live stream ends, go back to the control center and tap the Record button again.
The screen recording can be found in your phone's Photos app.
Record YouTube Live Stream on Android
STEP 1. Find the YouTube live stream you want to record.
STEP 2. Drop down the notification bar and click on the "Screen Recording" icon and select recording source.
STEP 3. Click "Start Recording" and there will be a 3-second countdown.
STEP 4. When you finish recording, pull down the notification bar and click "Stop Recording".
The video will be automatically saved to the album or the screen recording folder.
Note: If you want clear quality, the volume of the recorded video will be very large, which is a challenge for the phone's storage. Before starting the recording, please ensure that the phone's memory is sufficient, otherwise it will stop halfway.
How to Record YouTube Live Stream Online Free
Supposing you just record for occasional use or do not want to install a specific program. In this situation, you can try an outstanding online screen recorder, Apowersoft, to record a YouTube live stream.
However, Apowersoft Online Screen Recorder lacks advanced features, like scheduled recording to automatically start and stop. Moreover, if you record a long live stream, it is not stable enough compared with software.
If you do not mind these, let's see the process of using Apowersoft.
STEP 1. Go to Apowersoft Online Screen Recorder in your browser. Click Start Recording. (If it’s your first time, download and install the launcher.)
STEP 2. Set Recording Area as Full Screen or drag to select the YouTube live window. Choose System sound to capture live stream audio. You can also enable microphone if needed.
STEP 3. Hit the REC button to start recording. Switch to your YouTube live stream and watch as normal.
STEP 4. When done, click Stop. Save the recording as an MP4 or other formats.
If you prefer a more handy YouTube screen recorder, VideoSolo Screen Recorder can preset the recording time and export recordings with higher quality up to 4K. Try it!
FAQs About YouTube Live Stream
Despite learning how to record YouTube Live stream on your computer, we've also collected some frequently asked questions to clear your doubts. Also, there are some tips for screen recording YouTube Live videos to help you gain better control.
Can I record a Youtube live stream on Windows without installing a program?
Well, we do have the method to capture YouTube Live Stream Video via the built-in screen recorder on Windows. If you own a PC running Windows 10/11, things will be getting easier with the Xbox Game Bar.
Follow the steps to record YouTube live stream with Xbox Game Bar:
STEP 1. Press Windows + G to launch Xbox Game Bar. And navigate to Settings, then select General to enable the features.
STEP 2. Click Start Recording to record your streaming video. Or you can press Win + Alt + R to start capturing your screen.
STEP 3. When finished, click Stop Recording. The video will be automatically saved as MP4 files on your computer.
Note: You can only record YouTube live stream in window mode by using the Xbox Game Bar. If you want to record a high-quality, full-screen video, VideoSolo Screen Recorder will be a better choice.
Will YouTube automatically save the live stream videos?
Yes. In fact, YouTube has an archive feature that gives you the chance to find and review the Live streaming that you've missed. Here's how the archive feature works: If the live stream is less than 12 hours, YouTube can automatically archive the file. And video resolutions that are higher than 1080p (such as 1440p and 4K) can be easily saved once you enable the YouTube Archive setting.
Still, the best and guaranteed method to preserve the YouTube Live video is to stream and record at the same time so that you can have a local archive as a backup.
How long can a live stream on YouTube last?
Generally, there is no duration limit for streaming a Live to YouTube. The only limitation is for the live stream recording on YouTube itself. When you do a live stream, a single public archive will be generated for up to 12 hours.
Can I have a private YouTube Live stream?
Yes. YouTube has three different options for live streaming – Public, Private, and Unlisted. YouTube's private videos will not appear in any of the search results or video recommendations, and the private live streaming allows you to share your video with 50 different people at once.
Conclusion
In a word, there are six methods of recording a YouTube live stream. The official way only suits streamers. OBS and the online tool cannot perform tasking recording. VideoSolo Screen Recorder helps you easily record a YouTube live stream, no matter if it is a real-time live stream or one that hasn't started yet.
Choose the most suitable one based on your personal needs and try it now!