How to Download M3U8 Videos with an M3U8 Downloader Software

Streaming videos online and offline has become a significant source of entertainment for most people. Sometimes you must have come across some videos you find online but could not download them due to the website's internal making and scripting, which is often M3U8 encrypted.

In the article, we will tell you about one of the easiest and the best methods to download videos with an M3U8 file download software.

1. What Is M3U8 Encryption, and How Does It Work?

M3U8 is an extension used to describe the location of both an audio and a video file. It is plain text, and it only contains the address, not the actual streamable audio of the video file. It is a UTF-8 Encoded Audio Playlist file.

Most websites that provide video streaming services online use this type of encryption so that their content doesn't get stolen. You may play the video or the audio file but can not download it like other files. This method stores the audio or the video file in a separate secured location and uses a gateway to play the files in a different place.

2. How Do Online Media Players Use M3U8 Files?

The best example of M3U8 files and their working is online media players. Most of the time, people often make playlists on the online media player to listen to that song and can easily select the whole category at one click but can't download it.

Even if you have the address of the playlist, you can only find the addresses of files inside it, not the actual files.

An M3U8 file can get you directly to the required location without surfing, which is a significant advantage. The media files are less likely to get stolen using this process and are very effective in most cases.

3. Where Can You Find M3U8 or HLS Encryption?

HLS and M3U8 are two of the most popular encryption methods available on average websites and can provide high security to your content. HLS, also known as HTTP Live Streaming, was designed by Apple Inc. in 2009.

It is one of the most secure Encryption methodologies and provides security on various levels. It hides the key media file and secures its location through multiple firewalls.

The most common place where you can find HLS and M3U8 encryptions are in websites that play online video content and don't want their data stolen.

If the media is played without encryption, it could be downloaded with a single click and can be easily stolen. Both encryption methods provide a high level of security to your content and save it from others.

4. Why Do I Need an M3U8 Downloader?

Downloading a media file from a website implemented with DRM M3U8 encryption requires a downloader that supports M3U8 encryption.

If you download the file directly from chrome or any other browsing website and open it, you will only find a text file that contains the address of the media files.

It is necessary to have a player on your desktop or PC which supports M3U8 encrypted media files. Many media players support the M3U8 media file format, but first, you need to have both the address and the media on your hard disk. It is a more complex process than downloading and playing a simple MP4 file.

5. How Can You Play the M3U8 File in a Browser

As we have mentioned earlier, an M3U8 file contains the address of the media file, and you are only required to browse to that address to play the media file. The simplest way of doing that is by copying the address and then pasting it on your browser's search bar.

If the address is pasted without any error, you will be directly transferred to the media file, and you can play it. The type of browser does not matter, and you can choose any browser and use either Windows or Mac machines for this process.

6. How to Play the M3U8 File in Windows?

M3U8 files can be easily opened on your Windows pc, but it is most likely to open in your notepad or any other text editor available on your device. The M3U8 file being in a text format, opens in a text editor.

You can still play the media file linked with the M3U8 file in the media player pre-installed on your machine. You may have to select additional features manually before playing the file.

The most significant advantage of using the Windows Media Player is that you don't have to waste any extra space downloading any third-party application.

However, the experience in Windows Media Player might not be up to your expectations, and in that case, you can shift to other popular third-party apps which support M3U8 files. Many online applications support M3U8 encrypted files and can be easily played with additional features.

7. How to Play M3U8 Media Files in Mac

You can either play the M3U8 media files using a third-party application on your Mac or directly into the browser. If you want to play it into your browser, you can paste the address of the video into the web browser, and it will be played automatically.

The variety of web browsers doesn't matter, and you can choose their official browser Safari, Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or any other browser available on your Mac for this.

You can also download a third-party application that supports M3U8 files to play it on your Mac. Playing HLS files on a Mac is easier compared to playing M3U8 files, so most people shift to a third-party application for this purpose. You can download media players like VLC to play M3U8 video files on your Mac without any worries.

8. How to Download M3U8 Videos

You cannot download M3U8 videos through the original website where you find the audio or video file. However, it is still possible to do the M3U8 download by using a website that supports downloading the M3U8 file.

One of the best websites to download video from M3U8 sites is StreamFab DRM M3U8 Downloader. It is one of the most popular websites for downloading M3U8 files and provides many additional features apart from just downloading the file.

Stream Fab not only supports the DRM M3U8 encrypted video but can also download from websites based on HLS protocol. It can prove very useful if you are looking to download a video that is not readily available and can get it directly into your hard disk.

8.1 Features of StreamFab DRM M3U8 Downloader

Apart from the basic feature of downloading that any downloader can provide, StreamFab offers many additional features. Let's discuss some more about them:

• Download instantly without having to do anything

StreamFab DRM M3U8 Downloader automatically detects the video played on the website and starts downloading with a single click. You don't have to give this software additional instructions to download a particular video.

You can surf the video, open it in your browser, and this software will automatically detect the video and will present you with the option to download it.

• Choose The Required Quality of Video

You can download the video in your required quality. Most people like their video streaming in high quality, and for those people, this software provides options to choose 2160p HD video quality.

If you are running low on data or storage, you can also shift to the less-data-intense 480p option and download your video in the best resolution in the minimum space possible.

• Remove Ads from your favorite Videos

Video ads have become one of the most popular methods for sites to make money, but it has also made the video streaming experience more annoying.

Most of the time, the ads are played in between the video to grab more attention from the viewers, which can get annoying sometimes.

You can directly eliminate those annoying ads and experience a flawless video-streaming experience by downloading through StreamFab downloader. If you want your videos to be ads-free, then using stream fab is one of the best methods.

• Convert Your Video from M3U8 format to MP4 or MKV format

The biggest issue with M3U8 is its playing method, and it is better to download your file in MP4 format rather than downloading it into M3U8 and converting it.

Using StreamFab, you can directly download your videos in MP3 or MKV format in any quality you like. This can be regarded as one of the best features in StreamFab for M3U8 or HLS encrypted websites.

MP3 and MKV are the most compatible media formats and support almost every device and operating system. Downloading your media files in this format also makes it easier to edit and manipulate the videos.

• Batch Download Your Videos

Using StreamFab gives you the option to download your favorite playlist and series in one go. It is much easier to download a whole playlist at once rather than selecting each video individually and downloading it.

You can download your favorite playlist of videos or your favorite series in one go. Downloading the videos in a batch also gives your data speed and makes the download faster and easier.

• Download the Subtitles in SRT format

By using StreamFab, you get the option to download the subtitles of your media in SRT files. You can select subtitles of any language available on the website and download them as per your liking. You can download one or all the subtitles available in one click, making your streaming experience more flawless.

• Turn your Media Into Blu-Ray File

Blu-Ray is one of the most popular formats for high-quality storage. The essential requirement for using Blu-Ray is that you need your content in the highest quality available for a better screen resolution and clarity.

On your chrome browser, you can directly select the StreamFab M3U8 downloader chrome extension to import the downloaded file into DVDFab Blu-Ray Creator. It can then burn your MP4 or MKV into a Blu-Ray Disc or save it into your hard disk in Blu-Ray format.

• Download the Metadata Of The Media

With all its additional features, you can also get the option to download the metadata of your favorite videos. Metadata includes things like song title, album name, artist name, production details, and many other things that a true music lover would like to learn about.

With Stream Fab DRM M3U8 Downloader, you can download the media's metadata too, which will make it very easy for you to handle the videos you download.

Managing videos and media files becomes very easy with the help of meta-data. Not many other software gives you the option to download the metadata of your media files.

8.2 How to Download M3U8 Videos by Using StreamFab M3U8 Video Downloader

StreamFab DRM M3U8 Downloader is a very easy-to-use software available for both Windows and Mac which lets you download M3U8 videos. You can download it on your PC, and it supports almost every Windows version from 7 to 11.

You can also purchase a premium pack for additional features which can make your video browsing experience richer. Using Stream Fab is very simple and user-friendly, and by using the steps mentioned below, you can download any video from the internet.

• Download the StreamFab application from its official website and install it on your PC or laptop. It is available for both Apple and Windows pc.
• Sign up in StreamFab to fill in all the necessary data.
• Stream Fab has its own in-built browser where you can browse and download M3U8 online. Also, there are many popular site options on the home screen to download from.
• Browse to the website from which you want to download the video file.
• Then select the video you want to download and then play it.
• You will find a download button on the top-left corner of the playback screen. Click on that to open the downloading window.
• Select the resolution you want to download your video in, and then with just one click, your M3U8 video download will begin.
• You can also select the batch download option by opening a playlist and then selecting the download button.

A Few Final Words

Most of the websites use M3U8 encryption to save their content from piracy. You mustn't download the videos for commercial purposes as it might cause copyright issues against you.

StreamFab DRM M3U8 Downloader is meant for downloading and streaming videos for entertainment purposes. Our guide above has shown how to download M3U8 videos using StreamFab, but we hope that our readers will use this method responsibly.