How to Record YouTube Live Stream Video Free [7 Ways]

Are you looking for how to record YouTube live stream? This article covers the seven best YouTube recorders for PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, and online.

You may also need:

Best Pick: Record YouTube Live Streams on Windows/Mac Perfectly

EaseUS RecExperts is one of the most recommended options for screen recording a YouTube live for free. It supports:

• High-quality recording to capture screen with 1080p/4K resolution, up to 144 fps, and lossless play track.
• Multiple audio track recordings to capture system sound and mic voice together or separately.
• High-efficient performance to record YouTube livestream without lag or stuttering.
• Stable recording abilities to ensure no automatic cut-off for extended live streams.
• Flexible output formats to save YouTube live in MP4, MKV, AVI, or more.
• Schedule recording to capture streams that start at specific times and a set duration.
• Watermark and ads-free recording to avoid brand overlays and intrusive advertisements

👉Download EaseUS RecExperts Windows version.

👉Download EaseUS RecExperts Mac version.

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🚩Steps for how to record live stream on YouTube on PC or Mac:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS RecExperts and select Full Screen as your recording mode. This ensures smooth capture of streaming movies, online shows, or live video content without missing any detail.

Step 2. Choose whether to record the Webcam, System Sound, or Microphone based on your needs. Then, open the major video sites or platforms you want to record from.

Step 3. If you experience a black screen when recording playback, enable the Black Screen Fix feature to ensure smooth video capture. Once it's turned on, the REC button will change to purple. Navigate back to your streaming video, then click the purple REC button to start capturing.

Step 4. After a 3-second countdown, the recording will begin. A floating taskbar will appear on your screen. Use the toolbar to Pause or Stop the recording anytime during playback.

Step 5. Once the recording ends, you'll be taken to the preview window. Here, you can watch, trim, or edit your captured video, ideal for reviewing recorded sessions, saving study notes, or creating commentary-based content.

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How to Record a Live Stream on MAC via QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player is a built-in media player and screen recording tool for macOS that allows users to capture their screen and audio in a full screen or customized region.

While it offers a simple and free way to record YouTube stream, it has some limitations. For example, it only captures external audio using the built-in mic or an external microphone.

If you want to screen record Mac with internal audio with QuickTime, you will need BlackHole or Soundflower as the output device. They are free to use.

🚩Check steps to record YouTube livestream on Mac with QuickTime Player:

Step 1. Download and install BlackHole on your Mac from its official website.

Step 2. Go to "Finder" > "Applications" > "Utilities" > "Audio MIDI Setup". Here, you can see all devices connected to your computer, including BlackHole.

Step 3. If you are using an additional external microphone and want to to capture the input, click the "+" sign at the left-bottom corner to select "Create Aggregate Device". Then, tick the "Built-in Microphone" and "BlackHole" from the list of audio devices. (Skip this step if you only capture the internal sound)

Step 4. To capture the system sound with Black Hole, click the "+" sign at the left-bottom corner to select "Create Multi-Output Devices". Then, tick the "Built-in Output" and "BlackHole" from the list of audio devices.

Step 5. Navigate to "Finder" > "Applications" > "QuickTime Player" > "File" > "New Screen Recording".

Step 6. Click Options and choose the microphone device and "BlackHole" to record the YouTube live with mic sound and system audio if needed.

Step 7. Click "Record Entire Screen" or "Record Selected Portion" and drag to fit the YouTube player.

Step 8. Open the YouTube live stream you want to record. Click "Record", then play the live stream. Let QuickTime capture the stream for as long as needed.

Step 9. Click the "Stop" button in the menu bar (or press Command + Control + Esc) when done.

Step 10. Go to "File" > "Save", choose a destination, and save your recording as a MOV file.

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How to Record YouTube Live Stream VLC

VLC is not only a free and open-source cross-platform video player with speed control but also a wonderful YouTube live stream recorder that supports screen recording live stream videos on your YouTube for free. This tool is compatible with most computer OS, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Here's how to record a YouTube live with VLC:

Step 1. Open your YouTube Live stream and copy the URL where you want to record videos from.

Step 2. Open VLC and go "Media" > "Open Network Stream" on the left-top corner.

Step 3. A new window will pop out. On the "Network" tab, paste the URL from YouTube Live, then click "Play."

Step 4. Click the red "Record" button to start screen recording. Then, hit it again to stop capturing the YouTube Live stream.

Step 5. When you finish recording, you can choose the "Media" button and click on the "Open Recent Media" button to watch the YouTube streaming video on your computer offline.

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Record Live YouTube Stream with OBS Studio

Another screen recording software for YouTube live streams is OBS. This tool is famous as a free and open source screen recorder for video recording and live streaming that applies to Windows, Mac, and Linux. This all-in-one video & audio recording software supports capturing screen and sound in high quality. OBS is an excellent choice for recording a YouTube Live stream on Mac to make things easier and faster.

🚩Steps for how to save YouTube live stream video with OBS:

Step 1. Go to the OBS Studio website and download the Windows, macOS, or Linux version. Install and open OBS Studio.

Step 2. Click the "+" button under the "Sources" panel. Select "Display Capture" (Windows) or "Screen Capture" (Mac). Name it (e.g., YouTube Live Recording) and click OK. Choose the screen where YouTube is playing and click OK.

Step 3. Click the "+" button in the "Sources" panel. Select "Audio Output Capture" (Windows) or "Application Audio Capture (BETA)" (Mac). Name it (e.g., System Audio) and click OK. Select the correct audio device:

• Windows: Choose "Default" or the specific output device.
• Mac: OBS does not capture system audio by default—you need BlackHole (recommended) or Loopback to reroute audio.

Step 4. Click "Settings" (bottom right). Go to "Output" > "Recording" tab. Choose:

• Recording Format: MP4 or MKV (MKV prevents data loss if interrupted).
• Encoder: H.264 (for high-quality recording).
• Bitrate: 5000-10000 kbps (higher for 4K).

Step 5. Open the YouTube live stream you want to record. Click "Start Recording" in OBS. Let OBS record the stream in the background.

Step 6. Once the stream ends, go to OBS and click "Stop Recording".

Step 7. The recording is saved in the "Videos" folder (default location). You can edit or convert the file as needed.

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How to record YouTube Live Stream Online Free

If you are looking for a download-free way to record YouTube stream, try EaseUS Online Screen Recorder. This web-based YouTube live recorder:

• Require no downloads, installations, and sign-ups. Completely free to use.
• Record screen with system audio, microphone sound, and webcam overylay.
• Save recorded file in MP4 format, easy for editing and sharing.
• Compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera, and almost all modern browsers.

🚩Steps to recording YouTube live stream online for free:

Step 1. Visit EaseUS Online Screen Recorder with a web browser on PC or mobile phone.

Step 2. Click "Start Recording" in the banner section. Grant recording permission to your cameras or microphones if needed on the popup.

Step 3. Open the live stream on YouTube you want to record, select what to share (a tab, window, or entire screen), toggle "Also share tab audio" if you need to capture audio, and click "Share".

Step 4. Turn on System Sound, Microphone, or Webcam. Click "Record" to start recording. Click "Done" to end the session when done.

Step 5. You can preview the recording. Then, select "Save Video" to download the recording to your device or choose "Record Another" to start over.

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How to Record YouTube Stream on Android

If you use an Android mobile phone to watch and record YouTube Live stream, we suggest AZ Screen Recorder is a good choice. With a ton of features like screen capture, screen video recorder, video editor, live stream screen, this screen recording app provides you an easy way to rip YouTube Live stream.

How to Record YouTube Live Videos on Android:

Step 1. Run YouTube and open the live stream that you want to record.

Step 2. Launch AZ Screen Recorder, click the "Recording" button and choose the "START NOW" option on a new window.

Step 3. When you need to pause or stop recording, you can pull down the window on the top of your screen and tap the relevant buttons.

Step 4. The recorded YouTube Live stream videos will be displayed on the top of your screen.

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How to Capture YouTube Live Stream Video on iPhone

iPhone users are allowed to record screens with the embedded iOS screen recorder. So you can record a YouTube Live stream on your iPhone without downloading any application. All you need to do is just a few clicks on your screen.

🚩Steps to Record YouTube Live on iPhone:

Step 1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open "Control Center". Tap the "Screen Recording" button (a dot inside a circle) to start recording.

Step 2. After a 3-second countdown, the recording begins. Quickly navigate to the video you want to capture. A red dot in the status bar confirms the recording is active.

Step 3. To stop recording, tap the red status bar at the top of the screen and select "Stop".

Step 4. Access and edit your recording in the "Photos" app.

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Conclusion

To wrap up, 7 YouTube live recorders to capture YouTube Live streams on different devices are covered in this post. You can choose any of them per your actual situation. As for those who want to know how to record YouTube live stream on a PC or Mac, we highly recommend EaseUS RecExperts since it offers the most features you desire.

How to Record YouTube Live Stream FAQs

In this part, we collect several relevant questions to record a YouTube Live stream and offer answers, respectively. We hope they can benefit you more or less.

1. Can you record a live stream from YouTube?

Yes, you can record YouTube live Videos with EaseUS RecExperts. Follow those steps to capture the video you want to save.

Step 1. Launch this recorder on your device.

Step 2. Select "Full Screen" or "Region" to select the recording area. You can record part of the screen as well as full screen.

Step 3. Choose a suitable sound source and click on the "REC" button to start recording.

Step 4. Click on the "Stop recording" button when you want to save the video you captured.

2. How do I record a live video on YouTube?

YouTube does not have a recording feature to capture videos. You can use some screen recorders on your computer to record and save a video. Then, you can upload the video to YouTube. If you have a mobile device, you can record videos with your phone's camera and upload them with the YouTube app.

3. How long can I live stream on YouTube?

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 live stream, a single public archive will be generated for up to 12 hours.

4. Can you have a private YouTube Live stream?

The answer is YES. YouTube has three different options for live streaming - Public, Private, and Unlisted. YouTube's Private streaming allows you to share your video with 50 different people at once. Private videos will not appear in any of the search results or video recommendations.

5. Can YouTube Live be pre-recorded?

Yes, you can pre-record a video and stream it as a YouTube Live broadcast. This is called a "Premiere" or "Simulated Live Stream". Here's how you can do it:

Option 1. Use YouTube Premiere (Built-in Feature)

Step 1. Upload your video to YouTube Studio.

Step 2. Choose "Premiere" instead of a regular upload.

Step 3. Set a date & time for the "live" broadcast.

Step 4. Viewers can watch and interact via live chat as if it's a real-time event.

Option 2. Use OBS or Streaming Software for Simulated Live

Step 1. Open OBS Studio, Streamlabs, or other live streaming software.

Step 2. Add your pre-recorded video as a media source.

Step 3. Start streaming to YouTube Live just like a real-time broadcast.