How to Find M3U8 Links: 3 Effective Methods

In the world of streaming media, M3U8 is a star player. It’s a playlist format that allows you to stream video online without downloading the entire file, simply by using the M3U8 resource link. You can play these links directly using an Online M3U8 Player. This article introduces three practical ways to find these M3U8 resource files.

Method 1: The Easiest Way – Using GitHub

Due to the widespread use of M3U8, GitHub is a treasure trove of curated lists. Simply search for keywords like “M3U8 resources” or “IPTV” to find numerous repositories. For example:

Tvlist-awesome-m3u-m3u8 archives over 8,000 publicly available IPTV channels from around the world.

iptv-org/iptv provides an M3U list containing thousands of channel resources.

Method 2: Inspect Browser Requests or Page Source

Most browsers come with built-in Developer Tools. Here’s how to use them in Chrome:

Open the webpage with the target video and ensure the video is playing.

Press F12 on your keyboard or right-click on a blank area and select “Inspect” to open the Developer Panel.

Navigate to the “Network” tab. This panel shows all resources loaded by the browser.

In the filter/search box within the Network panel, type “m3u8”. The tool will automatically filter the requests.

From the filtered results, find the request and copy its full URL address.
Alternatively, you can check the webpage’s source code:

On the video page, right-click on a blank area and select “View Page Source.”

Press Ctrl + F (Windows) or Cmd + F (Mac) to open the search box, and type “m3u8”.

You can often find a URL path like https://example.com/videos/2024/index.m3u8 within the source code. This is the M3U8 resource URL.

Method 3: Use a Browser Extension

If Method 2 seems too technical, browser extensions can simplify the process. You can find extensions like “Stream Recorder - download HLS as MP4” or “M3U8 Video Downloader” in the Chrome Web Store.

Simply click “Add to Chrome” to install the extension.

Then, open the video playback page. The extension will automatically detect streaming media resources.

When an M3U8 stream is identified, the extension’s icon will typically light up or change.

Click on the icon, and it will provide you with the direct M3U8 URL.

Important Considerations

The act of obtaining these URLs must be done with a strong emphasis on legality and compliance.

For Personal Learning Only: The methods described here are intended for educational purposes and accessing publicly available content.

Respect Copyright: It is strictly forbidden to use obtained URLs to download, distribute, or profit from copyrighted videos without authorization. Doing so infringes upon the legal rights of the copyright holders.