How to Record a Live Streaming Video on Mac and PC

To record live streaming video, open the stream and choose a screen recorder on your Mac or Windows computer. Select the stream area, turn on the audio source you need, and start recording. When the stream ends, stop the recorder and save the video. You can use built-in tools or Snagit.

Key Takeaways

• Select only the screen area that contains the live stream.
• Choose microphone audio, system audio, or both when the recorder supports those options.
• Save the finished recording as an MP4 when that format is available.
• For a long recording, turn off sleep mode and screensavers before you begin.
• Get permission before you record or share a live stream, meeting, or webinar.

Choose the right recording tool

Tool	Best for
Screenshot on Mac	Capture a selected screen area with microphone audio.
Game Bar on Windows	Capture a live stream on Windows and save it as an MP4.
Camtasia Snagit	Select a recording area, control the microphone and system audio, and cut parts you do not need.
Camtasia Editor	Change video speed, add captions and subtitles, or sync audio and video sources.

How to record live streaming video with built-in tools

Both macOS and Windows include tools that can record streaming video without additional software. Use the steps below for your operating system.

How to record a live stream on Mac

If you’re a Mac user, the built-in screen capture tool, Screenshot, is a simple way to record a live stream. Provided you’re using macOS Mojave or later, here’s how you can record a live video on Mac in five simple steps:

1. Open Screenshot: Press Shift+Command+5 at the same time. This will open the Screenshot toolbar.
2. Choose your recording area: There’s no need to capture your whole screen if you don’t need to. Instead, select the specific part of your screen that you want to record.
3. Don’t miss the sound: Want to capture audio as well? Head to Options and make sure to select Microphone. This way, both visuals and sounds from the stream will be recorded, provided they’re loud enough to be picked up by your microphone.

Note: The built-in Screenshot tool on a Mac doesn’t have an option to record the system audio. This means you’ll need to turn up the volume on your machine to ensure the microphone picks it up.

4. Record your screen: When you’re ready to start, tap Record. Then, once you’re done, click the Stop symbol that will have appeared in your toolbar at the top of your screen.
5. Review your recording: You’ll see a thumbnail pop up in the bottom-right corner of your screen. If you click on it, you can trim your video, share and save it.

How to record a live stream on Windows

Windows users have access to a similar built-in feature: The Game Bar.

Originally created for the gaming community, the Game Bar can be used for a wide range of tasks — even those that have nothing to do with gaming! This built-in tool can record live streams across browsers, applications, and other programs on Windows.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to recording a live video on your PC:

1. Activate the Game Bar: Press Windows key + G. This will open up the Game Bar on your screen.
2. Personalize your preferences: Navigate to Settings, then to General. Here, you can turn specific features on or off as needed.
3. Start recording: Once you’re all set up, hit Start Recording to begin capturing your live video.
4. End and save: After recording, your video will be auto-saved as an MP4 file, making it universally accessible across devices and platforms.

How to record live streaming video with Camtasia Snagit

Step 1: Find a desktop capture tool

First, find a great screen recorder and screen capture tool. Camtasia Snagit lets you select a capture area and control audio sources, which makes it a solid choice for recording a live stream. It’s great for capturing screen recordings easily. You can even cut out the parts you don’t need.

If, however, you need a tool with greater editing capabilities, check out Camtasia Editor. While Camtasia Snagit is perfect for simple recordings and basic editing, Camtasia Editor offers the advanced functionality of a professional editing suite while remaining easy to use.

With Camtasia Editor, you can change the speed of a video, add captions and subtitles, and even sync audio and video sources in just a few simple steps.

Step 2: Adjust your recording settings

Once you’ve downloaded Snagit, open it and check that everything is set up to record a video rather than capture an image.

After selecting the area of the screen you want to record, the screen recorder toolbar will appear. You can then choose to record microphone audio, system audio (or both!) alongside the screen recording.

If you’re recording a video that’s streaming live, then there’s a good chance you’ll want to capture the audio as well. This includes any sound from your computer, such as application alerts and the audio playing from your speakers. So, if you want that included in your recording, make sure the system audio is selected.

Step 3: Select an area to record

Click the Capture button, then select your entire screen, a specific window, or a custom region. Here’s an example of a NASA live stream:

As you can see, we only captured the streaming video section of YouTube, rather than the entire browser window.

Step 4: Hit record

Once you’ve made your selection, click the Record button to start.

With Camtasia Snagit, you can pause and resume the recording at any time. You can also record your webcam at the same time as your screen, which we call a picture-in-picture recording.

When you’re done recording, click the Stop button.

If you plan to record a long video stream, it’s worth noting that if your computer goes to sleep or a screensaver starts running, your screen recording may be interrupted. So, if you plan to start recording a live stream video and walk away from your device, you may want to turn off screensavers and sleep mode in your computer settings.

Step 5: Save and upload

Once you have your video, you can save it to your computer as an MP4 file or upload it to a platform such as Screencast to share as needed. Snagit and Camtasia both have built-in export features for popular platforms such as YouTube, Slack, and plenty more.

Snagit even lets you turn a video into a GIF. But remember, GIF files don’t support audio.

Recording a live stream lets you save and share it later. If, for example, you’re a remote worker, then you might find it useful to record Zoom meetings for future reference or to share with colleagues who couldn’t attend.

It is, however, important to make sure you have permission to record and share content. If you were to ever pay to attend a webinar, record it, and share it with your coworkers, you and your organization could end up in trouble.

Record your screen with Camtasia Snagit

Snagit makes it easy to share quick updates and how-tos by capturing exactly what’s happening on your screen.

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FAQs

Can I record the video and audio on a live stream at the same time?

With Snagit and Camtasia, you can! Simply toggle the aspects you want to record, like your screen or system audio. Use microphone audio for narration, system audio for the stream’s own sound, or both if you want to capture everything at once.

How do I record a live stream online?

To record a live stream online, Camtasia Editor and Snagit offer recording and editing options built for this. You can also use built-in tools such as Screenshot on macOS or the Game Bar on Windows, though these lack the audio and editing flexibility of dedicated software. Select the screen area that contains the stream, choose your audio source, and save the recording when the stream ends.

Can I legally record and share a live stream?

Make sure you have permission before you record or share live content. This applies to meetings, webinars, and other streams that may not belong to you. Recording paid content and sharing it with others without permission could create problems for you or your organization.

Is live streaming the same as recording?

No. Live streaming presents video in real time as it is broadcast. Recording captures the on-screen stream and saves it as a video file that you can review later.