How to Extract M3U8 Links from Web Pages
Browser Developer Tools
Using Chrome as an example:
- Open the web page containing the video.
- Press
F12to open Developer Tools and switch to the Network tab. - Start playing the video so network requests begin loading.
Filtering M3U8 Requests
- Type
m3u8into the filter box of the Network panel. - Look for requests whose type is
x-mpegURLorvnd.apple.mpegURL. - Right-click the request → Copy → Copy link address to get the m3u8 URL.
If nothing shows up, try searching for .ts segments instead — the m3u8 playlist is usually located in their parent directory.
Practical Tips
- Enable Preserve log so request records are not lost after page navigation.
- For dynamically loaded videos, you may need to trigger playback before the m3u8 request appears.
- Some sites obfuscate or encrypt their m3u8 URLs, which requires analyzing their JavaScript logic to recover.
- On mobile, use packet-sniffing apps such as Stream, or use Chrome's mobile device emulation on a PC.
Once you have extracted the m3u8 link, paste it into the online player to verify playback.