Facebook Live allows users to broadcast live video streams to their Facebook friends and followers. It has become a popular way to share live events, engage with audiences in real time, and create video content. One common question about Facebook Live is whether viewers can save the live videos to watch later if they missed the original broadcast.
The Short Answer
Yes, Facebook Live videos can be saved and watched later. There are a few different ways viewers can save Facebook Live videos:
- The broadcaster can choose to save the live video to their Facebook video library after the broadcast ends. This allows anyone to watch the full video later.
- Viewers can use screen recording software or Facebook Live downloaders to record the video as it streams live.
- Facebook automatically generates preview clips from Live broadcasts, which viewers can save and share.
So while Facebook Live streams are ephemeral by default, there are multiple options to preserve and rewatch the videos after they are originally broadcasted.
Saving Live Videos to Facebook
The easiest way to save a Facebook Live video is to have the original broadcaster save the full video to their Facebook video library. Here is how it works:
- When the user ends their Facebook Live broadcast, they will get an option to “Save Video.”
- If they click Save Video, the full video will be saved to their Facebook videos.
- The video will then be available for viewing by anyone, even people who did not see the original live stream.
- There is no time limit on how long the video can remain on Facebook.
This is the best option if you want to easily share the full video after you are done broadcasting live. The video will function just like any other video uploaded to Facebook. The only catch is that you must be the original broadcaster of the Live video in order to save it.
How to Save a Facebook Live Video
- Start a Facebook Live broadcast from your News Feed or Timeline as you normally would.
- When you are finished broadcasting, end the video.
- You will get a prompt asking if you want to save the video. Click “Save Video.”
- The video will now be saved to your Facebook videos.
- You can edit the video description and title, just like a normal uploaded video.
- Now the full video will be available for viewing whenever you or anyone else visits your Facebook videos page.
Using Screen Recording Software
If you are watching someone else’s Facebook Live video and want to save it, one option is to use screen recording software. This allows you to record the Facebook Live stream on your computer as you watch it.
Here are some free screen recorders that can be used to save Facebook Live videos:
| Screen Recorder | Platform |
|---|---|
| OBS Studio | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Flashback Express | Windows |
| Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder | Chrome browser |
To use these tools to record a Facebook Live video:
- Launch the screen recorder and configure your recording settings.
- Open the Facebook Live video you want to save in your browser.
- Start recording your screen.
- When the Facebook Live video ends, stop the screen recording.
- The video will be saved as a video file on your computer.
The advantage of using a screen recorder is you don’t need the broadcaster’s permission to save the video. The disadvantage is that you must record the entire stream in real time rather than downloading the full video file.
Using a Facebook Live Downloader
Another option for saving Facebook Live videos is to use an online Facebook Live downloading tool. These tools allow you to provide a link to a Facebook Live video and download an MP4 video file of the full stream.
Some popular Facebook Live video downloaders include:
- SaveFrom
- fbdown.net
- downloadfacebook.com
To use one of these tools to download a Facebook Live video:
- Go to the Facebook Live video page that has the full stream.
- Copy the URL of the video page.
- Go to the webpage for the download tool and paste the Facebook Live video URL.
- Click the “Download” button. The site will download the full video file in MP4 format.
- Save the video file to your computer.
The advantage of these downloader tools is you can quickly get the Facebook Live video in an easy to share video file format. The disadvantage is the download quality may not be as high as a direct capture.
Saving Clips from Facebook
If the full Facebook Live video is not available, another option is to save shorter clips from the stream. There are a couple ways to get clips:
- Preview Clips – Facebook automatically generates preview clips from Live streams once broadcast starts. Go to the video page on Facebook and save any short preview clips that are available.
- User Clips – Sometimes Facebook users will clip and share short segments from a Live video themselves. You can save these clips like normal embedded Facebook videos.
The clips give you the ability to save highlights from a Facebook Live video without needing the full stream. However, preview clips are limited to a few seconds long and user clips may not cover all the key moments.
Other Considerations
When saving Facebook Live videos, keep the following in mind:
- Make sure to only share and download videos in accordance with Facebook’s Terms of Service.
- Downloaded videos may not have the same quality as the live stream depending on your internet connection.
- Try to save or record Facebook Live videos as soon as possible, since not all broadcasts are saved by the creators after they end.
- Screen recording a long video can take up a lot of storage space on your device.
Conclusion
There are a variety of methods you can use to save Facebook Live videos and watch them later – from having the broadcaster save the full stream, to using screen recording software, to downloading the video through a web tool. Each approach has its own pros and cons. In most cases you should be able to find a way to preserve a Facebook Live video if you were unable to watch it live and don’t want to miss out on the content.