Wistia usually hides its video streams behind embed scripts, but every Wistia video ultimately loads an HLS playlist ending in .m3u8.
Once you locate that playlist URL, downloading the video becomes simple using tools like yt-dlp or ffmpeg.
This guide walks you through:
- How to find the
.m3u8URL using Chrome DevTools - How to download the video using
yt-dlp(recommended) - Alternative download methods
- How to fix common issues like 403 errors
👉 Get the Kajabi Video Downloader
Follow these steps on the page where the Wistia video is embedded.
Use the shortcuts:
- Mac:
⌥ Option + ⌘ Command + I - Windows:
Ctrl + Shift + I
Then switch to the Network tab.
Press:
- Mac:
⌘R - Windows:
Ctrl+R
This ensures all network requests reload and appear in the list.
In the Network search bar, type: m3u8
You should see a request similar to: https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/XXXXXXXX.m3u8
or
https://embed-abc.wistia.com/deliveries/abcdef123456.m3u8
Right-click the .m3u8 request →
Copy → Copy URL
This is your direct video stream URL.
Once you have the .m3u8 link, run: yt-dlp “M3U8_URL_HERE”
Example: yt-dlp “https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/vh3fhq0jkl.m3u8”
This will:
- Detect the highest quality
- Download all HLS segments
- Merge them into a final MP4 file automatically
yt-dlp -f best “https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/vh3fhq0jkl.m3u8”
yt-dlp -o “video.mp4” “https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/vh3fhq0jkl.m3u8”
| Tool | Best For | Command Example |
|---|---|---|
| yt-dlp | Easiest & Best Quality | yt-dlp M3U8_URL |
| ffmpeg | Manual control | ffmpeg -i M3U8_URL -c copy out.mp4 |
| streamlink | Live streams | streamlink M3U8_URL best -o out.mp4 |