How to Archive VTuber & Streamer Videos Before They're Deleted
Streams don't last. Channels get deleted, VTubers graduate, Twitch VODs expire after a few weeks, and creators quietly set videos to private. The only way to keep the moments that matter is to save them to your own drive before they're gone — and SVD does exactly that, whether the video is a finished VOD or a live broadcast still airing.
Why archive now, not later
By the time you go looking for a video, it's often already gone. The most common ways streamer content disappears:
- Graduations & retirements — a VTuber or streamer graduates and their channel, streams, and members-only archive come down all at once.
- Twitch VOD expiry — Twitch auto-deletes VODs after 7–60 days depending on the account. Highlights survive; the full broadcast usually doesn't.
- Going private or unlisted — creators clean up old streams, or a video gets pulled during a controversy.
- Channel termination & region locks — a whole channel vanishes, or a video becomes unavailable in your country.
Nothing can recover a video after it's deleted. Archiving is only ever a head-of-time action — which is the whole point of doing it proactively.
What you can archive
SVD saves non-DRM video from 1,800+ sites. The platforms fans archive most:
- YouTube Videos and Live broadcasts, including 24/7 live channels and members-only videos you can watch. Strong
- Twitch VODs, clips, sub-only content, and live channels in real time. Strong
- Bilibili B站 videos and bangumi up to 4K, including login-protected. Strong
- Niconico Premium-only, members, and live broadcasts via your browser login. Strong
- Weverse (paid) DRM-encrypted membership video. Not supported — no yt-dlp-based tool can save DRM content.
Archive in 4 steps
Install SVD
Grab the Mac or Windows build from the home page. Code-signed, notarized, and local-only — your archive never leaves your machine.
Copy the URL
Copy the video, VOD, or live page URL. Or use the SVD browser extension, which detects the video on the page and marks live pages with a 🔴 LIVE badge.
Download, record, or schedule
Finished VOD → download it. Live right now → record in real time and stop anytime. Not started yet → schedule it (see below).
Keep it organized
Turn on organize by site and SVD sorts saved files into per-domain folders automatically — a tidy archive you fully own.
Three ways to capture — this is SVD's edge
Most downloaders only handle finished videos. Archiving live culture needs more, so SVD gives you three modes:
- Download a VOD — save any finished video in your chosen quality, including login-walled and members-only (non-DRM) content via your browser cookies.
- Record a live stream — capture an ongoing broadcast in real time from the live edge, at source quality (not a lossy screen recording). Press stop and the captured portion is saved instantly; if your connection drops, the part already recorded is kept. Full live-recording guide →
- Schedule a recording — know a stream goes live at 8pm? Paste the URL, click Schedule, set a start (and optional end) time, and SVD records it for you automatically. Perfect for catching a broadcast you can't sit and wait for.
Start your archive
Free 7-day trial. No account needed. Everything you save stays on your machine.
Per-site archiving guides
Step-by-step walkthroughs for the platforms fans archive most:
Archive responsibly
Keep archives for personal, offline viewing. Saving publicly available, non-DRM video for yourself is generally fine in most places, but the specifics depend on your country and each site's terms. Respect the creators whose work you're keeping — don't re-upload, redistribute, or monetize it. SVD is a private, local tool: it exists so the videos you care about don't disappear on you, not to help spread other people's work.
Frequently asked questions
What can I archive with SVD?
Streams and VODs from YouTube (including Live), Twitch, Bilibili, Niconico, Vimeo, and 1,800+ other sites — as long as the video isn't DRM-protected and your browser can already play it.
Can I recover a stream that was already deleted?
No. Once a video is deleted, privated, or expired it's gone from the source, and no tool can retrieve it. That's why you archive the ones that matter before they disappear.
Can SVD record a stream that hasn't started yet?
Yes — use scheduled recording. Paste the live URL, click Schedule, set a start time, and SVD captures it automatically. SVD must be open at that time (it won't wake your computer from sleep).
Can SVD archive Weverse, paid, or DRM-protected content?
No. SVD doesn't break DRM. Membership platforms that encrypt their video (like Weverse paid content) can't be archived by any yt-dlp-based tool.
How do I archive membership or subscriber-only videos I have access to?
SVD can read your browser login cookies, so non-DRM members-only or sub-only videos you're entitled to watch (YouTube membership videos, Twitch sub-only VODs) can be saved. DRM-encrypted content still can't.
Where are my archived files stored?
On your own computer, in the folder you choose. SVD is a local desktop app — nothing is uploaded to a server.
Save it before it's gone
Free 7-day trial · No credit card · Code-signed & notarized · Works offline