As of August 29, 2023, Microsoft Stream (Classic) will be retired and replaced by Stream (on SharePoint). Videos that are currently stored on Microsoft Stream (Classic) should be downloaded or migrated before the retirement date as they will no longer be accessible to end users starting on August 29, 2023.
- If you have 30 or fewer videos to download, you will need to download the videos yourself using the information on this guide
- If you have more than 30 videos to download, you can request an IT-assisted migration of your content by emailing [email protected].
For complete details about this change, please review the following documentation:
- U of T Stream (Classic) retirement timeline page on the EASI (Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration) website.
- Moving from Stream (Classic) to Stream (on SharePoint) blog post on the EdTech Office website.
This guide outlines the steps to download videos from Microsoft Stream (Classic) before August 29, 2023. For guidance on uploading videos to Stream (on Sharepoint), see our guide: How to upload videos to Stream (on SharePoint).
Before you begin
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Set up a download location for your videos: If you have only a few videos to download, downloading them to your computer hard disk may be an option. However, because even a few video files can take up a lot of space on your hard drive, we recommend saving them directly to a cloud location (i.e., OneDrive).
- Sync your U of T OneDrive account to your computer to be able to set up a download location where you will save your recordings.
- Create a new folder in your OneDrive account where you will download your recordings). This will make it easier for you to find the files, share them, or move them to other locations (e.g., SharePoint or Teams) later.
- Ensure that you have ownership of any video on Stream (Classic) that you need to save: If you need to save a video that was recorded or uploaded by someone else, you will not be able to download it unless that person makes you a co-owner. Please refer to our guide How to add a co-owner to your Microsoft Stream (Classic) videos for instructions. If you are unable to contact the owner of the video (or if the video owner is no longer at U of T and cannot access their Stream (Classic) account), you will need to request permission to access the video. Please email [email protected] directly for assistance.
Jump to:
1. Access Microsoft Stream (Classic)
- Log in to your Microsoft 365 account at https://www.office.com/, using your UTORid and password
- Open the Office 365 apps menu (waffle icon)
- Select Stream from the list of apps.
2. Navigate to your video content
- Select My Content to view a list of your videos.
- Select Videos to see a list of all your video content.
- Select Meetings if you only want to see videos that are recordings of Teams Meetings.
Teams Meetings recordings: Any Teams meetings recordings made starting in Fall 2022 are already saved in your OneDrive (for chat meetings or meetings scheduled from your Outlook Calendar) or your Team's SharePoint site (for channel meetings). Those can already be opened directly in Stream (on Sharepoint)- they do not need to be downloaded.
3. Identify the videos you want to save
By default, videos in Stream (Classic) are sorted by Upload Date. Sorting by number of Views (or Likes), can help you decide which videos to download and save.
- Navigate to the Sort By drop-down menu.
- Select Views from the drop-down options to sort the videos by number of views (from most to least)
- Check the number of views each video has.
4. Download the selected videos
Select one of the options below to download your videos. You will need to repeat the steps for each of your videos.
Saving video metadata
Downloading a video manually from Stream (Classic) only creates an MP4 file. No other information or files (metadata) associated with the video will be downloaded along with the video. You will need to save the following information separately:
- Captions files that you have already edited for accuracy. Stream (on Sharepoint) can generate a transcript as well, but if you have already edited your captions for errors, you will save time by downloading this file from Stream (Classic) and re-uploading it to the video in Stream (on SharePoint) or another hosting platform of your choice.
- Video title and description (including any time codes for chapters). Copying this information will save time since you can then simply paste the information in Stream (on SharePoint) or another hosting platform of your choice.
If you need to save any of the above information, select the Detailed option (Section 4.2 of this guide) for downloading your videos.
4.1. Quick option: Download only MP4 file
Select this option if you want to download only an .mp4 video file (no associated files or metadata)or if you want to quickly delete the video.
- Select the More Actions option (three dots icon) next to the video you would like to download.
- To delete the video, select Delete.
- To save the video, select Download video . Depending on your browser’s settings, a new window will open for you to choose your download destination, or the download will automatically begin to a pre-determined location (e.g, a OneDrive folder).
4.2. Detailed option: Download video and metadata files
Select this download option if you have metadata files or information associated with the video that you want to save.
- Select the Edit Video Details icon (the pencil icon) to open the edit page.
- To save the video, select Download video on the right side of the page (above the Options Pane). This will generate an MP4 file.
- To delete the video, select Delete video.
- To download captions, select Download file inside the options pane next to Captions. The file will be in VTT format and can be re-uploaded to the new hosting platform for the video.
- To copy video name and description (including any chapter markers), navigate to the Details box on the left. You will need to copy and paste the information in a separate file as there is no download option for this information.
Custom thumbnails: You will not be able to get a copy of any custom thumbnails you created for your videos in Stream (Classic). Those will need to be recreated and uploaded to Stream (on SharePoint).
What's next?
After downloading your videos from Microsoft Stream (Classic), you might want to upload them for sharing via Stream (on SharePoint) or another supported video hosting platform (e.g., MyMedia)
- For sharing via Stream (on SharePoint), see our guide: How to upload videos for sharing on Stream (on SharePoint).
- For sharing via MyMedia, see our guide: How do I upload a video or audio file to MyMedia?