YouTube Video Downloader
Paste a link, inspect what the server can actually resolve, and download it in a format your device supports.
This page is the general-purpose entry point: it accepts any standard YouTube video link and shows you everything the server could find for it, so you can pick a container and quality yourself rather than being locked to one preset.
Long-form videos are the main use case here. If you are working with a vertical Short, the dedicated Shorts page explains the differences that matter, and the MP4 and MP3 pages go deeper on container and audio extraction respectively.
How it works
- Step 1
Copy the video link
Use the address bar or the YouTube share sheet. Standard watch links, mobile links, and youtu.be short links all work. The link must point at the video itself, not a playlist page.
- Step 2
Paste it into the box
Paste with Ctrl+V, or use the paste button. The field checks the link as you type and tells you immediately if the host is not one we accept.
- Step 3
Review what the server found
The result panel shows the real title, channel, duration and thumbnail returned by the parsing backend, plus the format list. Nothing is generated locally, so you are looking at the actual stream inventory.
- Step 4
Pick a format
Formats are grouped by container, and each row says whether it is video, audio, or a video-only stream that needs a separate audio track. Only rows marked available with a working link can be downloaded.
What this tool actually does
Link validation before anything else
The link is parsed and the host checked against an allowlist before any upstream request is made. Unsupported hosts are rejected with a specific message instead of a generic failure.
Honest format inventory
The format table is whatever the backend returned. If the backend does not expose a working link for a format, that row is shown as unavailable rather than hidden or faked.
Short-lived links, handled explicitly
Provider download URLs usually expire after a few minutes. The download button requests a fresh link immediately before handing it to your browser, so stale links are not a common failure.
Formats you may see
These are the containers this pipeline can surface. Whether a specific one exists for a given video depends entirely on what the source and the backend provide.
| Name | Container | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive MP4 | mp4 | Video and audio already muxed into one file. Easiest to play, usually capped at lower resolutions. |
| Video-only MP4 | mp4 | Higher resolutions, no audio track. Needs a separate audio file and a muxing step on your machine. |
| Video-only WebM | webm | VP9/AV1 video stream without audio. Smaller files at equal quality, less universal playback support. |
| Audio-only M4A | m4a | AAC audio. Works on iOS, macOS and Android without conversion. |
Limits and responsible use
- Only videos you own, have permission for, or that the platform explicitly permits downloading.
- Private, deleted, age-restricted and region-locked videos cannot be resolved; the API returns VIDEO_UNAVAILABLE.
- Playlists are not expanded. One link is one video.
- Availability of any specific resolution depends entirely on the configured parsing backend.
YouTube Downloader questions
Do I need to install anything or create an account?
Why does the format list sometimes show a video-only row?
The video I pasted could not be found. Why?
Is the download link permanent?
Related tools
YouTube 4K & HD
Paste a link to see the exact resolutions the provider reports, including 1440p and 2160p streams that arrive without audio and need a merge in your own editor.
YouTube Shorts
Vertical 9:16 clips, handled as their own link format rather than forced through the watch-page path.
MP4 Converter
Pick a rendition your device already plays, or understand exactly what still needs a muxing step.
MP3 Converter
Audio extraction explained: what arrives as-is, and what genuinely needs a conversion step.
Downloading guide
The full walkthrough, including what every error code means.