To download a YouTube video: copy the video link, paste it into the box below, pick a quality, and save the MP4. Free, no app, no login.
The download itself is one click. The decision worth thinking about is which of the options to click, because that choice sets file size, whether the file has sound, and whether it plays on the device you are saving it for.
This guide is about making that choice well. For what the tool does mechanically, the Video Downloader page covers it.
This is the single most confusing thing about downloading from YouTube, and it catches almost everyone once.
YouTube stores high-resolution video and audio as separate streams. A 1440p or 4K video file on YouTube's servers frequently contains no audio at all — the player fetches the picture and the sound independently and syncs them as you watch. Only the lower resolutions tend to ship as a single combined file.
So if you pick the highest number in the list and end up with a silent video, nothing went wrong. You downloaded exactly what YouTube stored: the picture half.
The Best quality (auto) option exists to solve this. It selects the best video stream, selects the best audio stream, and merges them into one MP4 before it reaches you. That is why it is first in the list and why it is the right default.
The auto option caps at 1080p rather than reaching for the highest resolution available. Two reasons, both practical.
Merging costs time. Combining a separate video and audio stream is real processing work, and it scales with resolution. Above 1080p the wait grows noticeably for a difference most people will not see.
Files grow faster than quality does. The jump from 720p to 1080p is visible on almost any screen. From 1080p to 4K, on a phone or a laptop, it mostly is not — while the file can be several times larger.
If you genuinely need a 4K file and can handle the audio situation yourself, the raw streams are still listed below the auto button. Up to eight options are shown; take one knowing it may be picture-only.
Watching on a phone, offline. Auto is right. 1080p on a phone screen is past the point of visible improvement, and the merged MP4 will play in any gallery app.
Watching on a TV or large monitor. Auto still handles most cases. Reach past it only if the source was genuinely shot above 1080p — upscaled uploads gain nothing.
Saving on limited mobile data. Take a lower raw format. The size difference between resolutions is substantial, though how substantial depends heavily on what the video contains — a static talking head compresses far smaller than fast motion at the same resolution.
Editing later. Take the highest quality you can, and check for audio before you build a timeline around it.
Length. Anything over 30 minutes is rejected before the download starts. Full lectures, streams and long documentaries hit this; it is a cost limit rather than a setting.
Rate. 20 requests per minute per IP address. Normal use never approaches it; working through a list quickly will.
Access. Public videos only. Private, unlisted-and-restricted, members-only and purchased content are all out of reach — there is no login step in the tool.
Interruptions. A dropped transfer cannot be resumed. Start it again rather than looking for a resume button; there isn't one, because nothing is stored server-side to resume from.
Files arrive as download.mp4. Rename before saving several or your browser will start numbering them and you will lose track.
On Android the file lands in Downloads and appears in the gallery once the media scanner picks it up. On iPhone, Safari saves into the Files app rather than Photos — open Files, find it under Downloads, tap share, choose Save Video. This is the most common "the download failed" report that turns out to be a download that worked.
If you only wanted the audio, do not download the video and convert it — that compresses the sound twice. The MP3 guide explains why one pass is better.
YouTube stores high-resolution video and audio separately, so the raw 4K stream is picture only. Use Best quality (auto), which merges both into one file.
The raw streams are listed below the auto option when YouTube publishes them. Auto itself caps at 1080p so the merge stays fast and the file sensible.
Anything over 30 minutes is rejected before the download begins.
No, one link at a time. Bulk requests are what get tools like this blocked at the source.
For most content, yes. Going higher only helps if the source was genuinely filmed above 1080p rather than upscaled on upload.
Safari saves to the Files app, not Photos. Open Files, go to Downloads, tap share on the video and choose Save Video.