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Video Tools

YouTube Downloader

Download YouTube videos as MP4 or extract audio.

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About YouTube Downloader

This free YouTube downloader lets you save videos as MP4 files or extract the audio as M4A or MP3 — ideal for backing up your own uploads, keeping an offline copy of Creative Commons material, or archiving footage you have permission to save. Paste a link, pick a quality from 360p all the way up to 4K, and download in seconds. There is no sign-up, no watermark, and no software to install: everything runs through your browser against a fast server-side downloader.

Under the hood the tool is powered by yt-dlp, the actively maintained downloader that handles YouTube’s frequently changing formats. When you fetch a link it lists only the qualities that actually exist for that video, with an approximate file size next to each. Higher resolutions are downloaded as separate video and audio streams and merged into a single clean MP4 on the server, while the MP3 option extracts audio at 320 kbps — useful for saving a talk, lecture, or your own music uploads for offline listening.

How to download a YouTube video

  1. 1Copy the video link and paste it into the input field — both youtube.com and youtu.be URLs work, and the Paste button fills it from your clipboard in one click.
  2. 2Click Fetch. The tool loads the video’s title, thumbnail, channel, duration, and every quality actually available for it.
  3. 3Pick an option from the Quality / Format dropdown — MP4 from 360p up to 4K, or Audio as M4A or MP3 (320 kbps) — each with an approximate file size.
  4. 4Click Download. The server prepares and merges the streams first, then a progress bar tracks the transfer to your device.
  5. 5The file saves automatically with the video’s title as the filename. Click Start over to grab another link.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to download YouTube videos?

This tool is intended for downloading your own videos or content you have permission to save — for example backing up your own channel, saving Creative Commons–licensed videos, or archiving footage whose owner has authorised it. Downloading copyrighted content without permission may violate YouTube’s Terms of Service and copyright law, so you are responsible for making sure you have the right to save what you download.

What formats and qualities can I download?

Video downloads are delivered as MP4 at every resolution the source video offers, from 360p up to 4K (2160p). For audio you can choose M4A at the best available bitrate or MP3 converted at 320 kbps. Live streams are not supported.

Can I download just the audio from a video?

Yes. After fetching a link, choose Audio (M4A) or Audio (MP3, 320 kbps) from the format dropdown. This is the quickest way to save a podcast episode, lecture, or your own music upload for offline listening.

Why does the download take a moment to start?

For 1080p and above, YouTube serves video and audio as separate streams, so the server downloads both and merges them into a single MP4 before sending it to you. The progress bar shows this preparation phase, then switches to real download progress. There is no file size cap — longer, higher-resolution videos simply take longer to prepare.

Do you keep a copy of the videos I download?

No. Each download is written to a short-lived temporary file on the server and deleted the moment it has finished streaming to your device — including if you cancel midway. Nothing is stored, logged, or shared.

Is this YouTube downloader free?

Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermarks, and no download limits beyond fair-use rate limiting.

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