This YouTube video downloader saves a public video or Short to your device as an MP4 in any quality YouTube has for it, or saves only the sound as MP3 or M4A. Our server fetches the video from YouTube, prepares the file you chose and then hands it to your browser, so a large file can take a few minutes. Only download videos you own or have permission to use, such as your own uploads or clips the creator has licensed for reuse.
Which quality to pick in the YouTube video downloader
After Fetch Info, the Quality list shows every resolution the video was uploaded in, each with its file size, and adds the frame rate when it is above 30 fps, as in 2160p (4K) · 60 fps. The list starts on the highest H.264 option under the size limit, which is usually 1080p, because H.264 plays on everything.
| Option | Video format | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|
| 4320p (8K), 2160p (4K), 1440p (2K) | MP4 with VP9 or AV1 video | You watch on a large 4K screen, or want room to crop in an editor that reads VP9 or AV1 |
| 1080p (Full HD) | MP4 with H.264 video | The file has to open in any app, TV, phone or editor |
| 720p (HD), 480p (SD) | MP4 with H.264 video | You watch on a phone and want a smaller file |
| 360p to 144p | MP4 with H.264 video | Storage or data is tight, or only the speech matters |
| MP3 audio, M4A audio | Audio only | You need the sound for a podcast app, music player or editing |
M4A is YouTube's own AAC track copied as it is, so it is the cleaner choice when your player accepts it. MP3 is converted from YouTube's best audio track and suits older players and apps that only take MP3.
YouTube video downloader 4K files: why they are VP9 or AV1
YouTube only stores H.264 video up to 1080p. Above that it keeps VP9 or AV1, and the downloader puts that video into an MP4 together with the audio without re-encoding it, so the picture is exactly what YouTube streams. When you pick one of these, a note under the list tells you which codec it is. VLC, Chrome, Edge and Firefox play them, but some editors and Apple apps can't open them. If a 4K file won't open in your app, play it in VLC, or download 1080p instead for a YouTube to MP4 file that plays everywhere.
For videos published in HDR, the downloader picks YouTube's standard dynamic range version of each quality, which looks right on ordinary screens.
File sizes and the 2 GB limit
Each download can be up to 2 GB. In our tests a 5-minute 4K clip at 60 frames per second came to about 950 MB, so at that rate 2 GB holds roughly 10 minutes of 4K60. Qualities over the limit stay in the list marked too large and can't be picked, and the note explains why. A one-hour lecture may only be available at 1080p or lower.
Audio is far smaller. The MP3 option is estimated from the video's length at about 245 kbps, so a 4-minute song is about 7 MB and a one-hour podcast about 110 MB.
While the file is prepared, a progress bar moves through Waiting for a free slot (with how many people are ahead of you), Downloading from YouTube, Converting and Preparing your file. Files over 500 MB take several minutes, so keep the tab open. The file is named after the video, so My Trip to Oslo! saves as my-trip-to-oslo.mp4, and it is deleted from our server within about an hour.
A 2 GB file is also the most WhatsApp accepts as a document; the table of upload limits in the guide to compressing images to 200 KB lists others.
Shorts, playlists and links that work
- Paste a watch link (youtube.com/watch?v=...), a youtu.be short link, a mobile m.youtube.com link or a Shorts link. Shorts download at their full vertical size, for example 1080 × 1920.
- A link copied from inside a playlist downloads only the video in the link. To save a whole playlist, download its videos one at a time.
- Links from music.youtube.com aren't accepted. Open the same song on youtube.com and paste that link.
- Private videos, members-only videos, live streams and premieres that haven't started can't be downloaded. Age-restricted videos usually fail too, because YouTube asks the viewer to sign in first.
For Reels and video posts, use the Instagram Video Downloader, which works the same way. To make a thumbnail for your own upload, the Image Resizer has a 1280 × 720 YouTube thumbnail preset.
Download limits
Each visitor can make 5 downloads and 40 lookups (Fetch Info) per hour with the YouTube video downloader. When you reach the download limit, the page says so and you can try again later in the hour. If many large files are being prepared at once, the page may ask you to come back in a few minutes. You don't need an account, an app or a browser extension. Other free tools for files and media are in Everyday Tools.
