↓ yoinkvideo

How to download YouTube videos

The short version: paste a YouTube link below, pick the quality you want, click. The file saves to your normal Downloads folder. No software install, no signup, no captchas. The longer version with edge cases is below.

Yoink any YouTube video, the clean way.

Paste a link. Pick a quality. Trim if you want. That's it.

Tip: paste a YouTube link (or just the 11-character video id) and hit Continue.

Step-by-step

  1. 1. Copy the YouTube link.

    Open the video on YouTube. Click "Share" then "Copy", or just grab the URL from the address bar. Works with full youtube.com/watch?v=… URLs, short youtu.be/… links, mobile m.youtube.com links, and even just the 11-character video ID by itself.

  2. 2. Paste it on this page and hit Continue.

    You'll see the video's title, duration, and the qualities available for download.

  3. 3. Pick a format.

    "1080p MP4" is the sensible default for most people. "Audio (M4A)" is the cleanest way to extract just the audio. "MP3" if you need MP3 specifically. The full list shows every quality YouTube has for that video.

  4. 4. (Optional) Trim to just the part you want.

    Open the "Trim portion of video" panel before you click. Drag the handles to mark the start and end. The downloaded file will only contain that section.

  5. 5. Click. The file saves.

    The progress bar at the bottom of the card you clicked fills as the download proceeds. When it finishes, the file lands in your default Downloads folder.

FAQ

Is downloading YouTube videos legal?
It depends on what and where. Downloading content you own, public-domain content, Creative Commons content, or content for personal offline viewing is generally legal in most jurisdictions. Redistributing copyrighted content is not. We can't give legal advice. Check the law where you live.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It's a website, not an app or extension. Paste a link, click a format, get a file.
Can I download from YouTube Shorts or YouTube Music?
Yes. Both work the same way. Paste the URL.
Can I download a live stream?
Not while it's live. After the stream ends and the recording becomes a normal video, it works like any other download.
Can I download a playlist all at once?
Not yet. You'd need to download videos one at a time. Playlist support is on the roadmap.
What if the download is slow?
Usually it's just network. A 100 MB 1080p file downloads at the speed of your connection, the same as loading the video in YouTube would.
What if a specific video won't download?
Three common reasons: it's a live stream (not supported), it's age-gated / members-only / private (requires an authenticated session we deliberately don't carry), or it's DRM-protected (we don't bypass DRM). For everything else, refresh and try again.

Specific format guides: YouTube to MP4, YouTube to MP3, cut a clip.