Download YouTube videos with the audio intact
How to download a YouTube video
Watch links, Shorts, YouTube Music and saved live streams — plus whole playlists, saved video by video. Every resolution the uploader actually published, with video and audio merged into one file before it reaches you.
More YouTube tools
Which quality should you choose?
YouTube keeps a separate version of every video for each resolution the upload allows — usually 360p up to 1080p, and 1440p or 4K when the original was that sharp. Only the versions this video actually has are listed, each with its file size.
Let the size guide you. On a phone or laptop at normal viewing distance, 1080p and 4K are very hard to tell apart, and the 4K file is several times larger. Take 4K for a television or for footage you'll edit and crop. 1080p vs 4K goes through the trade-off, and how YouTube's qualities work explains why the list changes from video to video.
YouTube links that work
Paste any of these and the video is found:
- youtube.com/watch?v=… — a normal watch page
- youtu.be/… — the short link the Share button copies
- youtube.com/shorts/… — a Short, kept vertical (more on Shorts)
- youtube.com/live/… — a live stream that has finished and been saved
- music.youtube.com/watch?v=… — a YouTube Music track
- youtube.com/playlist?list=… — a whole playlist (how playlists work)
A link to a video opened from inside a playlist downloads just that one video. To get the whole set, use the playlist's own link.
Why some downloads arrive silent — and these don't
Above 720p, YouTube stores picture and sound as separate streams. A tool that fetches only the picture gives you a file that plays in silence. Every option on the Video tab here is merged with its audio before delivery, so the file you open plays complete. If you already have a silent file from somewhere else, here's what went wrong.
MP4, WebM or audio only
MP4 is the safe default: it opens on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, smart TVs and in every editing app. On some videos the highest resolutions are only offered as WebM, which is smaller for the same quality but doesn't open everywhere — MP4 vs WebM covers when that matters.
The Audio tab lists the soundtrack on its own. It suits lectures, podcasts published as video and your own recordings, at a fraction of the size.
Need only part of the video?
The Trim tab downloads just a section — a quote from a long talk, one highlight, a segment for a lesson — cut without re-encoding, with YouTube's most-replayed graph to help find the moment. Downloading part of a YouTube video explains how it works.
Videos that can't be downloaded
Some videos can't be reached by any downloader, because YouTube only shows them to particular accounts or hasn't finished them yet:
- Private videos and members-only videos — they need an account we never ask for.
- Streams that are still live — try again once the broadcast has ended and been saved.
- Protected content such as purchased or rented films.
- Some age-restricted videos, when access can't be verified.
- Premieres that haven't aired yet.
When a link fails, the message tells you which of these it is, and Fixes & FAQ explains each one.
YouTube downloader questions
Why do some downloaders hand back a silent file?
Above 720p YouTube stores video and audio as separate streams. They have to be merged back together — we do that before the file is handed over, so nothing arrives silent.
Why is 4K missing on some videos?
YouTube only stores a 2160p version if the uploader supplied one, and on new uploads it can take a while to appear. Where the source was 1080p, no tool anywhere can produce a real 4K file.
Should I download MP4 or WebM?
MP4, unless you have a reason not to. It plays on every phone, computer, TV and editing app. WebM is often smaller at the same quality but older devices and editors may not open it.
Can I download a whole playlist?
Yes. Paste the playlist's own link and every video is listed with its length. Tick the ones you want, choose one quality for the set, and they download one by one, each saved as soon as it's ready and numbered in playlist order.
Do Shorts download as portrait?
They do. The file keeps the original vertical frame, with no cropping and no black bars.
Is audio-only cheaper on mobile data?
Substantially — a 30-minute talk is roughly 60 MB as audio against around 900 MB at 1080p.
How long is the file kept?
Finished files are deleted from storage about an hour after they're ready, and never more than four hours for very large ones. You can always paste the link again.
Other downloaders