YouTube Video Downloader
Free YouTube video download as a 1080p MP4 with the sound in, or YouTube to MP3 when you only want the audio. Paste a link, see the file size of every quality, then download. No login, no app.
One link, two downloads: MP4 or MP3
Every YouTube link you paste gives you both buttons. Use the first as a YouTube to MP4 download, the second as a YouTube to MP3 converter.
| Button | You get | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Download Video | One MP4: H.264 picture with the AAC sound merged in, 144p up to 1080p | Watching offline, editing, sending to someone |
| Download audio only (MP3) | One MP3 at a variable bitrate of about 190–260 kbps, no picture | Music, podcasts, lectures, anything you only listen to |
How big is a YouTube download?
The quality dropdown shows the size of each option before you commit. These are the sizes it reported for two real videos on 30 September 2026.
| Quality | 5-minute film (60 fps) | 60-minute stream replay |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 171 MB | 736 MB |
| 720p | 99 MB | 447 MB |
| 480p | 27 MB | 265 MB |
| 360p | 18 MB | 167 MB |
| 144p | 7.7 MB | 86 MB |
The dropdown starts on 720p, the size most people want on a phone. Choose 1080p yourself when you want the sharper file.
Why the top quality is 1080p, not 4K
A YouTube video downloader that promises 4K MP4 on every video is leaving something out. Here is what is possible and what you get from this one.
What YouTube actually stores
We listed every format of a 4K upload on 30 September 2026. The 2160p and 1440p versions exist only in VP9 and AV1. The H.264 version, the one every device can play, stops at 1080p.
Why this tool hands out H.264
An H.264 MP4 opens on any phone, TV, car screen and editing app without converting. VP9 or AV1 in a download can play as a black screen or refuse to import on iPhones, older TVs and many editors. A 1080p file that works beats a 4K file that does not.
The sound is already in the file
Above 360p, YouTube keeps picture and sound as two separate streams. We join them before the download starts. On two popular downloaders we tested in September 2026, the 1080p link was the video stream alone, so the saved file was silent.
How to check what you got
Right-click the MP4 → Get Info on Mac, or Properties → Details on Windows. A 1080p download reads 1920×1080 with H.264 video and AAC audio.
YouTube to MP3: the bitrate you really get
Most YouTube MP3 converters advertise 320 kbps. We measured what YouTube has to give, and what this page turns it into.
YouTube's audio tops out near 130 kbps
On a 4K travel film and a major-label music video, the best audio stream was 129–133 kbps, in AAC and in Opus. That is all the sound there is to convert, whatever the converter says.
What the MP3 from this page is
A variable-bitrate MP3 of roughly 190–260 kbps, set high on purpose so converting from YouTube's format loses nothing you can hear. A 3 min 33 s song came out between 5.1 and 7.0 MB.
Why there is no 320 kbps option
A 320 kbps MP3 made from a 130 kbps source holds the same sound in a much bigger file. We would rather give you the honest file than a bigger number.
When MP3 is the better download
For talks, podcasts and lectures the picture adds nothing. An hour of 720p video is about 450 MB; the MP3 of the same hour is a fraction of that, and it plays on a car stereo or an old phone.
YouTube links that work here
To download a YouTube video you need a link with a video in it. All of these qualify.
youtube.com/watch?v=<id>The address-bar link
What a desktop browser shows while the video plays. The 11 characters after v= are the video.
youtu.be/<id>The app's share link
Share → Copy link in the YouTube app. Same video, shorter link.
…&t=90s or …&list=<playlist>A timestamp or a playlist on the end
Leave them on. You get the whole video, and only the one video the link points to.
music.youtube.com/watch?v=<id>A YouTube Music track
Copied from YouTube Music. It is an ordinary video underneath, so MP3 and MP4 both work.
youtube.com/live/<id>A live stream that has ended
The share link of a stream or premiere. Works once YouTube has published the replay.
youtube.com/shorts/<id>A Short
Works here too. The Shorts page covers vertical video in detail.
Not video links: a channel (youtube.com/@name) or a playlist page (youtube.com/playlist?list=…). Open one video from it and copy that link. Saving Shorts? Use the YouTube Shorts downloader.
Save a video on your device
Same file on every device, different place to find it. Pick yours:
- 1
In the YouTube app, tap Share under the video and choose Copy link.
- 2
Open Safari, paste the link into the box above and tap Download.
- 3
Pick a quality and tap Download Video. Safari saves the MP4 to Files → Downloads; open it, tap the share icon and choose Save Video to move it to Photos.
Tip: An MP3 stays in the Files app and plays from there. The Music app only accepts songs synced from a computer.
When a video will not download
The four cases that come up, what each means and what to do.
"Failed to fetch YouTube video"
Why: YouTube will not show the video to a visitor who is not signed in: it is private, members-only, age-restricted or blocked in the server's region.
Fix: Open the link in a private browser window. If it does not play there, it cannot be downloaded here.
The stream is still live
Why: A live broadcast has no finished file yet.
Fix: Wait until it ends and YouTube publishes the replay, then paste the same link.
1080p is missing from the list
Why: The uploader's original was smaller, or the video is new and YouTube is still processing the HD versions.
Fix: Take the highest quality listed. For a fresh upload, try again in an hour.
A long download stopped partway
Why: The connection dropped during a large file.
Fix: Resume it from your browser's downloads list, or press the button again. The finished file is kept for a few minutes, so the second attempt starts at once.
YouTube video and MP3 questions, answered
Quality, bitrate, long videos, playlists and what you may do with a saved file.
Copy the video's link from the YouTube app (Share → Copy link) or from the browser address bar, paste it in the box at the top of this page and press Download. Pick a quality from the dropdown — every option shows its file size — and press Download Video. The file is an MP4 with the sound already in it. There is nothing to install and no account to create.
Paste the video link the same way, then press Download audio only (MP3) under the video button. You get the soundtrack as an MP3 file without the picture: 5 to 7 MB for a three-and-a-half-minute song, so about 1.5 to 2 MB per minute of audio.
1080p Full HD, when the uploader provided it. YouTube keeps 1440p and 4K only in the VP9 and AV1 formats; the H.264 video that plays on every phone, TV and editing app stops at 1080p. This tool hands out H.264 MP4 files so the download just works, which makes 1080p the honest ceiling. Below it you can choose 720p, 480p, 360p, 240p or 144p.
No, and no converter can truthfully give you that. The best audio track YouTube stores is about 130 kbps (we checked a 4K travel film and a major-label music video on 30 September 2026: 129–133 kbps in both AAC and Opus). Our MP3 is encoded at a variable bitrate of roughly 190–260 kbps so the conversion adds no audible loss. A file labelled 320 kbps holds the same 130 kbps of sound in a bigger file.
Yes. Above 360p YouTube stores picture and sound as two separate streams; we join them into one MP4 before your browser receives it. That is the step some downloaders skip: on two popular ones we tested in September 2026, the 1080p link was the bare video stream, which plays silently.
Yes, there is no length limit. Long videos are large, so look at the size before you choose: a 60-minute stream we measured was 736 MB at 1080p, 447 MB at 720p and 167 MB at 360p. The page shows progress while the file is put together, then your browser downloads a finished file that can pause and resume.
A YouTube Music link (music.youtube.com/watch?v=…) works like any other video link. A live stream can be downloaded once it has ended and YouTube has published the replay; its /live/ share link is accepted as it is. A stream that is still live cannot be saved.
No. This page saves one video at a time. If the link you paste includes a playlist (…&list=…), you get the single video the link points to, not the list. Channel and playlist-only links have no video in them, so they are not accepted.
Yes. There is no charge, no sign-up and no daily quota for normal use. The page is paid for by the adverts on it.
Yes, in the phone's browser. On Android the file goes to Downloads and appears in your gallery or music app. On iPhone, Safari saves it to Files → Downloads; open a video there and choose Save Video to move it to Photos. An MP3 on iPhone plays from the Files app — the Music app only takes files synced from a computer.
Usually because YouTube will not show it to a visitor who is not signed in: private videos, members-only videos, age-restricted videos and ones blocked in the server's region. Check that the link plays in a private browser window. If it does and the download still fails, try again in a minute — YouTube sometimes throttles a request.
It depends on the video and on your country. YouTube's terms only allow downloads through its own offline feature, and most music and films are copyrighted. Your own uploads, public-domain works and Creative Commons videos are safe to save. For everything else, keep a copy for personal offline viewing only, and do not re-upload or share it.