Paste, pick, save
You only need the link. Copy it from your browser's address bar, or tap Share → Copy link in the YouTube app, and paste it into the box above. Leave MP4 video and 1080p selected unless you have a reason to change them, then press Convert to MP4. A download button appears as soon as the file is ready — usually a few seconds for a clip, longer for a feature-length talk.
Nothing to install, no account, no browser extension.
Links that work
| You copied… | Example | Works? |
|---|---|---|
| A normal video link | youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ |
Yes |
| A short share link | youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ |
Yes |
| A Shorts link | youtube.com/shorts/… |
Yes |
| A mobile link | m.youtube.com/watch?v=… |
Yes |
| A YouTube Music link | music.youtube.com/watch?v=… |
Yes |
| A finished live-stream replay | youtube.com/live/… |
Yes, once the stream has ended |
| A playlist or channel link | youtube.com/playlist?list=… |
No — open one video and copy its link |
If a link carries extra bits such as &t=42s or &list=…, that's fine; the converter picks out the video ID and ignores the rest.
MP4, MP3 or WAV?
- MP4 video keeps picture and sound together. It is the format phones, TVs, PowerPoint, Keynote and video editors all accept, which is why it is the default.
- MP3 audio drops the picture and keeps a small, universal audio file — about 1 MB per minute at 128 kbps. Good for talks, lessons and podcasts on the go. More on the YouTube to MP3 320kbps page.
- WAV audio is uncompressed sound for editing in Audacity, GarageBand, Logic, Ableton or Premiere. The files are large — roughly 10 MB per minute — but editors handle them without any decoding step. See YouTube to WAV.
Picking a resolution
Choose by the screen you'll watch on, not by the biggest number:
- 360p or 480p for saving storage or mobile data on long videos.
- 720p for phones and tablets.
- 1080p for laptops, monitors and most TVs. This is the best all-round choice and plays on every device because it uses the H.264 codec.
- 1440p or 2160p (4K) only for 4K screens or for cropping in an editor. These use the AV1 codec and can be three to four times larger than 1080p.
If the uploader never published a video in the quality you pick, you get the next best one that exists.
Converter, downloader or screen recorder?
People call this kind of tool a YouTube to MP4 converter, a YouTube MP4 downloader or just YT to MP4. They all do the same job: fetch the video file and hand it to you as an MP4. That is faster and sharper than recording your screen, which re-encodes the picture, often captures notifications, and only runs in real time — an hour of video takes an hour to record. A converter finishes long before the video would have finished playing. Our YouTube MP4 downloader page compares the options in more detail, and the YT to MP4 page covers every short-link format.
Who uses it
- Teachers and trainers who need a clip to play in a classroom with weak Wi-Fi.
- Travellers loading a few videos onto a tablet before a flight.
- Video editors pulling in their own footage or Creative Commons B-roll.
- Creators keeping a local backup of their channel's uploads.
- Students saving a recorded lecture to watch offline.
When a conversion fails
Check these in order:
- Is the link a single video? Playlist and channel links don't work.
- Can you watch it without signing in? Private, members-only and age-restricted videos can't be converted.
- Is it still live? Wait until the stream ends and YouTube finishes processing the replay.
- Is it longer than 60 minutes? That's the current limit per video.
- Still stuck? YouTube sometimes slows requests from servers. Wait a minute and try again, or try a lower quality.
Clean by design
There are no pop-up windows, no redirects to other sites and no "install our extension" prompts. We don't ask for an email address and we don't keep a library of converted files — each file is assembled when you ask for it and sent straight to your browser.