Every YT link format, explained
YouTube hands out several kinds of links depending on where you copy from. They all point to the same thing — an 11-character video ID — and they all work here.
| Where you copied it | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Share button in the app | https://youtu.be/AbCdEfGhIjK?si=… |
| Desktop address bar | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbCdEfGhIjK |
| Mobile browser | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AbCdEfGhIjK |
| A Short | https://youtube.com/shorts/AbCdEfGhIjK |
| YouTube Music | https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=AbCdEfGhIjK |
| A live replay | https://www.youtube.com/live/AbCdEfGhIjK |
| An embedded player | https://www.youtube.com/embed/AbCdEfGhIjK |
Timestamps (&t=90s), playlist tags (&list=…) and tracking tags (?si=…, &feature=share) are ignored. You don't need to clean them off.
YT to MP4 in three taps
- Copy the link from anywhere — app, browser, chat message or email.
- Paste it above. 1080p MP4 is pre-selected.
- Tap Convert to MP4, then Download MP4.
When the link won't convert
- "That doesn't look like a YouTube link." You probably copied surrounding text, or a playlist or channel link. Copy only the link to a single video.
- A link from a YouTube Music album. Open one song, then copy that song's link.
- A link to a post or community tab. Those aren't videos. Open the video itself and copy its link.
- The video is private or members-only. Only videos anyone can watch without signing in will convert.
Which quality for a YT link?
1080p is the safe pick: sharp on big screens and encoded in H.264 so it plays everywhere. Drop to 720p for long videos on a phone, or go up to 4K only for 4K screens — those files use the AV1 codec and are much larger. The main converter page has a full guide to choosing a resolution.