Everything yt-dlp can do.
Now with a UI.
yt-dlp app exposes every capability of the yt-dlp engine through a clean desktop interface. No flags to memorise. No syntax to look up. Every feature listed here is verified against the current codebase and available today on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Core Download Capabilities
Everything starts with the download. Here is what yt-dlp app does before, during, and after every file hits your drive.
Format & Quality Intelligence
Before every download, yt-dlp app fetches every available stream and displays it in a quality grid — showing resolution, codec, framerate, and estimated file size for each option. Quality tiers range from 144p up to 4K HDR and 8K. HDR and high-framerate streams are detected and badged automatically. Choose manually or let the app select the best available stream.
Parallel Fragment Downloading
Each download is split into 4 concurrent fragment streams by default. This bypasses server-side throttling and maximises bandwidth on fast connections. Speed and ETA are displayed as smoothed rolling averages so the progress display stays stable.
Auto-Resume on Interruption
Every download uses yt-dlp's --continue flag. If a download is interrupted by a network drop or system event, it resumes exactly where it left off when restarted. No re-downloading from the beginning.
Up to 5 Concurrent Downloads
Run up to 5 downloads simultaneously. The default is 3 concurrent downloads, configurable from 1 to 5 in Settings → Downloads. Each active download shows real-time progress, speed, ETA, and file size.
Playlists & Channels
Paste a YouTube playlist or channel URL to get a full, scrollable preview with entries populating in real-time as they are parsed. Select all entries or cherry-pick individually. Bulk download at any quality in one click. YouTube channel pages load Videos, Shorts, and Streams tabs simultaneously. Large playlists are paginated at 100 entries per page.
Download History
Every completed download is logged to a local SQLite database — title, URL, quality, format, file size, date, and uploader. History is persistent across app restarts and browseable from the History screen. Nothing is synced to the cloud.
Authentication & Private Content
yt-dlp app can access content that requires a login — without you entering a password inside the app.
Browser Cookie Import
Import your existing browser session directly from Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, or Brave. yt-dlp app reads cookies securely from your local browser profile. Your existing logged-in session is used as-is — you never enter credentials in the app. Enables access to private playlists, age-restricted content, and members-only videos.
Cookies.txt File Support
Alternatively, provide a Netscape-format cookies.txt file via the Settings file picker. Useful for platforms where direct browser cookie import is unavailable, or for scripted workflows.
HTTP & HTTPS Proxy Support
Route downloads through an HTTP or HTTPS proxy configured directly in Settings. Useful for bypassing regional restrictions and network-level blocks. The proxy is passed directly to the yt-dlp engine for all download requests.
FFmpeg Post-Processing
yt-dlp app includes a full FFmpeg pipeline. FFmpeg is downloaded and configured automatically on first launch if it is not already on your system — no manual installation required.
Automatic Stream Merging
Most high-quality downloads (1080p and above) deliver video and audio as separate streams. yt-dlp app merges them automatically into a single output file using FFmpeg. No manual steps required.
Audio Extraction
Switch to Audio mode before downloading to extract audio only. The audio track is pulled directly from the source stream using the FFmpeg pipeline.
Subtitle Embedding
Subtitles and closed captions are embedded directly into the output file. Subtitle embedding is toggleable in Settings → Embed Options.
Thumbnail Embedding
Set the video thumbnail as the file's cover art — visible in media players and file browsers. Toggleable in Settings → Embed Options. Off by default.
Metadata & Chapter Embedding
Embed title, description, tags, and chapter markers directly into the output file. Chapter markers are navigable in compatible media players. Both are toggleable in Settings → Embed Options.
Privacy & Architecture
yt-dlp app is built on a simple principle: your data stays on your machine. This is not a policy statement — it is how the app is built.
Zero Telemetry — Verified
No analytics. No crash reporting. No usage tracking. A full audit of the codebase found no telemetry, tracking, or analytics code of any kind. No data is transmitted to yt-dlp.app servers or any third party.
Fully Local Storage
All settings are stored locally via electron-store. All download history is stored in a local SQLite database using Drizzle ORM. No cloud sync. Everything stays on your machine.
Zero Setup
yt-dlp and FFmpeg are downloaded automatically from their official sources on first launch if not already present on your system. There is nothing to configure before your first download works. Install the app, paste a URL, click Download.
Self-Updating Engine
The yt-dlp extraction engine updates independently from the app itself. A single click in Settings → System → Update Engine hot-swaps the yt-dlp binary at runtime without restarting the app. When a platform pushes a breaking change, you can patch the extractor within minutes — without waiting for a new app release.
App Auto-Update
yt-dlp app checks for new versions automatically via electron-updater and GitHub Releases. When an update is available, a notification appears in the bottom-right corner with a one-click restart to install.
System Tray
yt-dlp app minimises to the system tray and continues running in the background. Double-click the tray icon to restore the window. Right-click for Show and Quit options.
1,510+ Supported Sites
yt-dlp app inherits the complete extractor list from the yt-dlp engine. Every site yt-dlp supports, yt-dlp app supports — including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, Twitch, Bilibili, Vimeo, Reddit, SoundCloud, and over 1,500 more.
Browse all supported sites →Ready to try it?
yt-dlp app is free, open source, and available now for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Zero setup. Zero tracking. Just download.