YouTube converter

How to convert a YouTube video

Copy the address from your browser bar, or Share and Copy link in the app. Paste it above and press Download.

The list that comes back is grouped by kind. Video rows give you MP4 files at each resolution the upload carries, audio rows give you the sound on its own. Pick one and the file saves through your browser.

Shorts, live replays and unlisted links that you already have work the same way as a normal video.

MP4 or MP3, which one do you want

MP4 keeps the picture and the sound in one file and plays on everything, so it is the right pick for reposting, editing or watching offline.

MP3 is audio only and a fraction of the size, which is what you want for a podcast, a lecture, a mix or anything you listen to rather than watch. Our [YouTube to MP3](/youtube-to-mp3) page is the same converter with audio preselected.

Still deciding, our note on [MP4 or MP3](/blog/mp4-or-mp3-which-format-to-save) walks through the trade off in plain terms.

Quality, and why some converters stop at 720p

Above 720p, YouTube stores picture and sound as separate streams. A converter that only knows how to grab one file has to fall back to the last combined stream, which is why so many of them top out there.

We handle the split, so 1080p, 1440p and 4K rows appear whenever the upload actually has them. A video filmed at 720p will never offer more, no matter which tool you use.

After the conversion

Need the words rather than the file, run the link through the [YouTube transcript generator](/youtube-transcript-generator) and copy the text or save it as SRT.

File too big to send, the [video compressor](/video-compressor) shrinks it on your own device. Need a different container such as MOV or WebM, the [video converter](/video-converter) handles files you already have.

Codecs, and why the same resolution can look different

YouTube publishes most uploads three times over, in AV1, VP9 and H.264. All three can be 1080p and all three can look slightly different at the same resolution.

H.264 is the safe pick. Every phone, TV, editor and upload form made in the last fifteen years reads it, which is why an MP4 marked H.264 is the default choice for most people.

AV1 and VP9 squeeze the same picture into a smaller file, which is excellent for storage and awkward for old software. If a downloaded file opens as a black rectangle with sound, the codec is almost always the reason.

Frame rate matters as much as resolution

A gaming clip or a sports highlight is often published at 50 or 60 frames a second. The smoothness is a large part of why it looks good, and it survives the download.

Most talking head videos are 24 or 30 frames a second, which is why they can feel less fluid than a game capture even at the same 1080p.

A high frame rate roughly doubles the file size at any given resolution. When storage is tight, 1080p at 30 frames often beats 1440p at 60 for everyday viewing.

What the converter cannot reach

Anything behind a sign in wall. Age restricted videos, members only uploads, purchases and rentals all need an authenticated account, and nothing here signs in.

Private videos, and unlisted videos you do not have the link for. An unlisted link you were given works normally, because the link is the permission.

Live streams while they are still running. Wait for the replay to be published and the usual quality rows appear.

Choosing an output for the job

Reposting to another platform, take the highest MP4 the upload offers. Every platform re-encodes what you send, so starting higher survives that second squeeze better.

Watching on a phone during a flight, 720p is honest value. On a six inch screen the difference from 1080p is small and the file is roughly half the size.

Editing, take the largest file available and cut from that. Colour grading and cropping both punish a compressed source in ways that only appear after you export.

Questions people ask

Good to know

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