How to Download YouTube Videos: Shorts, 4K, Audio, Transcript and Thumbnail

How to download a YouTube video in 3 steps

To download YouTube videos, all you need is the link of the video. The method is the same on a phone, a tablet or a computer, and it works for long videos as well as for Shorts. With SocialDownload, it takes three steps.

1. 01

   Copy the link of the video

   In the YouTube app, tap Share under the video, then Copy link. On a computer, copy the address shown in the address bar of your browser.

2. 02

   Paste it and tick what you want

   Paste the link on the SocialDownload home page. The YouTube logo appears as soon as the link is recognized. Tick Video and choose the quality, then add Audio, Transcript or Cover if you need them.

3. 03

   Download your files

   Press Download. The files go straight to your device. Everything you ticked for this one link counts as a single download.

The rest of this guide explains each case in detail: where to find the link, how to save a Short, which quality to pick, how to keep only the sound, how to get the transcript and the thumbnail, and what to do when a video refuses to download. If you only want the short version, the YouTube video downloader page sums it up.

Where to find the link of a YouTube video

Every download starts with the link of one video. YouTube shows it in slightly different places depending on the device, but the Share button is always the most reliable way to get it.

Copy the link of a single video. A link to a whole channel or to a playlist points at many videos at once: downloading those in one go is a feature of the desktop app, so the website asks you to paste one video instead.

How to download YouTube Shorts

A Short is an ordinary YouTube video in vertical format, so it downloads exactly like any other video. The only difference is where the share button sits: in the app, it is the arrow in the column of icons on the right side of the screen.

• Open the Short, tap the Share arrow on the right, then Copy link.
• Paste the link on SocialDownload. It usually looks like youtube.com/shorts/ followed by an identifier.
• Tick Video, choose a quality from the list, and download. The vertical format is kept as it is.

The quality list only shows what YouTube actually offers for that Short, so you never pick a resolution that does not exist. Many Shorts also use a sound that belongs to someone else, such as a song or a clip from another creator: keep that in mind before you reuse the audio anywhere.

Which quality to choose, from 360p to 4K

After you paste a link, SocialDownload lists the qualities YouTube provides for that video. A video uploaded in 1080p will never be available in 4K, because a download cannot add detail that the source does not have. The higher the number, the sharper the picture and the larger the file.

Free downloads and credit packs

The website gives you one free download per day, without an account, with video up to 720p. The free allowance is counted per browser, device and network. When you need more, a credit pack lifts both limits: you need an account, one credit pays for one link with all the files you tick for it, credits do not expire, and qualities up to 4K become available.

One practical point: a 4K file is far larger than the same video in 720p. Before you download a long video in a high quality, make sure your phone or computer has enough free space.

How to download only the audio of a YouTube video

To keep only the sound of a video, such as a lecture, an interview or a podcast episode published on YouTube, tick Audio and untick Video. You then choose between two formats.

Because MP3 is a conversion, it cannot sound better than the original stream. If you are not sure, start with M4A, which modern phones, computers and media players read without trouble, and switch to MP3 only when a device asks for it.

You can also tick Video and Audio together: you get the full video plus a separate audio file, and it still counts as one download because it is one link.

How to get the transcript of a YouTube video

Tick Transcript to turn what is said in the video into text. The language list shows each language by its full name, for example “English” or “English (United Kingdom)”, and you pick the format that suits what you want to do with the text.

• Text: clean text to read, search or paste into your notes.
• Text with timestamps: each line keeps its time code, handy for quoting a precise moment.
• SRT and VTT: standard subtitle files for video editors and media players.
• Word (DOCX) and PDF: documents ready to edit, print or share.

The transcript comes from the captions published with the video. Some are written by the creator, others are automatic captions generated by YouTube from the speech, which can stumble on names, technical words or strong accents. When a video has neither, the option is simply not offered. Our guide on how to get a video transcript explains the differences and the formats in depth.

How to save the thumbnail of a YouTube video

The thumbnail, called Cover in SocialDownload, is the image YouTube shows before you press play. Tick Cover to save it in full size, in the format of your choice.

• JPG: the most widely supported format, with small files.
• PNG: a lossless format that image editors handle well. It keeps the image exactly, but it does not add detail the original does not have.
• WEBP: a modern format with light files, well suited to websites.

A thumbnail is the creator's artwork. Saving it to illustrate a review of your own channel, to archive your own uploads or to present a video with proper credit is a common use; reusing it as your own image is not.

Why a YouTube video will not download

Most public videos download without any issue. When one does not, the reason is almost always one of these.

• Private videos: only the accounts invited by the owner can watch them, so they cannot be downloaded.
• Age restricted videos: YouTube asks viewers to sign in, so the website may fail. The desktop app can use your own browser session, which is read on your computer.
• Region restrictions: some videos are blocked in some countries.
• DRM protected content: films and shows rented or bought on YouTube are protected by DRM and cannot be downloaded at all.
• No captions: the video itself downloads, but without captions there is no transcript to offer.

Website or desktop app for YouTube

The website is made for the occasional link. If you download YouTube videos often, need whole playlists, or want the highest quality without counting, the desktop app for Windows and macOS is the better fit.

The lifetime license is a single payment, works on up to 3 devices at a time and includes updates. The app runs on your computer and your files stay on your computer.

The official option: YouTube Premium

If you only want to watch offline inside the YouTube app, YouTube Premium includes offline downloads. Those videos stay inside the app: you cannot open them in another player or use them in an edit.

Download YouTube videos responsibly

Downloading is fine for your own videos, for videos whose creator gave you permission, and for videos published under a license that allows reuse, such as Creative Commons. YouTube's own terms limit downloading to the cases they authorize, and copyright still applies to what you save. Our responsible use page explains what that means in practice.

The same method works on other networks: see how to download TikTok videos or how to download Instagram Reels, posts and stories.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• YouTube Help Center
• YouTube Help: Use automatic captioning
• YouTube Terms of Service