YouTube Video Downloader Actor

A powerful Apify actor that downloads YouTube videos in various qualities, providing separate video, audio, and merged download links.

Features

• Multiple URL Support: Process up to 10 YouTube URLs at once
• Quality Selection: Choose from 240p to 8K (4320p) resolution
• Smart Fallback: Automatically selects the closest available quality or different service if requested resolution isn't available
• Universal Support: Works with YouTube Shorts, long-form content, and YouTube Kids URLs
• No Login Required: Download videos without authentication
• Separate Links: Get individual video-only, audio-only, and merged download links
• Rich Metadata: Includes title, channel, duration, thumbnail, and actual provided resolution

Input Parameters

URLs (Required)

• Type: Array of strings
• Limit: 1-10 URLs
• Description: List of YouTube video URLs to download

Quality (Optional)

• Type: String (dropdown)
• Default: 1080p
• Options: 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 2160p (4K), 4320p (8K)
• Description: Preferred video quality with automatic fallback to closest available

Input Example

{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/abc123",
    "https://www.youtu.be/xyz789"
  ],
  "quality": "1080p"
}

Output Format

The actor returns an array with detailed information for each processed video:

[
  {
    "original_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "requested_resolution": "720p",
    "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)",
    "channel": "Rick Astley",
    "duration": "Available",
    "provided_resolution": "720p",
    "thumbnail": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/hqdefault.jpg",
    "downloadable_video_link": {
      "Video": "https://9xbuddy.org/process?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "How_to_use": "Click the link above to go to download page and select your preferred quality"
    },
    "downloadable_audio_link": {
      "Audio": "https://9xbuddy.org/process?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "How_to_use": "Click the link above to download audio-only version"
    },
    "merged_downloadable_link": {
      "Merged": "https://9xbuddy.org/process?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "How_to_use": "Click the link above to download video with audio"
    },
    "alternative_download_services": {
      "Y2Mate": "https://www.y2mate.com/youtube/dQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "YTMate": "https://ytmate.tools/en/youtube-downloader?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "SnapInsta": "https://snapinsta.app/youtube-video-downloader?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "SaveFrom.net (Change youtube.com to ssyoutube.com)": "https://ssyoutube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "Loader.to": "https://loader.to/en/youtube-downloader/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ"
    }
  }
]

Output Fields

• original_url: The input YouTube URL
• requested_resolution: Quality requested by user
• title: Video title
• channel: Channel/creator name
• duration: Video duration in human-readable format
• provided_resolution: Actual quality provided (may differ from requested due to availability)
• thumbnail: Highest quality thumbnail URL
• downloadable_video_link: Direct link to video-only stream
• downloadable_audio_link: Direct link to audio-only stream
• merged_downloadable_link: Direct link to merged video+audio stream

Error Handling

If a URL cannot be processed, the output will include an error field:

{
  "original_url": "https://invalid-url.com",
  "error": "Invalid YouTube URL"
}

Supported URL Formats

• Standard videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• Short URLs: https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
• YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID
• YouTube Kids: https://www.youtubekids.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

Quality Fallback Logic

1. Exact Match: Tries to find the exact requested quality
2. Lower Quality: Falls back to lower available qualities
3. Higher Quality: Falls back to higher available qualities
4. Auto: Uses any available format as last resort

Rate Limiting

The actor includes a 1-second delay between processing URLs to respect YouTube's rate limits and ensure reliable operation.

Usage Tips

1. Batch Processing: Submit multiple URLs for efficient processing
2. Quality Selection: Choose 1080p for best balance of quality and compatibility
3. Download Links: Use the appropriate link type based on your needs:
   • Video: For video-only content (no audio)
   • Audio: For audio-only content
   • Merged: For complete video with audio (recommended for most use cases)

Technical Notes

• Download links are temporary and should be used promptly
• The actor respects YouTube's terms of service
• No personal data or login credentials are required or stored
• Processing time varies based on video length and selected quality

Limitations

• Maximum 10 URLs per run
• Download links expire after some time
• Some videos may not be available due to geographical restrictions
• Age-restricted content may not be accessible

Support

If you encounter issues or have feature requests, please check the actor's documentation or contact support through the Apify platform.