YouTube Video Downloader

Download any YouTube video as an MP4 file at the resolution you choose - 360p, 720p, 1080p, 1440p, or best available. Paste up to 10 URLs per run and grab each video straight from your run's storage.

What you get

• One MP4 file per video, stored in the run's Key-value store with a direct download URL
• Per-video metadata in the dataset: videoId, title, durationSeconds, uploader, resolution, fileUrl, fileSizeBytes
• Choice of resolution: 360p (smallest), 720p (recommended), 1080p (Full HD), 1440p (2K), or Best available
• Residential proxy by default for reliable downloads; switch to Auto cascade if you want to try the cheaper paths first
• Optional duration cap to skip overly long videos automatically

Use cases

• Save talks, tutorials, and lectures for offline viewing on flights or commutes
• Archive your own uploads or Creative Commons content into a long-term library
• Collect reference material for research, teaching, or media analysis
• Pull source clips for content remixes when you have the rights or a fair-use basis
• Make videos accessible offline for users with limited or unreliable connectivity

How to use

1. Paste one or more YouTube URLs into YouTube Video URLs (youtube.com/watch?v=..., youtu.be/..., or youtube.com/shorts/...)
2. Pick Video Quality - 720p is a good default
3. Leave Proxy Mode on Residential (default) - switch to Auto if you want to try cheaper paths first
4. Optionally lower Max Video Duration (seconds) to skip long videos
5. Run the actor - MP4 files appear in the Key-value store tab; metadata appears in Dataset

Output format

Each dataset record:

{
  "inputUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw",
  "videoId": "jNQXAC9IVRw",
  "title": "Me at the zoo",
  "durationSeconds": 19,
  "uploader": "jawed",
  "resolution": 720,
  "fileKey": "Me_at_the_zoo.mp4",
  "fileUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/<id>/records/Me_at_the_zoo.mp4",
  "fileSizeBytes": 1843200,
  "proxyUsed": "residential",
  "status": "success",
  "error": null
}

The fileUrl is a public download link to the MP4 - open it in a browser, share it, or pipe it into another actor.

Notes & limits

• Up to 10 videos per run. Videos are large; for bulk jobs, schedule multiple runs.
• Max file size: 2 GB per video. Anything larger is rejected before download. Very long videos at high resolutions can hit this limit - drop to a lower resolution if a download fails.
• Age-restricted, members-only, and private videos require login and are not supported.
• Geo-blocked videos will fail; try Residential proxy mode if Auto can't get past it.
• The actor returns the highest MP4 available at or below the resolution you pick. If the source only has 480p, a 1080p request returns 480p.
• Only download content you have the right to download. Respect copyright and YouTube's Terms of Service.

Related YouTube actors

Part of a complete YouTube toolkit - explore the rest of the suite:

• YouTube Channel Videos Scraper - List every video on a channel with metadata
• YouTube Video Metadata Scraper - Bulk video metadata - views, tags, chapters, more
• YouTube Transcript Scraper - Full transcripts and timestamped captions
• YouTube Comment Insights - Sentiment, keywords, and topics from comments
• YouTube Channel Growth Analyzer - Growth metrics, cadence, and best posting time
• YouTube Similar Channels Finder - Find similar and competitor channels
• YouTube Sponsorship & Brand Deal Tracker - Extract sponsors, brand deals, and promo codes
• YouTube Creator Contact Finder - Find a creator's email and social links
• YouTube Email Scraper - Bulk-extract contact emails from channels
• YouTube Thumbnail Downloader - Download video thumbnails in every size
• YouTube to MP3 Converter - Convert videos to MP3 audio (128-320 kbps)
• YouTube MCP Server - All YouTube tools for AI agents via MCP