YouTube's website has no download button, and screen recording captures the player, comments and notifications along with the clip. It also lowers the quality.
OneTube reads the public video and lists the formats YouTube actually serves: a single file with sound, separate HD video tracks, and the audio on its own. Paste a link, pick a format and save it. No login, no install, and nothing stored on our servers.
Paste a YouTube link
Videos, Shorts and youtu.be links, plus audio-only downloads.
Open the YouTube downloader →The short version
- Copy the link. Open the video or Short on YouTube, tap Share, then Copy link.
- Paste it into OneTube. Open the OneTube web tool and drop the link in the box.
- Pick a format. Choose 360p with sound, an HD video track, or Audio only, then download.
The rest of this guide covers each device, Shorts, why HD files are video-only, and what to do when a link does not work.
On iPhone and iPad
- Open the video in the YouTube app and tap Share.
- Choose Copy link.
- Open the OneTube tool in Safari and paste the link.
- Tap Get video, then choose a format.
- Safari saves the file to the Files app under Downloads. For a video, open it and tap Share → Save to Photos to add it to your camera roll.
On Android
- In YouTube, tap Share, then Copy link.
- Open Chrome and go to the OneTube tool.
- Paste the link and tap Get video.
- Pick a format and download. The file lands in Downloads, and most gallery apps index it automatically.
On Mac or Windows
Open OneTube in any browser, paste the link and download. The file goes to your Downloads folder, ready to edit, archive or send. No software is installed, so it works on any computer.
Shorts and youtu.be links
Shorts, youtu.be links, /live/ links and embed links all resolve to the same video. Paste whatever the Share button gives you; the tool finds the video behind it.
Why HD downloads are video-only
YouTube serves 720p, 1080p and higher as two separate streams: one for video and one for audio. Combining them into a single file means downloading both and re-encoding them on a server, which this free browser tool does not do.
That is why 360p is the highest ready-to-play file with sound. The HD options in the Video only section are silent by design. If you need HD with audio, download the video track and the audio track and join them in a video editor such as iMovie, CapCut or DaVinci Resolve.
Audio-only downloads
The Audio only section returns the best M4A track YouTube provides, usually around 128 kbps. It is handy for talks, music, podcasts and sampling, and it imports into most audio editors. The file is an M4A, not an MP3, so check that your player supports it.
What quality do I get?
The tool returns the files YouTube publishes for the video, without re-encoding. Video is MP4 or WebM depending on the track, and the size is shown next to each option when YouTube reports it. Higher resolutions mean much larger files, so 1080p is usually the sweet spot.
Why a link might fail
- Private, members-only or age-restricted videos. They cannot be read without an account, so they are not supported.
- Deleted or unlisted videos. If the video is gone or hidden, there is no file to return.
- Live and upcoming streams. Live streams have no finished file. Try again after the stream ends.
- Region restrictions. Some videos are not served in every country.
- Rate limits. YouTube occasionally slows down server requests. Wait a minute and try again.
Is this allowed?
Downloading your own videos, or videos you have permission to use, is fine. Re-uploading someone else's work without credit or permission is not. Keep the creator's name when you share, and follow YouTube's terms.
