About Y-Download

Y-Download is a free YouTube downloader and converter. You paste a link, choose a format, and save the file to your phone or computer. There is no account to create, nothing to install, and nothing to pay.

Our story

Y-Download launched in 2021 as a free YouTube downloader. For years it did one job: turn a YouTube link into an MP4 or MP3 file.

In 2026 we rebuilt it from scratch with a new engine. The reason was a change on YouTube's side: video and audio are now delivered as separate streams, and a downloader has to merge them before the file is playable. Rather than patch the old code, we started over. The new engine merges the streams on our servers, keeps the original quality wherever possible, and shows you real progress while it works.

What we stand for

• It works. A downloader that fails half the time is not much of a tool. Reliability comes first.
• Honest about limits. Private videos, age-restricted videos, and live streams that are still running cannot be downloaded. When something is not possible, we say so instead of spinning forever.
• No misleading download buttons. The only download buttons on this site download the file you asked for.
• No account. You never sign up, sign in, or hand over an email address to use the service.
• Respect for privacy. We do not store the links you paste beyond short-lived operational logs, and every file we prepare is deleted after 30 minutes. The details are in our Privacy Policy.
• Fast on phones. The site is built for small screens and slow connections first, so it stays quick on a phone.
• Available in 16 languages. The whole site, not just the home page.

What you can download

• MP4 video in every resolution YouTube offers for the video, up to 4K and 8K.
• MP3 audio at 320 kbps or 128 kbps, with the cover art embedded.
• M4A and OPUS audio, exactly as YouTube stores it, with no re-encoding.
• WAV and FLAC conversions for editing and archiving.
• Playlists, downloaded one item at a time so you pick exactly what you want.
• Thumbnails in the sizes YouTube provides.
• Subtitles as SRT files, including auto-generated captions where available.

How files are handled

Files are prepared on our servers, handed to your browser as a normal download, and deleted automatically 30 minutes later. We do not keep a library of downloaded videos, and there is no way to browse what other people have downloaded.

Not affiliated with YouTube

Y-Download is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to YouTube or Google in any way. YouTube is a trademark of Google LLC.

Get in touch

Questions, ideas, and bug reports are welcome. See the Contact page for the best way to reach us.