Desktop app macOS Windows Linux coming soon
Paste a link. Keep the video.
A converter you found in search, or a browser extension, is a lot of trust for one video. KeepCopy is a desktop video downloader — a yt-dlp gui that stays on this computer. Paste a link, pick quality in plain language, and save it to a folder.
Three steps
Paste, pick, save. That is the whole job.
- 01
Paste a link
Drop in a video or playlist URL the way you would into a search bar. The app inspects the link before anything is saved.
- 02
Pick a quality
Pick 720p, 1080p, 4K, or best. The labels are ordinary language. You never type a format code.
- 03
Click Download
The video saves to a folder on this computer. Nothing is uploaded to us. There is no cloud converter.
Prefer buttons to a terminal. Walk through yt-dlp without the terminal.
The app
KeepCopy on this computer.
In the app
What you can do in the app.
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Quality in plain language
Pick 720p, 1080p, 4K, best available, audio as MP3 or M4A, or captions as SRT. You never have to type a format code. Save audio only from a video link.
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Recipes
Watch later, Best quality, Audio, Lecture, Archive, and Captions are shortcuts for those same labels. See the Archive workflow.
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Playlists you pick
Paste a playlist, inspect it, select the entries you want, and queue those. It does not silently download every item. How to pick the entries.
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Captions and extra audio
Turn captions off, use human-written, or use auto when the source has them. Sidecar files are SRT. The Captions recipe saves only the words. If there is more than one audio language, you can choose the track. Download a lecture with captions.
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Signed-in downloads
When a host challenges inspect or download, open Site access under the paste field. Use cookies from a listed browser or a cookies.txt file. That reuses a session already on this computer and does not grant rights the host did not give that account. The last choice is remembered. Those cookies stay on this computer. Use browser cookies locally.
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A queue on this computer
Watch progress, cancel, retry, reveal the video in its folder, or remove the job. Downloads stay on this computer — nothing is uploaded to us. Retry or repair a failed download.
Trust contract
What the app does — and does not — send.
KeepCopy is local-first. A pasted link never goes through our servers. The policy is on Privacy. Who the copy is for is on Terms of use. What stays on your computer covers the path of a pasted link. To save a video with no cloud hop, see Save web video without a web converter .
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Who the copy is for
The app is for copies you have the legal right to access and keep. Terms of use
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Zero telemetry, no accounts
The app sends no usage data and no crash reports. It does not create an account.
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Your URL stays yours
A pasted link goes from your computer to the video host. It is never forwarded through our servers.
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Updates you can switch off
Optional checks look up a newer official yt-dlp release. You can turn those off. They never include the URLs you paste.
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Checksums you can verify
When listed on Gumroad, every downloadable build publishes a SHA-256 checksum next to the file.
Works with the hosts you already use
YouTube · Vimeo · Twitch · TikTok · X · Instagram · SoundCloud · Reddit · Bilibili · Facebook
KeepCopy runs the official yt-dlp release. Other pages that engine can inspect may work in the same paste-pick-save flow — because the engine knows that site, because the page embeds a video player it already knows, or through a generic fallback. That is not a guarantee every site will work, or keep working. Stories are not a downloadable type.
Questions
Before you paste a link.
What may I save?
KeepCopy is for saving copies of content you have the legal right to access and keep. You must follow the terms of the site you paste from, and the law where you are. KeepCopy is not responsible for what you choose to download. Access to watch is not a right to keep. Terms of use
Is this a website that converts the video?
No. KeepCopy is a local video downloader app. A pasted URL goes from your computer to the video host — never through our servers.
Is this a browser extension?
No. KeepCopy is a desktop app for macOS and Windows. Linux is coming soon. Nothing installs in your browser.
Does the video stay on this computer?
Yes. In Settings, set Save files to. The video lands there. Nothing is uploaded to us, and there is no cloud converter in the middle.
Do I need to install yt-dlp myself?
No. First launch of KeepCopy installs and verifies the official yt-dlp release and ffmpeg on this computer.
Is this on GitHub?
No. KeepCopy is sold on Gumroad, not as GitHub Releases. GitHub is where the official yt-dlp engine publishes its releases — first launch of KeepCopy installs that engine here.
Can I add a playlist?
Yes. Paste a playlist URL, inspect it, and select the entries you want. The app does not silently download every item in one run.
Does the app send telemetry?
No. The app sends no usage data, no crash reports, and it does not create an account. Optional checks for a newer yt-dlp release can be turned off. They never include the URLs you paste.
What computers does it run on?
macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, and Windows 10 or later (64-bit). On a Mac, choose the M-series build or the Intel build to match the computer. Linux is coming soon.
Will Windows warn when I open the installer?
The Windows installer is unsigned. SmartScreen may warn on the first run. Compare the SHA-256 checksum next to the download to the file you received before you run it.
What comes with your purchase?
When the listing is live: one download with every installer in it — two for Mac (M-series and Intel) and one for Windows. Every file has a SHA-256 checksum next to it. Two more files travel with the installers: the full license notices, and the source for the bundled ffmpeg. You do not need either one to run the app — the LGPL asks that anyone who receives the binary can get its source, so it ships beside them.
What video hosts work?
We name YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, TikTok, X, Instagram, SoundCloud, Reddit, Bilibili, and Facebook. The app runs the official yt-dlp release, so other pages that engine can inspect may work — including pages that are not video sites but embed a player the engine knows. That is not a guarantee. Stories are not a downloadable type.
A video in a folder. On this computer.
KeepCopy
Local-first desktop app
Skip the converter site and the browser extension. Paste a link, pick quality, and save the video to a folder on this computer.