Video download keeps failing

The job stopped. The queue says Failed. You do not know whether to wait, click again, or start over on a converter you found in search.

A copied command fails in a terminal with a wall of text. A browser download folder does not tell you what the video host just refused.

KeepCopy is the local desktop video downloader for that job. When a video download keeps failing, read the title on the queue row. Then use Retry, Repair local tools, or cookies if the host asked you to sign in.

We describe the controls. We do not guess a host outage you cannot see.

On this page

• What “Failed” means here
• How to retry a failed download
• Repair local tools
• When the host asked you to sign in
• Titles we cannot fix with Retry
• Cancel, Show folder, Remove
• Not mute, and not the wrong voice
• Micro-FAQ

What “Failed” means here

The queue stopped that job. The row still has the error title and a next action.

The status pill reads Failed. The stage line reads Needs attention. Under that, KeepCopy shows a short title and a sentence — not a raw command dump.

Common titles include Couldn’t finish this download, Couldn’t reach the video host, and The video host refused this request. Those usually point at Retry.

The downloader is missing points at Repair. Verification or a private video points at cookies.

That is why did my video download stop in this app: one row, one title, one control. It is not a diagnosis of the internet, and it is not a claim that KeepCopy is unreliable.

Screenshot of failed-queue-row-with-error-title

How to retry a failed download

Read the title. Use Retry when the message says to try again. Download failed try again is that button.

Step 1: Open the queue

The queue is the working surface: progress, Cancel, Retry, Show folder, Remove. A failed row stays there until you act.

You do not paste the link into a converter page to “try again.”

Step 2: Read the title on the row

The title is the product. Couldn’t finish this download plus “Try again in a moment” means Retry. Couldn’t reach the video host means check your connection, then Retry. The video host refused this request means try later, or add cookies if the video needs a sign-in.

That quality is not available is different: the app says it will retry with the best available format. You do not type a format code.

Step 3: Click Retry

Retry starts the same job again. The row leaves Failed and goes back through prepare and download.

If the same title comes back, do not spam the button. Read it again. Cookies and Repair are the other shipped exits.

Screenshot of queue-retry-button-on-failed-job

Stay on this computer. Paste a link in KeepCopy.

Repair local tools

Repair reinstalls yt-dlp and ffmpeg on this computer. Use it when the tools are missing or look wrong — not as a generic “fix the internet” click.

The queue shows Repair when the error action is repair. The usual title is The downloader is missing. The sentence may mention antivirus. That is the local-tools path, not a malware-removal guide.

You can also open Settings → Software. The section says repair reinstalls yt-dlp and ffmpeg here. The button is Repair local tools.

First launch already installed and verified both. Repair is for later, when a tool is gone or broken on disk.

This is not a fourth engine how-to. You do not set a PATH or paste an install command.

Screenshot of settings-software-repair-local-tools

When the host asked you to sign in

Retry will not invent a session. If the title is YouTube is asking for verification or This video is private, add cookies first.

Choose cookies from a listed browser, or pick a cookies.txt file. Those cookies stay on this computer. Then Retry.

The full walkthrough is Video download says sign in required. This page does not retell that job.

Titles we cannot fix with Retry

Some titles mean the source will not give you that video. KeepCopy cannot bypass them.

• This video is no longer available. The host reports it was removed or deleted.
• This video is not available in your region. The host restricted your location. There is no geo-bypass in the app.
• This site isn’t supported. The engine has no downloader for that host. Paste a video or playlist page URL, not a homepage.

This link didn’t return a video appears on inspect when the URL is not a video or playlist page. Paste the watch page, not a site root.

We do not publish a supported-sites list here. We do not write a VPN guide. If that title is on the row, Retry will not change the host’s answer.

Cancel, Show folder, Remove

Those buttons are for jobs you still control — not a second product.

• Cancel stops an in-progress download. A cancelled row can Retry.
• Show folder reveals a finished video in the folder you chose. That is not “where did my browser put it.”
• Remove takes the job off the queue. It does not delete a video already on disk.
• Open in browser opens the source page.

The folder itself — changing the default destination — is a Settings default, not this diagnostic. Everyday saves still land in the folder you pick.

Not mute, and not the wrong voice

A finished file that plays wrong is not a failed queue row.

If the picture moves and there is no audio, follow Downloaded MP4 no audio. Retry will not join streams you already saved as a mute MP4. Paste the link again and pick 1080p MP4 or 4K MP4.

If the file plays but the voice is the wrong language, that is Downloaded video has auto-dubbed audio. Pick Audio language. Do not treat it as Failed.

For the path of a pasted link, read What stays on your computer. More how-tos live under Workflow guides. The longer skip-the-terminal walkthrough is yt-dlp without the terminal.

Micro-FAQ

Why does a video download keep failing in KeepCopy?

The queue shows Failed and an on-screen title. Use Retry, Repair local tools, or cookies if the host asked you to sign in. KeepCopy does not diagnose a host outage.

What does Retry do?

Retry starts the same job again from the queue. Use it when the error title asks you to try again, or after you fix cookies or the local tools.

When should I repair local tools?

When the row says The downloader is missing, or Settings → Software looks wrong. Repair local tools reinstalls yt-dlp and ffmpeg on this computer.

Will Retry fix a sign-in challenge?

Not by itself. If the title is about verification or a private video, add browser cookies or cookies.txt first, then retry.