--- title: Video download keeps failing description: "Video download keeps failing? Open the queue: retry the job, repair local yt-dlp and ffmpeg, or use cookies if the host asked you to sign in." url: https://keepcopy.app/blog/video-download-keeps-failing updated: 2026-08-14T00:00:00.000Z --- 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](#what-failed-means-here) - [How to retry a failed download](#how-to-retry-a-failed-download) - [Repair local tools](#repair-local-tools) - [When the host asked you to sign in](#when-the-host-asked-you-to-sign-in) - [Titles we cannot fix with Retry](#titles-we-cannot-fix-with-retry) - [Cancel, Show folder, Remove](#cancel-show-folder-remove) - [Not mute, and not the wrong voice](#not-mute-and-not-the-wrong-voice) - [Micro-FAQ](#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.](/#download)

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](/blog/video-download-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](/blog/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](/blog/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](/blog/what-stays-on-your-computer). More how-tos live under [Workflow guides](/blog/category/workflow). The longer skip-the-terminal walkthrough is [yt-dlp without the terminal](/blog/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. KeepCopy is a desktop video downloader. Paste a link, pick quality, and save the video to a folder on this computer. [Coming soon](https://keepcopy.app/#download)