---
title: "Video download says sign in required? Use browser cookies"
description: "Video download says sign in required? Use browser cookies or cookies.txt locally when a host challenges a download you can already access."
url: https://keepcopy.app/blog/video-download-sign-in-required
updated: 2026-08-14T00:00:00.000Z
---

The video plays while you are signed in, but the download says **sign in required**. A public request and your browser session do not look the same to the host, so retrying the same anonymous download may lead to the same challenge.

Copying cookie flags into a terminal adds another place to expose or misplace session data. **KeepCopy** handles this locally: choose cookies from a browser listed in the app, or select a `cookies.txt` file, then retry the video download. The cookies stay on this computer and go only to yt-dlp for that challenged download.

<h2 id="on-this-page" class="toc-heading">On this page</h2>

- [Why a video download says sign in required](#why-a-video-download-says-sign-in-required)
- [Before you use browser cookies](#before-you-use-browser-cookies)
- [How to use browser cookies for the download](#how-to-use-browser-cookies-for-the-download)
- [Browser cookies or cookies.txt](#browser-cookies-or-cookiestxt)
- [Where the cookies go](#where-the-cookies-go)
- [What browser cookies cannot do](#what-browser-cookies-cannot-do)
- [If browser access fails](#if-browser-access-fails)
- [Micro-FAQ](#micro-faq)

<h2 id="why-a-video-download-says-sign-in-required">Why a video download says sign in required</h2>

**The host may be asking for the signed-in context your browser already has.** The link can work in a browser tab while a separate download request is challenged.

Your browser keeps that context in cookies. When you visit the page while signed in, the host can connect the request to that session. A local downloader starts without that browser context unless you choose to provide it.

KeepCopy exposes that choice under **Site access**. You can select a listed browser or point the app at a `cookies.txt` file. yt-dlp then uses that local context for the download instead of asking you to type a cookie flag.

This is not required for an ordinary public video. Start with **Don’t use cookies**. Add browser context only when the host challenges the download or requires access you already have.

<h2 id="before-you-use-browser-cookies">Before you use browser cookies</h2>

**Confirm that the same video opens in the browser session you plan to use.** Cookies can carry existing access; they cannot create access.

Use this short check:

- Open the exact video page in your browser.
- Confirm that you are signed in to the host there.
- Confirm that the video plays for that account.
- Return to KeepCopy and use that browser as the cookie source.

If you cannot view the video in the browser, the cookie path is not a workaround for the host’s rules. KeepCopy does not proxy a login, request a password, or create another account for you.

The video still needs to be available through a source yt-dlp can inspect. A signed-in session does not turn every page into a supported video page.

<h2 id="how-to-use-browser-cookies-for-the-download">How to use browser cookies for the download</h2>

**Paste the link, inspect it, choose the local cookie source, and download.** The workflow stays inside the desktop app on macOS, Windows, or Linux.

### Step 1: Paste the video link

Open KeepCopy and paste the exact video page URL. Press **Add** so the app can inspect the source before anything enters the queue.

Use the video page, not the host’s homepage. If the host challenges the inspection or download, continue to **More options**.

<figure class="screenshot-placeholder">
  <p>Screenshot of paste-link-field-with-signed-in-video-url</p>
</figure>

### Step 2: Open Site access

Open **More options** and find **Site access**. The app explains the boundary there: cookies stay on this computer and go only to yt-dlp when the site challenges this download.

The default is **Don’t use cookies**. Leave that selected for public videos that work without a signed-in session.

<figure class="screenshot-placeholder">
  <p>Screenshot of site-access-with-dont-use-cookies-selected</p>
</figure>

### Step 3: Choose the browser where you are signed in

Open **Browser cookies** and select the browser that holds the working session. KeepCopy lists **Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Firefox, and Safari**.

Choose the browser you actually used for the check above. Selecting a different browser does not provide the session from the signed-in one.

<figure class="screenshot-placeholder">
  <p>Screenshot of browser-cookies-source-list</p>
</figure>

### Step 4: Choose quality and a folder

After the app can inspect the source, pick quality in ordinary language: **720p MP4**, **1080p MP4**, **4K MP4**, **best available**, **audio M4A**, or **audio MP3**, depending on what the source offers.

Choose the folder on this computer where the result should land. Nothing is uploaded to KeepCopy.

### Step 5: Add the download to the queue

Click **Download**. The queue shows progress and lets you cancel or retry. When the job finishes, use **reveal in folder** to open the location you selected.

<figure class="screenshot-placeholder">
  <p>Screenshot of signed-in-download-complete-in-queue</p>
</figure>

Use the session already on this computer. [Paste a link in KeepCopy.](/#download)

More local download how-tos are collected under [Workflow guides](/blog/category/workflow).

<h2 id="browser-cookies-or-cookiestxt">Browser cookies or cookies.txt</h2>

**KeepCopy provides two local cookie paths.** Start with the browser list when the signed-in profile is available to the app. Use **Choose cookies.txt** when you already have that file or browser access fails.

The choices appear together under Site access:

- **Browser cookies:** choose Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.
- **Don’t use cookies:** keep the download anonymous when the host does not require a session.
- **Choose cookies.txt:** point KeepCopy at a cookie file on this computer.

The app also shows a platform-specific note. On macOS, the browser may show a Keychain prompt so yt-dlp can read the selected profile. On Windows, browser security can block access to some cookie stores. On Linux, some packaged browser profiles may be hidden from other apps. In either failure case, `cookies.txt` is the fallback shown in the UI.

KeepCopy does not include a browser extension and does not send cookies to a cloud service. Both paths supply local session context to the local yt-dlp engine.

<h2 id="where-the-cookies-go">Where the cookies go</h2>

**Cookies stay on this computer and go only to yt-dlp for the challenged download.** KeepCopy does not forward them through our servers or this marketing website.

The video URL follows the same local-first model. It goes from your computer to the chosen video host, never through our servers. The host responds to the app running here, and the video lands in the folder you chose.

The desktop app sends no telemetry and no crash reports. It does not create a KeepCopy account. The running app never contacts this marketing site.

Optional checks can look for a newer official yt-dlp release on GitHub. You can turn those checks off, and they never include the video URLs you paste.

For the exact difference between the desktop app and this website, read [What stays on your computer](/blog/what-stays-on-your-computer) and [Privacy](/privacy).

<h2 id="what-browser-cookies-cannot-do">What browser cookies cannot do</h2>

**Browser cookies reuse access; they do not grant it.** The option is for a host challenge involving a session you already control.

It does not:

- Sign in to the host for you.
- Ask for or store your host password.
- Give an account access it does not have.
- Promise that every host or video will work.
- Bypass the host’s access rules.
- Turn KeepCopy into a cloud login proxy.

The app also is not a media library or player. When the download succeeds, the result is a normal video in a folder on this computer.

<h2 id="if-browser-access-fails">If browser access fails</h2>

**Use the fallback presented in Site access: `cookies.txt`.** Browser and operating-system protections can prevent another local app from reading a browser profile even when you selected the correct browser.

Select **Choose cookies.txt**, pick the file already stored on this computer, and retry the inspection. KeepCopy passes that file to yt-dlp locally.

If the host still refuses the request, do not assume more retries will create access. Confirm the session can play the video in the browser and that the source is supported. KeepCopy cannot override a host decision.

For the full no-terminal setup—including how KeepCopy installs and verifies yt-dlp plus ffmpeg—read [yt-dlp without the terminal](/blog/yt-dlp-without-the-terminal).

<h2 id="micro-faq" class="faq-heading">Micro-FAQ</h2>

### Why does a video download say sign in required?

A host may challenge a download that does not carry the signed-in context from your browser. KeepCopy can give yt-dlp local access to browser cookies or a `cookies.txt` file.

### Which browsers can KeepCopy use for cookies?

The browser list in KeepCopy includes Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

### Do browser cookies leave this computer?

No. Cookies stay on this computer and go only to yt-dlp when the host challenges that download. KeepCopy does not proxy your login through its servers.

### Can cookies download a video I cannot access?

No. Cookies reuse a browser session you already have. They do not grant permission or bypass a host’s access rules.

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)