--- title: KeepCopy description: "Skip the converter site and the browser extension. KeepCopy is a yt-dlp gui that stays on this computer: paste a link, pick quality, save the file to a folder." url: https://keepcopy.app --- # Paste a link. Keep the file. Desktop app · macOS, Windows, Linux A converter you found in search, or a browser extension, is a lot of trust for one file. KeepCopy is a yt-dlp gui that stays on this computer. Paste a link, pick quality in plain language, and save it to a folder. [Coming soon](https://keepcopy.app/#download) ## Paste, pick, save. That is the whole job. 1. **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. 2. **Choose how it should look** — Pick a quality from a list of plain labels. You do not have to know what 137+140 or a format code means. 3. **Save it to a folder** — The file lands on your computer, in the folder you choose. Nothing is uploaded to us. There is no cloud converter. Skip the format codes. [Walk through yt-dlp without the terminal.](https://keepcopy.app/blog/yt-dlp-without-the-terminal). ## What you can do in the app. - **Quality in plain language.** Pick 720p, 1080p, 4K, best available, or audio as MP3 or M4A. You never have to type a format code. - **Recipes.** Watch later, Best quality, Podcast, Lecture, and Archive are shortcuts for those same labels. - **Playlists you pick.** Paste a playlist, inspect it, select the entries you want, and queue those. It does not silently download every item. - **Captions and extra audio.** Turn captions off, use human-written, or use auto when the source has them. If there is more than one audio language, you can choose the track. - **Signed-in downloads.** When a host challenges the download, use cookies from a listed browser or a cookies.txt file. Those cookies stay on this computer. - **A queue on this computer.** Watch progress, cancel, retry, reveal the file in its folder, or remove the job. Downloads stay on this computer — nothing is uploaded to us. ## What the app does — and does not — send. KeepCopy is local-first. The marketing site is not the product. Read the split on [Privacy](/privacy.md). The longer network story is [What stays on your computer](/blog/what-stays-on-your-computer.md). - **Zero telemetry, no accounts.** The app sends no usage data and no crash reports. It does not create an account. - **Your URL stays yours.** A pasted link goes from your computer to the video host. It is never forwarded through our servers. - **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. - **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 ## Before you paste a link. ### Is this a website that converts the video? No. KeepCopy is a local-first desktop 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, Windows, and Linux. Nothing installs in your browser. ### Does the file stay on this computer? Yes. You pick a folder. The file 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. ### 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, Windows, and Linux. ## How to save the file, not the page. - [What stays on your computer](https://keepcopy.app/blog/what-stays-on-your-computer.md): The desktop app sends no telemetry. Your pasted link never goes through our servers. Here is the exact network story, including this website. - [yt-dlp without the terminal](https://keepcopy.app/blog/yt-dlp-without-the-terminal.md): You do not need a package manager, a PATH setup, or a copied command. Paste a link, pick quality in plain language, and let the app run yt-dlp for you. - [Downloaded MP4 no audio](https://keepcopy.app/blog/downloaded-mp4-no-audio.md): Your downloaded MP4 has no audio because the host split video and sound. Pick 1080p or 4K in KeepCopy — ffmpeg joins them into one file on this computer. - [yt-dlp for Mac without the command line](https://keepcopy.app/blog/yt-dlp-for-mac.md): Want yt-dlp for Mac without a terminal or a package manager? KeepCopy installs and verifies the engine on first launch. Paste a link, pick quality, save. ## A file in a folder. On this computer. [Coming soon](https://keepcopy.app/#download) when you want the file on this computer. One purchase channel on Gumroad. Files you can checksum.