https://keepcopy.app/blog Guides for using KeepCopy — paste a link, pick quality, keep the download on this computer. en-us Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT weekly 1 https://keepcopy.app/blog/what-stays-on-your-computer https://keepcopy.app/blog/what-stays-on-your-computer Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Trust You pasted a link. You need to know where it goes. **The desktop app sends no telemetry.** A pasted URL travels from your computer to the video host — never through our servers. Privacy pages often blur the product and the marketing site. This one should not. The app is **local-first**. This website is how people find it. They follow different rules. ## In the app **KeepCopy** is local-first: - **No accounts.** - **No telemetry.** - **No crash reporting.** - A pasted URL travels from your computer to the video host. That is the path. There is **no converter in the middle**. On first launch the app downloads the official **yt-dlp** release and installs a bundled **ffmpeg** on this computer. After that, looking up a newer yt-dlp release is optional and you can turn it off. Those calls never include the URLs you paste. Gumroad is the one purchase channel. When the listing is live, checkout happens there and a checksum is published with the download. The app does not send telemetry, crash reports, or the URLs you paste. The policy page is [Privacy](/privacy). This post is the short network story. If you want the steps without the terminal, see [yt-dlp without the terminal](/blog/yt-dlp-without-the-terminal). ## On this website This site is how people find the app. It can load Google Analytics so we can see which pages are read. That tag, when it is present, measures the website. It does not run inside the desktop app, and it cannot see the links you paste there. ## How to check a download Every app artifact publishes a **SHA-256 checksum**. Compare the file you received to the published hash before you run it. Windows signing status — and any SmartScreen step on a brand-new publisher — will be spelled out next to the build, not hidden in a FAQ. If you want the short version: the app does not watch you. The website, if analytics are on, only knows that you visited the website. [Coming soon](https://keepcopy.app/#download) when you want the file on this computer. One purchase channel on Gumroad. Files you can checksum. https://keepcopy.app/blog/yt-dlp-without-the-terminal https://keepcopy.app/blog/yt-dlp-without-the-terminal Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Workflow Copying a download command from a README is tedious — and a stale snippet wastes the next twenty minutes in a terminal. **KeepCopy** is the local desktop app that runs the same engine without asking you to type it. Most guides start with a package manager, then a command you are supposed to paste into a window that looks like 1987. If you will not open a terminal to get the file, this app is for that job. This guide is **yt-dlp without the terminal**: paste a link, pick a quality in ordinary language, and save a file to a folder on this computer. <h2 id="on-this-page">On this page</h2> - [What you do instead](#what-you-do-instead) - [First launch installs the engine](#first-launch-installs-the-engine) - [Plain-language quality](#plain-language-quality) - [The file lands in a folder you choose](#the-file-lands-in-a-folder-you-choose) - [Playlists: select entries](#playlists-select-entries) - [What is still yt-dlp](#what-is-still-yt-dlp) - [What this is not](#what-this-is-not) - [Checksums you can verify](#checksums-you-can-verify) - [Micro-FAQ](#micro-faq) <h2 id="what-you-do-instead">What you do instead</h2> The whole flow is four steps. You never type `yt-dlp`. You never pass a format code. You never wonder whether the snippet you copied still works. ### Step 1: Open the app Launch **KeepCopy** on macOS, Windows, or Linux. First run installs and verifies **yt-dlp** and **ffmpeg** on this computer. You do not install that stack yourself. On a Mac, the same job is written out in [yt-dlp for Mac](/blog/yt-dlp-for-mac). *(Placeholder: Screenshot of first-launch tool install)* ### Step 2: Paste the link Drop in a video or playlist URL the way you would into a search bar. No flags, no quotes, no “run this in a terminal.” The app inspects the link on your machine before anything is saved. You see a title and the options that actually apply to that source. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of the paste-link field)* ### Step 3: Choose how it should look Pick a quality from a list written in ordinary language: 720p MP4, 1080p MP4, 4K MP4, best available, or audio only. You never pass a format code. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of plain-language quality presets)* ### Step 4: Save it to a folder Pick a folder on your computer. The file lands there. Nothing is uploaded to us. There is **no cloud converter**. The queue shows progress, cancel, and retry. When it finishes, you can reveal the file in that folder. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of folder picker and queue)* Skip the format codes. [Paste a link in KeepCopy.](/#download) <h2 id="first-launch-installs-the-engine">First launch installs the engine</h2> **yt-dlp without the terminal** still needs the engine. The difference is who installs it. On first launch, the app places the official **yt-dlp** release and **ffmpeg** on this computer and checks them. You see what is being installed and how it was verified. You do not hunt a package manager, a PATH, or a copied command. After that, optional checks can look for a newer official **yt-dlp** release. You can turn those checks off. They never include the URLs you paste. The install is a one-time walkthrough, not a homework assignment. You confirm what is being placed on the machine, then you paste a link. If something looks wrong later, Settings can repair or reinstall the tools. The download still happens on this computer, between you and the host. <h2 id="plain-language-quality">Plain-language quality</h2> Format codes are the usual tax for using yt-dlp on the command line. This app does not ask you to learn them. You pick from labels the UI already shows: **720p MP4**, **1080p MP4**, **4K MP4**, **best available**, **audio M4A**, or **audio MP3**. The list shrinks to what that source actually offers. That is enough for the everyday job: get a watchable file without opening a terminal. Recipes in the app (Watch later, Best quality, and the rest) are shortcuts for the same labels. This guide stays on the CLI-avoider path — paste, pick, save — not a tour of every recipe. If the source has more than one audio language, you can choose the track. Captions can be off, human-written, or auto, when the source has them. Those are extras. They are not required to finish a download. <h2 id="the-file-lands-in-a-folder-you-choose">The file lands in a folder you choose</h2> **Offline local media** means a file on disk, not a library inside the app. You choose the folder. The app writes there. There is no account, no upload step, and no hidden collection you have to browse later. The queue is the working surface: progress, cancel, retry, reveal in folder, remove. When the job is done, the file is yours in the place you picked. That is the product. It is a **desktop video downloader**, not a player and not a website that fetches the file for you. <h2 id="playlists-select-entries">Playlists: select entries</h2> You can paste a playlist URL. The app inspects it and lets you **select the entries** you want, then queue those. It does not silently download every item in one run. If you want three videos from a list of forty, you pick those three. That is the honest workflow. A playlist is still “paste a link, choose, save” — with an extra selection step so you stay in control. <h2 id="what-is-still-yt-dlp">What is still yt-dlp</h2> Under the hood, the app uses the official **yt-dlp** release — the same engine people trust on the command line. **ffmpeg** is there too, so separate video and audio streams can be joined into a normal file. If a saved MP4 is mute or stuck at 360p, see [Downloaded MP4 no audio](/blog/downloaded-mp4-no-audio). You get that stack without installing it yourself. The first launch walks through what is being placed on your machine and how it was checked. <dl> <dt>Engine</dt> <dd>Official yt-dlp release, installed and verified on first launch.</dd> <dt>Companion</dt> <dd>ffmpeg, so video and audio streams can be joined into a normal file.</dd> <dt>Platforms</dt> <dd>macOS, Windows, and Linux.</dd> <dt>Checksums</dt> <dd>Every downloadable app artifact publishes a SHA-256 checksum.</dd> </dl> The command line is still there for people who want it. This app is for people who do not. <h2 id="what-this-is-not">What this is not</h2> It is not a website that converts the file in the cloud. It is not a wrapper that ships your URL to someone else's server. The download happens on your computer, **between you and the host**. A pasted URL goes from your computer to the video host you chose. It is never forwarded through our servers. The running desktop app sends **no telemetry** and no crash reports. It never contacts this marketing site. Optional checks for a newer yt-dlp release can be switched off. If you already live in a terminal, you may not need this. If you have been putting off yt-dlp because of the command line, you do. The longer network story — app versus this website — is in [What stays on your computer](/blog/what-stays-on-your-computer) and on [Privacy](/privacy). <h2 id="checksums-you-can-verify">Checksums you can verify</h2> Every downloadable app artifact publishes a **SHA-256 checksum**. Compare the file you received to the published hash before you run it. Gumroad, when it is listed, is the one purchase channel. A checksum is published with the download. That is a supporting detail, not a second product. You came here to skip the terminal. The checksum is how you check the installer you just got. <h2 id="micro-faq">Micro-FAQ</h2> ### 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. ### Does the downloaded 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. ### 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. ### 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. [Coming soon](https://keepcopy.app/#download) when you want the file on this computer. One purchase channel on Gumroad. Files you can checksum. https://keepcopy.app/blog/downloaded-mp4-no-audio https://keepcopy.app/blog/downloaded-mp4-no-audio Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Workflow You pressed play on a **downloaded MP4**. The picture moves. There is **no audio**. That is not a broken speaker. Hosts often send video and sound as two streams. A copied command that never runs **ffmpeg** saves the picture and leaves the soundtrack behind — or it falls back to a 360p file that already had both mashed together. **KeepCopy** is the local [desktop video downloader](/) that runs official **yt-dlp** plus **ffmpeg** on this computer. You paste a link, pick **1080p** or **4K** in plain language, and get one file in a folder. This page is for a downloaded MP4 with no audio, and for the download that looks stuck at 360p. <h2 id="on-this-page">On this page</h2> - [Why the file is mute](#why-the-file-is-mute) - [Why the download is only 360p](#why-the-download-is-only-360p) - [What ffmpeg is for](#what-ffmpeg-is-for) - [Get one file without the command line](#get-one-file-without-the-command-line) - [First launch installs ffmpeg](#first-launch-installs-ffmpeg) - [Pick 1080p or 4K in plain language](#pick-1080p-or-4k-in-plain-language) - [A mute file you already have](#a-mute-file-you-already-have) - [What this is not](#what-this-is-not) - [Micro-FAQ](#micro-faq) <h2 id="why-the-file-is-mute">Why the file is mute</h2> A **downloaded MP4 with no audio** usually means the video stream was saved and the audio stream was not joined to it. When you watch in a browser, the page mixes picture and sound for you. A file on disk is different. Many hosts ship **video and audio separately**. Something on your machine has to combine them into one MP4. That job is **ffmpeg**. A copied command from a README often skips that step. You get a file that looks finished. It is video-only. No player can invent a soundtrack that was never written. The file can also be incomplete if the job stopped early. Check the queue finished. Then treat a silent MP4 as a streams problem, not a volume knob. This is the everyday trap on YouTube and other hosts in the app: the page sounded fine, the saved file does not. <h2 id="why-the-download-is-only-360p">Why the download is only 360p</h2> **Low quality** and **no audio** are the same split, seen from the other side. Hosts often keep a small file that already contains picture and sound together — commonly around **360p**. Sharper options (1080p, 4K) arrive as **separate streams**. Without ffmpeg, the safe fallback is that small muxed file. With ffmpeg, those streams become one watchable MP4. So the download is not “stuck.” It is the version that did not need a join. You wanted 1080p for later and got the only file that already had a soundtrack baked in. KeepCopy does not ask you to pick stream pairs. You pick a label the UI already shows. **ffmpeg** joins what that label needs. <h2 id="what-ffmpeg-is-for">What ffmpeg is for</h2> **ffmpeg** is the companion that turns two streams into **one file**. It runs on this computer, during the download. There is no merger screen and no extra export step. KeepCopy installs official **yt-dlp** and **ffmpeg** on first launch and checks them. You do not hunt a package manager, a PATH, or a copied command. After that, optional checks can look for a newer official **yt-dlp** release. You can turn those checks off. They never include the URLs you paste. The download still happens **local-first**: your computer talks to the video host. Nothing is uploaded to us. There is **no cloud converter** in the middle. <h2 id="get-one-file-without-the-command-line">Get one file without the command line</h2> You never type `yt-dlp`. You never pass a format code. You pick a quality in ordinary language and save to a folder. ### Step 1: Open the app Launch **KeepCopy** on macOS, Windows, or Linux. First run installs and verifies **yt-dlp** and **ffmpeg** on this computer. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of first-launch tool install)* ### Step 2: Paste the link Drop in the same URL you already tried. The app inspects it on your machine before anything is saved. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of the paste-link field)* ### Step 3: Pick a quality that needs both streams Choose **1080p MP4**, **4K MP4**, or **best available** when the source has them. Those labels are how you get a watchable file instead of a mute one or a 360p fallback. Watch later is a shortcut for the same everyday presets (720p / 1080p / 4K / best). You do not need a format code. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of the quality list)* ### Step 4: Save it to a folder Pick a folder on this computer. The queue shows progress, cancel, and retry. When it finishes, reveal the file. Play it. You should hear the soundtrack. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of folder picker and queue)* Skip the format codes. [Paste a link in KeepCopy.](/#download) If you want the full paste-pick-save walkthrough, see [yt-dlp without the terminal](/blog/yt-dlp-without-the-terminal). More [workflow](/blog/category/workflow) notes live with this one. <h2 id="first-launch-installs-ffmpeg">First launch installs ffmpeg</h2> The mute file is usually a missing join, not a missing player. The join needs **ffmpeg** on this computer. On first launch, KeepCopy places the official **yt-dlp** release and **ffmpeg** here and shows what was verified. That is the difference between a copied snippet and a **desktop video downloader** that already has the companion. If that machine is a Mac, see [yt-dlp for Mac](/blog/yt-dlp-for-mac). If something looks wrong later, Settings can repair or reinstall the tools. The next download still writes to the folder you choose. You do not install that stack yourself. You confirm it, then you paste a link. <h2 id="pick-1080p-or-4k-in-plain-language">Pick 1080p or 4K in plain language</h2> Format codes are how the command line names streams. This app does not ask you to learn them. The list is ordinary language: **720p MP4**, **1080p MP4**, **4K MP4**, **best available**, **audio M4A**, or **audio MP3**. It shrinks to what that source actually offers. For a file you will watch later, pick **1080p MP4** or **4K MP4** when they appear. That is the quality layer: one MP4 with picture and sound, not a video-only stream and not the 360p muxed leftover. Audio-only labels are a different job (the soundtrack, not the picture). They will not fix a mute video. Use them when you wanted MP3 or M4A on purpose. If the source has more than one audio language, you can choose the track. Captions are extra. They are not required to get sound. <h2 id="a-mute-file-you-already-have">A mute file you already have</h2> KeepCopy does **not** merge two files you already saved. **ffmpeg** joins streams as part of a **new** download. Paste the link again. Pick **1080p MP4** or **4K MP4**. Save to a folder. The new file should have the soundtrack. Do not run the silent MP4 through a **cloud converter**. That adds a hop you did not ask for, and it is not how this app works. The file should land **offline local media** in a folder on this computer. If the queue failed, retry from the queue or repair the tools in Settings, then download again. <h2 id="what-this-is-not">What this is not</h2> It is not a website that fetches the file for you. It is not a player, a library, or a batch transcode tool. It will not strip audio from a file you already have. It will not promise hardware acceleration. It will not silently download every item in a playlist — you select entries first. The running desktop app sends **no telemetry** and no crash reports. A pasted URL goes from your computer to the video host. The longer split between the app and this site is in [What stays on your computer](/blog/what-stays-on-your-computer). Gumroad, when it is listed, is the one purchase channel. Every downloadable app artifact publishes a **SHA-256 checksum**. Compare the installer you received to the published hash before you run it. <h2 id="micro-faq">Micro-FAQ</h2> ### Why does a downloaded MP4 have no audio? Hosts often send video and audio as separate streams. If those streams are not joined, you get a picture with no soundtrack. ### Why is the download only 360p? The low-quality file is often the one that already includes sound. Sharper versions arrive as separate streams and need ffmpeg to become one MP4. ### Do I need to install ffmpeg myself? No. First launch of KeepCopy installs and verifies the official yt-dlp release and ffmpeg on this computer. ### Can I merge a mute file I already saved? KeepCopy has no merger screen. ffmpeg joins streams as part of a new download. Paste the link again and pick a plain-language quality so the file lands as one MP4. [Coming soon](https://keepcopy.app/#download) when you want the file on this computer. One purchase channel on Gumroad. Files you can checksum. https://keepcopy.app/blog/yt-dlp-for-mac https://keepcopy.app/blog/yt-dlp-for-mac Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Workflow You want **yt-dlp for Mac**, and every guide opens the same way: install a package manager, paste a command into a terminal window, then remember to install ffmpeg as well. Then the copied command is stale, the tool is not on your PATH, or the file you finally save has no sound because ffmpeg never arrived. Twenty minutes gone, still no video in your folder. **KeepCopy** is a local-first [desktop video downloader](/) that runs the official **yt-dlp** release plus **ffmpeg** on your Mac. First launch installs and verifies both. You paste a link, pick a quality in ordinary language, and save a file to a folder on this computer. The same app runs on Windows and Linux. <h2 id="on-this-page">On this page</h2> - [Why yt-dlp for Mac usually starts in a terminal](#why-yt-dlp-for-mac-usually-starts-in-a-terminal) - [What first launch does on your Mac](#what-first-launch-does-on-your-mac) - [Paste, pick, save](#paste-pick-save) - [Plain-language quality instead of format codes](#plain-language-quality-instead-of-format-codes) - [Where the file lands](#where-the-file-lands) - [Playlists: select the entries you want](#playlists-select-the-entries-you-want) - [Signed-in videos: cookies stay on this Mac](#signed-in-videos-cookies-stay-on-this-mac) - [What leaves your Mac](#what-leaves-your-mac) - [Micro-FAQ](#micro-faq) <h2 id="why-yt-dlp-for-mac-usually-starts-in-a-terminal">Why yt-dlp for Mac usually starts in a terminal</h2> **yt-dlp is a command-line program.** That is the honest reason a search for yt-dlp on a Mac lands you in a terminal window with a package manager and two install commands. You are not looking for a different engine. You want the one people trust, on your own machine, without the install ceremony in front of it. The missing piece on a Mac is a window that does the typing. KeepCopy is that window. It runs the **official yt-dlp release** — not a rewrite, not a cloud service that fetches the file for you. <h2 id="what-first-launch-does-on-your-mac">What first launch does on your Mac</h2> **The app installs the engine so you do not have to.** On first launch it places the official **yt-dlp** release and a bundled **ffmpeg** on this computer and checks them, showing what was installed and how it was verified. No package manager. No PATH to edit. No snippet from a README that expired last year. ffmpeg matters more than it sounds. Hosts often send picture and sound as separate streams, and something local has to join them. If you have ever saved a file that played mute or arrived stuck at 360p, that was the missing join — see [Downloaded MP4 no audio](/blog/downloaded-mp4-no-audio). *(Placeholder: Screenshot of first-launch tool install on macOS)* <dl> <dt>Engine</dt> <dd>Official yt-dlp release, installed and verified on first launch.</dd> <dt>Companion</dt> <dd>Bundled ffmpeg, so separate video and audio streams become one file.</dd> <dt>Platforms</dt> <dd>macOS, Windows, and Linux.</dd> <dt>Repair</dt> <dd>Settings can repair or reinstall the engine tools later.</dd> </dl> Optional checks can look for a newer official yt-dlp release. You can turn them off, and they never include the URLs you paste. <h2 id="paste-pick-save">Paste, pick, save</h2> Four steps, and you never type `yt-dlp`. The flow is the same on macOS, Windows, and Linux. ### Step 1: Open the app Launch **KeepCopy** and let first run finish placing the engine tools on this computer. You confirm what is being installed instead of assembling it yourself. ### Step 2: Paste the link Drop in a video or playlist URL the way you would into a search bar. No flags, no quotes. The app inspects the link **on your machine** before anything is saved, so you see the title and only the options that source actually offers. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of the paste-link field)* ### Step 3: Pick a quality in plain language Choose **720p MP4**, **1080p MP4**, **4K MP4**, **best available**, **audio M4A**, or **audio MP3**. Recipes — Watch later, Best quality, Podcast, Lecture, Archive — are shortcuts for the same labels. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of plain-language quality presets)* ### Step 4: Save it to a folder Pick a folder on your Mac. The queue shows progress, cancel, and retry, and can reveal the finished file where you put it. *(Placeholder: Screenshot of folder picker and download queue)* Skip the install commands. [Paste a link in KeepCopy.](/#download) The full walkthrough of this flow lives in [yt-dlp without the terminal](/blog/yt-dlp-without-the-terminal). More [workflow](/blog/category/workflow) notes sit with this one. <h2 id="plain-language-quality-instead-of-format-codes">Plain-language quality instead of format codes</h2> **Format codes are the usual tax for driving the engine yourself.** This app does not ask you to learn them. You pick a label the UI already shows, and the list shrinks to what that source really has. For an everyday file to watch later, **1080p MP4** is the whole decision. Extras are there when the job needs them: captions off, human-written, or auto with language checkboxes and an optional embed; the audio track when a source carries more than one language; embed metadata, embed thumbnail, or save a separate thumbnail file. Sponsor segments can be removed when the source has markers. None of those are required to finish a download. <h2 id="where-the-file-lands">Where the file lands</h2> **In the folder you chose, as a normal file.** Not in a library inside the app, and not on a server you have to sign in to. The queue is the working surface: progress, cancel, retry, reveal in folder, remove. Settings hold your download defaults, so you can set where files go once. That is the product — a **desktop video downloader** that leaves you with **offline local media**. It is not a player, an editor, or a website that fetches the file for you. <h2 id="playlists-select-the-entries-you-want">Playlists: select the entries you want</h2> Paste a playlist URL and the app inspects it, then you **select the entries** you want and queue those. It does not silently download every item in one run. Three videos out of forty means you pick those three. <h2 id="signed-in-videos-cookies-stay-on-this-mac">Signed-in videos: cookies stay on this Mac</h2> Some hosts will not serve a file the way a public link does. When you are signed in on this computer, the app can use **cookies from a browser listed in the UI** — Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Firefox, or Safari — or a **cookies.txt** file you point it at. Those cookies stay on this computer. There is no login proxy and no account with us. <h2 id="what-leaves-your-mac">What leaves your Mac</h2> **No telemetry. No crash reporting. No accounts.** A pasted URL goes from your Mac to the video host you chose, and never through our servers. The only optional network call is looking up a newer official **yt-dlp** release on GitHub, which you can switch off. The running app never contacts this marketing site. Every downloadable app artifact publishes a **SHA-256 checksum**. Compare the file you received to the published hash before you run it. The longer network story — app versus this website — is in [What stays on your computer](/blog/what-stays-on-your-computer) and on [Privacy](/privacy). <h2 id="micro-faq">Micro-FAQ</h2> ### Do I need a terminal or a package manager to use yt-dlp on a Mac? Not with KeepCopy. First launch installs and verifies the official yt-dlp release and ffmpeg on this computer, and you paste a link instead of typing a command. ### Does it install ffmpeg on my Mac too? Yes. A bundled ffmpeg is installed alongside the official yt-dlp release on first launch, so separate video and audio streams land as one file. ### Where does the downloaded file go on my Mac? In the folder you choose. The queue can reveal it there when the download finishes. Nothing is uploaded to us and there is no cloud converter in the middle. ### Can I download a video I am signed in to on Safari? You can use cookies from a browser listed in the app — Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Firefox, or Safari — or a cookies.txt file. Cookies stay on this computer. ### Is this Mac only? No. The same app runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and the steps on this page are the same on all three. [Coming soon](https://keepcopy.app/#download) when you want the file on this computer. One purchase channel on Gumroad. Files you can checksum.