YT Media Fetcher
Version: 2.x | License: Freeware
Legal Notice:
Downloading copyrighted content without permission from the rights holder may be illegal. Use this tool only for videos you have created yourself, that are under Creative Commons license, or that are explicitly released for download. We assume no liability for misuse.
What is YT Media Fetcher?
YT Media Fetcher is a download manager for YouTube videos and other supported platforms. It uses yt-dlp as backend for downloading.
Features
- YouTube Download: Download videos from YouTube via yt-dlp
- Formats: MP4 (Video), MP3 (Audio), WebM (Video)
- Quality Selection: 144p to 4K (if available)
- Playlist Download: Download entire playlists or channels
- Audio Extraction: Save only audio track as MP3
- Metadata: Save title, description, thumbnail
- Progress Display: Download progress in real-time
- Queue: Multiple downloads in queue
System Requirements
| Component | Requirement |
|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10/11 (64-bit) |
| RAM | 2 GB minimum |
| Storage | 100 MB + download storage |
| Internet | Requires YouTube access |
| yt-dlp | Installed/updated automatically |
| FFmpeg | Required for format conversion |
| .NET | .NET 6.0 or higher |
Installation
1 Download YT-Media-Fetcher-Setup.exe.
2 Run the setup (no admin rights required).
3 Select installation folder.
4 Setup automatically downloads yt-dlp and FFmpeg (approx. 50 MB).
5 Start YT Media Fetcher.
Download Single Video
1 Copy the YouTube URL from your browser (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxx).
2 Open YT Media Fetcher.
3 URL is automatically recognized from clipboard. Or: Paste with Ctrl+V.
4 Click "Analyze". The program reads available formats.
5 Select desired format:
- Video + Audio: MP4 (recommended) or WebM
- Audio only: MP3
6 Select quality:
- 4K (2160p) - Only available for 4K videos
- 1080p (Full HD)
- 720p (HD)
- 480p, 360p, 240p, 144p
7 Select save folder or use default (Videos\YT-Media-Fetcher).
8 Click "Download".
9 Download starts. Progress is displayed.
Download Playlist
1 Copy the playlist URL (contains "list=" in address).
2 Paste URL in YT Media Fetcher.
3 Click "Detect Playlist".
4 All videos in the playlist are displayed.
5 Select:
- Download all videos
- Select specific videos (check boxes)
- Specify range (e.g., video 1-10)
6 Select format and quality.
7 Click "Download Playlist". Videos are downloaded one after another.
Tip: Large playlists can take a long time and need a lot of storage space. Check available space beforehand.
Download Audio Only (MP3)
1 Paste the video URL.
2 Click "Analyze".
3 Select format "MP3 (Audio only)".
4 Select audio quality:
- 320 kbps (high quality)
- 192 kbps (good quality)
- 128 kbps (standard)
5 Click "Download". Audio track is extracted and saved as MP3.
Format Explanations
| Format | Use | Best for |
|---|
| MP4 |
Video container with H.264 codec |
Compatibility, all devices |
| WebM |
Video container with VP9 codec |
Higher quality at same file size |
| MP3 |
Audio format |
Music, podcasts |
Download Management
Queue
- Multiple videos can be added to queue
- Downloads occur one after another
- Queue can be paused and resumed
- Individual downloads can be removed from queue
Download History
- All downloads are logged
- Duplicate downloads are detected
- History can be exported
Settings
General Settings
- Default Download Folder: Set a fixed save location
- Filename Pattern: Schema for filenames ({title}, {channel}, {date}, etc.)
- Metadata: Save thumbnail, description
- Subtitles: Download automatically (if available)
Network Settings
- Proxy: Set up proxy server if required
- Bandwidth Limit: Limit download speed
- Concurrent Downloads: Parallel downloads (playlist)
Update yt-dlp
- YouTube changes its structure regularly
- yt-dlp must be current
- Menu: "Extras" > "Update yt-dlp"
- Or check automatically on program start
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|
| "Video not available" |
Video may be region-blocked, deleted, or private. Or yt-dlp is outdated - update. |
| Download breaks off |
Unstable internet connection. Enable "Resume download" in settings. |
| No audio in video |
FFmpeg not correctly installed. Menu: "Extras" > "Reinstall FFmpeg". |
| "URL not recognized" |
Make sure complete YouTube URL is copied (not just youtu.be shortlink). |
| 4K option missing |
Video is not available in 4K. Or: "Best quality" is not selected. |
| Slow downloads |
YouTube sometimes throttles downloads. Try again later or use a VPN (check local laws). |
| yt-dlp not found |
Menu: "Extras" > "Install yt-dlp". Check internet connection. |
Supported Platforms
Besides YouTube, yt-dlp (and thus YT Media Fetcher) supports hundreds of other sites:
- YouTube (Videos, Playlists, Channels, Shorts)
- Vimeo
- Dailymotion
- Facebook Videos
- Instagram (Videos, Reels)
- TikTok
- Twitter/X
- SoundCloud (Audio)
- and many more...
Note: Support for other platforms may change. Check yt-dlp documentation for current information.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key Combination | Function |
|---|
| Ctrl + V | Paste URL |
| Ctrl + D | Start download |
| Ctrl + A | Select all videos in queue |
| Del | Delete queue entry |
| Ctrl + , | Settings |
| F5 | Refresh analysis |
License
- Freeware: Free for private use
- yt-dlp: Open Source (Unlicense)
- FFmpeg: LGPL/GPL (depending on build)
- Responsibility: User is responsible for complying with copyright laws