Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Downloads on y2mate are free, and you don’t need to register or sign in.

No. y2mate does not display ads, open advertising pop-ups, or send you to advertising pages.

No. Use Y2Mate in your browser without installing an app or extension or creating an account. JavaScript needs to be enabled to load the download options.

Use a direct link to an individual YouTube video or Short, including a youtu.be share link. Playlist, channel, search and /live/ links are not supported. A link containing a list parameter is also rejected; copy the individual video link outside the playlist.

Yes, when those resolutions are available for the original video. Paste your link to see the download options we can provide.

The available resolutions depend on the source. A video uploaded in 1080p won’t have a genuine 4K version to download.

M4A is ready faster because it uses YouTube’s audio directly without re-encoding, but has more limited compatibility. MP3 at 128 or 320 kbps works with more devices and players, but takes slightly longer to prepare because the server needs to re-encode the audio.

Paste a direct YouTube video, youtu.be share link, or Shorts link. Channel, search, playlist and /live/ links are not supported. Links with a list parameter are also rejected, even if they include a video ID. Open the video outside the playlist and copy its individual link.

Clipboard access can be unavailable or denied by your browser. Click the input and paste with Ctrl+V, Command+V, or your phone’s Paste menu. Copy the link again if your clipboard is empty.

Some higher-resolution videos have separate video and audio streams that need to be combined. MP3 downloads also require audio conversion. This processing happens before your file is ready to save.

First check for a validation message below the input. If the link is valid, check your connection and try Download again. If the panel remains blank, refresh the page and paste the link again. A browser extension may block the embedded panel; review its site permissions if needed. The download service may also be temporarily unavailable.

Read the message in the download panel and check that the original video is still accessible on YouTube. Check your connection, then retry once the failed request has ended. You can try another available format or a lower resolution. If failures continue, try again later; private, removed or restricted videos may not be available.

Check your browser’s Downloads list first. A file still preparing in the download panel has not yet been saved to your device. If the browser reports a completed download, use its open or show-in-folder control, or look in the download location set in your browser. On iPhone or iPad, also check the Files app rather than only Photos.