We’ve all been there. You find the perfect video—a hilarious Reddit clip, a stunning travel vlog on YouTube, or a must-save tutorial from Twitter. You copy the URL, paste it into your favorite video downloader, hit that exciting "Download" button, and... nothing. Or worse, you get a cryptic error message: "Download Failed," "Invalid URL," or "Video Not Found."
It’s frustrating. Your simple task just became a technical headache.
But here’s the good news: in over 95% of cases, the problem is simple and can be fixed in under a minute. This guide is your ultimate troubleshooting checklist. We'll walk you through every possible cause, from the most common user-side slips to more complex platform-side issues. Our goal is to not only solve your immediate problem but to help you understand why it happens, turning you into a downloading pro.
Let’s dive in and get that video saved.
Part 1: The "Before You Panic" Checklist (The Most Common Fixes)
Start here. These simple checks resolve the vast majority of download failures. Our downloader is designed to be incredibly straightforward—copy, paste, click—so the issue is often a small hiccup on the user's end.
1. Double-Check The URL: The #1 Culprit
This might sound obvious, but it's the most frequent source of errors. A single missing character or an extra space can make a URL completely unrecognizable to our tool.
- Is it the full, complete URL? Make sure you copied the entire address from your browser's address bar. It should start with
https://. - Avoid "Share" links from apps. Sometimes, when you use the "Share" button within an app like YouTube or Twitter, it generates a shortened URL (e.g.,
youtu.be/xxxxort.co/xxxx). While our tool is designed to handle most of these, they can sometimes be a point of failure. The most reliable method is always to open the video in a browser and copy the full URL from the address bar. - Check for typos or extra spaces. If you pasted the link and then accidentally typed a character or a space at the beginning or end, it will fail. Delete the entire link and paste it again carefully.
Quick Test: Can you paste the exact same URL into a new browser tab and does it load the correct video? If yes, the URL is likely good. If not, you've found your problem.
2. Is Your Internet Connection Stable?
Your downloader needs a stable connection to "talk" to the video's host (like YouTube or Reddit) and then send the data back to you. A flaky Wi-Fi or cellular connection can interrupt this process.
- Try loading another website to confirm your connection is active.
- If you're on a mobile device with a weak signal, try switching to a stable Wi-Fi network.
- Sometimes a quick router restart can solve hidden connectivity issues.
3. Clear Your Browser's Cache or Try a Different Browser
Think of your browser's cache as a short-term memory. Sometimes, it can hold onto old, corrupted data that interferes with how a website functions.
- Clear Your Cache: This simple step forces your browser to load the latest version of our website, which can resolve odd behavior.
- Try Incognito/Private Mode: This mode loads our site without any extensions or stored cache, making it a perfect testing environment. If the download works in Incognito Mode, an extension (like an ad-blocker or a privacy script) is likely the cause.
- Switch Browsers: If you're using Chrome, try Firefox. If you're on Safari, try Chrome. This helps rule out browser-specific issues.
4. Check Your Device's Storage Space
This is an easy one to forget, especially on mobile. You can't download a 500 MB HD video if you only have 100 MB of free space on your phone or computer. Check your device's storage and clear out some old files if you're running low.
Part 2: When the Video Itself is the Problem
If you've gone through the checklist above and the download still fails, the issue might not be on your end. It could be due to the privacy or status of the video itself. Our tool respects the platform's rules and can only access what is publicly visible.
1. The Video is Private, Friends-Only, or requires a Subscription
This is a fundamental limitation of all external downloaders. Our tool acts like an anonymous visitor. If an anonymous visitor can't see the video, our tool can't either.
- Private YouTube Videos: These are only visible to the uploader and specific people they've invited.
- "Friends-Only" Facebook Videos: If a video is shared with a specific audience (e.g., "Friends"), it's not on the public internet.
- Private Subreddits or Instagram Accounts: If an account is set to private, our tool cannot access its content.
- Patreon/Subscription Content: Videos behind a paywall are inaccessible.
The Rule: Our downloader does not ask for your login details for a reason—your security. Since we can't log in as you, we can't download content that requires a login to view.
2. The Video is Age-Restricted
Similar to private videos, many platforms require you to be signed in and have your age confirmed to view age-restricted content. Since our tool cannot sign in, it gets blocked at the "Are you over 18?" gate and cannot access the video file.
3. The Video is Geographically Restricted (Geo-blocked)
Have you ever seen the message "This video is not available in your country"? This is geo-blocking. The uploader or platform has restricted the video to certain locations. If our server is located in a region where the video is blocked, it won't be able to fetch it for you.
4. The Video Was Just Uploaded
When a video is uploaded to a platform like YouTube, it takes time to process. The platform creates multiple versions of the video in different qualities (480p, 720p, 1080p, etc.). If you try to download a video moments after it goes live, the final video files may not be ready yet.
The Fix: Wait 15-30 minutes and try the URL again.
5. The Video Has Been Deleted
URLs can live on long after the content is gone. If you're trying to download from a link you saved a while ago, the video may have been deleted by the user or removed by the platform for a policy violation.
Part 3: When the Platform Itself is the Issue
Sometimes, both you and the video are fine, but the platform (YouTube, Twitter, etc.) is the source of the problem.
The Platform Updated Its Code
This is the most common reason a reliable downloader suddenly stops working for a specific platform. Think of it as a constant cat-and-mouse game. Platforms like YouTube and Instagram regularly change their website's code to protect their content and improve their service.
When they make a change, it can break the "path" our tool uses to find the video file.
Our Promise: Our development team is constantly monitoring all supported platforms. When a platform makes a change, we are often already working on a fix before most users even notice. If a major platform like YouTube or Reddit is failing, you can be confident that we are on it. This is our top priority.
The Fix: Patience. Give us a few hours (or up to a day for major changes) to deploy an update. We appreciate your understanding!
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
Why does the download sometimes say "Audio Only" or give me an MP3 file?
This often happens with high-resolution YouTube videos (1080p and above). To save bandwidth, YouTube uses a technology called DASH, which serves the video and audio as separate streams. Our tool detects this and will often provide you with two download options: the full video with merged audio (at a slightly lower quality) and a separate high-quality audio file (MP3). If you're only getting audio, check if there are other download options available on the results page.
Can I download live streams?
You cannot download a video while it is still actively live-streaming. The final video file doesn't exist yet. However, once the live stream is over and the platform archives it as a regular video, you can then use its URL to download it with our tool.
The download starts but then stops at 99% or fails midway. What should I do?
This is almost always a sign of an unstable internet connection. The connection between your device and our server was interrupted long enough for the download to time out. Try the download again on a more stable network. If you are downloading a very large file (1GB+), even a small blip in your Wi-Fi can cause it to fail.
Why can't I download videos from a private Instagram account even if I follow it?
This is a key security and privacy question. Our tool works without requiring you to log in. Because we can't log in as you, we have no way of knowing that you have permission to view that private account's content. To our tool, the account appears locked, so it respects that privacy setting and cannot access the videos. This policy is in place to protect both your account security and the privacy of the Instagram user.
Does using a VPN help with geo-restricted videos?
Maybe, but it's not guaranteed. A VPN can make it seem like you're in a different country, but it doesn't change the location of our server that is actually fetching the video. If our server is in a blocked country, a VPN on your end won't fix it. However, sometimes platforms use a combination of checks, so it's a potential workaround that is worth a try for advanced users, but success is not guaranteed.