TubeDrop

A small Windows desktop app for saving a single YouTube video as MP3 audio or an MP4 video at up to 1080p.

The rounded, resizable interface includes five selectable seasonal themes—Summer, Winter, Halloween, Fall, and Spring—each with its own illustrated background and matching color palette.

Only download videos you own or have permission to save. YouTube availability, restrictions, and terms still apply.

Run from source

Requires Windows 10/11 and Python 3.10 or newer.

python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python app.py

FFmpeg is required for MP3 conversion and high-quality video/audio merging. Install it once from Windows Terminal:

winget install --id Gyan.FFmpeg.Essentials --exact

TubeDrop locates the installed ffmpeg executable automatically. Its Windows package includes the Deno JavaScript runtime and yt-dlp EJS challenge scripts required by current YouTube playback.

YouTube changes its playback systems regularly. TubeDrop uses yt-dlp's recommended nightly channel and allows its signed EJS challenge scripts to refresh from the official yt-dlp GitHub project, reducing the need for a full app rebuild when YouTube changes those scripts.

Build the Windows executable

.\build.ps1

The standalone app is written to dist\TubeDrop.exe. The first build can take several minutes while dependencies are installed.

The executable is intentionally not committed to this repository. Release packages should include the project license and THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

Notes

• MP4 means the best available video no higher than 1080p, merged with the best available audio.
• MP3 uses the best available audio source and high-quality variable-bitrate conversion.
• Playlist URLs are intentionally rejected and playlist expansion is disabled.
• If YouTube asks you to sign in to confirm you are not a bot, choose Firefox, Chrome, or Edge under YouTube sign-in. TubeDrop asks yt-dlp to read that browser's local YouTube session; it does not copy, upload, or store your cookies. Firefox is recommended because current Chrome and Edge releases may prevent other apps from decrypting their cookies.
• Sign in to YouTube in the selected browser first. Closing the browser before downloading can help if its cookie database is locked.
• Private, paid, age-gated, or otherwise restricted videos still require an account that is allowed to view them.

Legal and licensing

TubeDrop is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube or Google. Users are responsible for complying with applicable laws, copyright permissions, and platform terms.

The TubeDrop source code is available under the MIT License. Third-party packages and generated seasonal artwork are documented in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.