GuideYouTube
How to download YouTube Shorts
A Short is an ordinary YouTube video in a vertical frame, so it downloads like one: paste the link, choose a quality, get an MP4. The part worth understanding is the quality picker, because Shorts are shot for phone screens and the wrong choice gives you a file that looks soft on anything bigger.
Updated · 4 steps · about a minute
Copy the Short's link
Tap Share under the Short and choose Copy link. You will get a youtube.com/shorts/... URL. A youtu.be short link for the same video works identically, and so does the regular watch URL if you opened it on desktop.
Paste it into the YouTube downloader
Drop the link into ClipKoala. Shorts resolve the same way full videos do, so within a couple of seconds you will see the title, the channel, and the list of available qualities.
Choose a quality deliberately
Shorts are usually uploaded at 1080p in a vertical frame, which is 1080 pixels across the short side. Pick 1080p if the clip is going anywhere near a large screen or an edit. Pick 360p or 480p only when you want a small file for a message or a rough cut.
Save the file, or take the audio instead
The MP4 converts on demand, with progress shown on the button, and starts downloading the moment it is ready. If it was the sound you were after, choose MP3 and skip the video entirely.
Try it now
Open the youtube downloader and paste your link. Free, no sign-up.
Good to know
- A Short and its regular watch URL are the same video, so either link works
- Downloads top out at 1080p; there is no 4K path, and a Short rarely has one anyway
- Several Shorts to save? Paste all the links at once and batch mode handles them together