🎥 PowerToys Run: Video Downloader

Latest version: v1.0.11 (x64 & ARM64) | Other versions | Changelog

📊 Download Statistics

⚠️ Warning: This project is created for educational purposes only. Use of this software for downloading videos is at your own risk and responsibility. Please respect copyright laws and terms of service of the platforms you download from.

⚠️ Technical Note: Muxed streams are deprecated by YouTube and are not guaranteed to be available for every video. If possible, avoid relying on them too much and instead perform muxing manually using the provided audio-only and video-only streams.

Note: Subtitle and metadata features are disabled by default for speed. Use the "Download Video with Subtitles" option when subtitles are needed.

📥 Video Downloader for PowerToys Run

Download videos from YouTube and 1000+ other sites directly from your keyboard

Mentioned in Awesome PowerToys Run Plugins

📝 Overview

VideoDownloader is a PowerToys Run plugin that lets you download videos from the internet instantly from your keyboard. Just type dl [URL] in PowerToys Run (replace [URL] with the video URL) and start the download, no browser required!

Plugin ID: B8F9B9F5C3E44A8B9F1F2E3D4C5B6A7B
Action Keyword: dl
Platform: Windows 10/11 (x64, ARM64)
Tech: C#/.NET, WPF, PowerToys Run API

🌟 Features

🚀 One-Click Downloads - Download videos with a single command
🎥 Multiple Formats - Supports both video (MP4) and audio-only (MP3) downloads
🔍 Smart URL Detection - Automatically recognizes video URLs from various platforms
⚡ Lightning Fast - Built with performance in mind
🎨 Dark/Light Theme - Seamlessly integrates with your system theme
📂 Custom Download Folder - Choose where to save your downloads
🛠️ No Dependencies - Auto-downloads required components
🌍 1000+ Sites - Works with YouTube, Vimeo, and many more via yt-dlp

🔔 Quick Start

Download the latest release from the Releases page
Extract the ZIP file
Copy the extracted folder to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\
Restart PowerToys
Press Alt+Space to open PowerToys Run
Type dl [URL] to download a video URL, and hit Enter!

🎬 Demo

📚 Usage

Basic Commands

dl [URL] - Download a video in the best quality

Examples

dl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

⚙️ Configuration

Access settings through PowerToys Settings → PowerToys Run → Plugin Manager → Video Downloader

Available Settings:

Action Keyword: Change from default dl if desired
Default Download Location: Set your preferred download folder
Audio Format: Choose between MP3, M4A, etc.
Video Format: Choose between MP4, MKV, etc.
Auto-Open Folder: Open download folder after completion

🛠️ Building from Source

Prerequisites

Build Steps

git clone https://github.com/ruslanlap/PowerToysRun-VideoDownloader.git
cd PowerToysRun-VideoDownloader
dotnet restore
dotnet build -c Release

The built plugin will be in bin\Release\net9.0-windows10.0.22621.0

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit a pull request to suggest changes.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgements

Microsoft PowerToys team
yt-dlp for the amazing video downloader
YoutubeExplode for YouTube support

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Plugin not showing up: Ensure you've extracted to the correct folder and restarted PowerToys
Download fails: Check your internet connection and try again
Video not supported: Some sites may have restrictions
yt-dlp not found: The plugin will automatically download yt-dlp on first use. Make sure you have internet access
Slow downloads: Try a lower quality setting or check your internet connection

Getting Help

If you encounter any issues, please open an issue with the following information:

Video URL you're trying to download
Command you used (if any)
Any error messages received
Screenshots if applicable

🎨 Assets

Plugin Icons

Plugin Logo

Light Theme Icon

Dark Theme Icon

All assets are available in the assets/ directory of this repository.

📝 Overview

VideoDownloader is a PowerToys Run plugin that lets you download videos from YouTube and 1000+ other sites instantly from your keyboard. Just type dl followed by a video URL in PowerToys Run to start downloading—no browser required!

Plugin ID: 9B6621426ABD46EC9C8B30F165866711
Action Keyword: dl
Platform: Windows 10/11 (x64, ARM64)
Tech: C#/.NET, WPF, PowerToys Run API

✨ Features

⚡ One-command video downloads from PowerToys Run
📊 Supports YouTube and 1000+ other video sites
🖼️ Modern WPF UI with real-time progress and results
🎨 Theme-aware (dark/light icons, adapts to system theme)
📝 Copy/share results instantly
🛠️ Robust error handling and informative messages
🧪 Automated tests and CI/CD (GitHub Actions)

🎬 Demo

🔔 Easy Install

Download the release (x64)
Download the release (ARM64)
Extract to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\
Restart PowerToys

🚀 Usage

Open PowerToys Run (Alt+Space)
Type dl followed by a video URL and select the download option
View real-time progress and detailed results
Click the result URL to view/share your result online

🛠️ Building from Source

Requires .NET 9.0 SDK and Windows 10/11
Clone the repo and open VideoDownloader.sln in Visual Studio
Build the Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.VideoDownloader project (x64 or ARM64)
Output: VideoDownloader-x64.zip or VideoDownloader-arm64.zip in the publish directory

📂 Project Structure

VideoDownloader/
├── Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.VideoDownloader/  # Plugin source code
├── tests/                                          # Unit & integration tests
├── publish/                                        # Build output
├── screenshots/                                    # Demo and documentation assets
└── .github/workflows/                              # CI/CD workflows

👥 Contributors

Thank you to all the amazing people who have contributed to this project and create issues for bug reports and feature requests!

❓ FAQ

How do I change the download location?

You can set a custom download folder in the plugin settings. Access it through PowerToys Settings → PowerToys Run → Plugin Manager → Video Downloader.

Which video platforms are supported?

The plugin supports YouTube, Vimeo, and 1000+ other sites through yt-dlp. See the full list of supported sites.

Does it work offline?

No, an internet connection is required to download videos.

Can I download videos in 4K quality?

Yes, if the source video is available in 4K and the platform allows it. Use the --quality 2160p parameter.

🤔 yt-dlp FAQ

What are the advantages of using yt-dlp over youtube-dl?

yt-dlp offers additional features and options not available in youtube-dl. It also has an active development community that ensures that bugs are quickly fixed and new features are added.

How do I install yt-dlp?

The plugin includes yt-dlp and will automatically download it on first use. For manual installation, you can download the binary from the official releases page.

Can I download videos in different formats?

Yes, you can download videos in different formats using yt-dlp. You can specify the format using command-line options or by editing the configuration file.

Is it legal to use yt-dlp to download YouTube videos?

Some content on YouTube may be copyrighted, and downloading it without permission may be illegal. Downloading videos from YouTube is against YouTube's Terms of Service. Users are responsible for ensuring they have the right to download and use the content.

Can I download entire playlists with yt-dlp?

Yes, yt-dlp lets you download entire playlists by simply pasting the playlist URL. The plugin supports this functionality automatically.

Can I download audio-only files?

Yes, use the --audio flag to download audio-only files in MP3 format.]

Is yt-dlp actively maintained?

Yes, yt-dlp is actively maintained by a team of developers who regularly release updates and bug fixes. The plugin automatically checks for yt-dlp updates.

Is there a GUI for yt-dlp?

This plugin serves as a GUI for yt-dlp, integrated directly into PowerToys Run. For standalone GUI options, consider: - yt-dlp-gui - youtube-dl-gui - yt-dlp Web UI

Can I use yt-dlp on mobile?

This plugin is designed for Windows via PowerToys Run. For mobile use, you'll need to use the command-line version of yt-dlp with a terminal emulator like Termux on Android or a-Shell on iOS.

☕ Support

Enjoying Video Downloader? ☕ Buy me a coffee to support development:

📄 License

MIT License. See LICENSE.

🙏 Acknowledgements

Microsoft PowerToys team
yt-dlp - The best YouTube/Video downloader
YoutubeExplode - YouTube video/playlist parsing
All contributors and users!

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Plugin not showing up
Make sure you extracted the plugin to the correct folder and restarted PowerToys.
Download fails
Check your internet connection and try again. Some videos may have restrictions.
yt-dlp not found
The plugin will automatically download yt-dlp on first use. Make sure you have internet access.
Slow downloads
Try a lower quality setting or check your internet connection.

🔒 Security & Privacy

The plugin does not store your download history.
All downloads are performed directly by yt-dlp.
No third-party APIs or data collection beyond what yt-dlp requires.

🧑‍💻 Tech Stack

C# / .NET 9.0
WPF (UI)
PowerToys Run API
yt-dlp (video downloading)
YoutubeExplode
GitHub Actions (CI/CD)

📝 Changelog

v1.0.11 (Latest)

Added option to download videos with subtitles on demand
Metadata features remain disabled to improve speed and reliability

v1.0.8 ✅ PTRUN Compliant

🔧 Fixed: All PowerToys Run linting issues (PTRUN1301, PTRUN1303, PTRUN1401, PTRUN1402)
📦 Improved: Package naming follows <name>-<version>-<platform>.zip convention (removed 'v' prefix)
🔐 Added: SHA256 checksums for all release packages
⚙️ Enhanced: Automatic version synchronization between plugin.json and releases
🗑️ Removed: Unnecessary PowerToys dependencies from packages
🎯 Optimized: Reduced package size and improved compatibility
🚀 Enhanced: CI/CD pipeline with proper artifact validation
🐛 Bug Fix: Resolved setup timeout issues
⏱️ Improved: Extended download timeout to 10 minutes
📱 Enhanced: Better user messaging during setup
🔧 Fixed: ARM64 build compatibility

v1.0.7

New Feature: Added support for viewing available video formats before downloading
- Click on "ℹ️ Video Information" to see all available formats and qualities
- View detailed information about each available stream
- Choose the exact format/quality you want to download

v1.0.6

Added support for ARM64 architecture
Improved plugin settings validation
Fixed issues with special characters in download paths
Added more detailed error messages for download failures

v1.0.5

Fixed build issues by replacing problematic Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.Dependencies package with standard PowerToys dependencies:
- Added Microsoft.PowerToys.Settings.UI.Library (v0.75.0)
- Added Wox.Plugin (v1.4.0)
Updated GitHub Actions workflow for proper artifact naming and build process:
- Fixed all references from "SpeedTest" to "VideoDownloader"
- Corrected project paths and build directories
- Added explicit NuGet source configuration
- Added dedicated restore step before building
Added proper support for both x64 and ARM64 builds
Fixed NuGet package references for better compatibility with PowerToys v0.75+
Enhanced README with additional badges, better documentation, and improved formatting
Updated UnitTests project to target .NET 9.0 to match the main project
Fixed all links and references to ensure consistency across the project