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01 Copy the YouTube video URL
Open YouTube and navigate to the video you want. Click the address bar and copy the full URL — it starts with youtube.com/watch?v= or youtu.be/. On mobile, tap Share → Copy Link below the video player.
// tip Short youtu.be links and full youtube.com URLs both work equally well. -
02 Paste into rawlink and click GET
Go to rawlink's YouTube downloader. Paste the URL into the input field and press GET. rawlink fetches all available formats and resolutions directly from YouTube's servers — this takes 2–5 seconds.
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03 Choose your format and resolution
You'll see a full list of download options: MP4 in 4K, 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p — plus an MP3 audio-only option. Choose the quality that fits your screen size and available storage.
// tip 1080p is the best balance for most screens. Choose 4K only if you have a 4K display — the file size is 3–5× larger than 1080p. -
04 Download the file to your device
Click the download button next to your chosen format. Your browser saves the file to your Downloads folder automatically. On iPhone with Safari, tap the link and choose 'Download Linked File' to save to the Files app.
// tip On Android Chrome, long-press the download button and choose 'Download link' if the file tries to open in the browser instead.
How to Download YouTube Videos on iPhone (Safari & Chrome)
Safari on iPhone has a built-in download manager since iOS 13 — when you tap a download link, choose 'Download' and find it in Safari's Downloads icon at the top-right. For older iOS, open rawlink.io in Chrome for iOS which handles file downloads more reliably. Alternatively, the Documents by Readdle app has a built-in browser and download manager: open rawlink in its browser, paste the URL, choose your format, and save. The downloaded video file appears in Documents, where you can then share it to your Photos library or Camera Roll via the 'Share' menu.
How to Download YouTube Videos on Android
Android offers the most flexibility for downloading. Open rawlink.io in Chrome for Android, paste the YouTube URL, choose your quality, and tap the download button. Chrome will ask where to save — select your Downloads folder. The video then appears in your Downloads app and in your Gallery. If Chrome opens the video instead of downloading it, long-press the download link and choose 'Download link' from the context menu. For Samsung devices, Samsung Internet browser also works well and integrates directly with the built-in file manager.
Can I Download YouTube Shorts?
Yes, YouTube Shorts are fully supported. Shorts use the URL format youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID and rawlink processes them identically to regular YouTube videos. Copy the Shorts URL — either from your browser's address bar or by tapping Share → Copy Link in the YouTube app — paste it into rawlink, and you'll get the same MP4 and MP3 download options. Downloaded Shorts files are standard MP4, not the vertical-crop short format, so you can view them in any media player.
How Does a Browser-Based YouTube Downloader Work in 2026?
rawlink runs entirely in your web browser — there is no installer, no Chrome extension, and no desktop application to download. When you paste a YouTube URL, our server queries YouTube's public video API to retrieve the list of available format streams (MP4 4K, 1080p, 720p, MP3 audio), then returns those direct CDN links to your browser. The actual file transfer happens directly from YouTube's CDN to your device — our servers never proxy or store the video. This is why a free online YouTube downloader in 2026 can deliver HD quality without you needing to install software like 4K Video Downloader or YTD: the browser is doing the work natively. The tradeoff vs. desktop apps is that we don't support batch playlist downloads or scheduled downloads, but for single videos in any quality the speed is identical.
Best Settings for Downloading YouTube Shorts in HD on Mobile
YouTube Shorts are recorded vertically (1080×1920) and uploaded at HD by default, which means most Shorts have a 1080p MP4 option in rawlink's download list. To get the cleanest Shorts download on mobile in 2026: open the Short in the YouTube app, tap Share → Copy Link, then paste the URL into rawlink. Pick the 1080p MP4 option (avoid the 'audio only' MP3 unless you want the sound clip — popular for downloading trending Shorts audio). On iPhone Safari, the file downloads to the Files app and you save it to Camera Roll via Share → Save Video. On Android Chrome, the file lands in your Downloads folder and is automatically picked up by your Gallery. Avoid 720p or lower for Shorts — the file size savings are minimal and HD looks much better on phone screens.
What Video Formats and Quality Levels Are Available?
rawlink shows every quality tier that YouTube has encoded for the video — this varies by upload. Most videos offer 360p, 480p, 720p (HD), and 1080p (Full HD). Videos uploaded in high resolution also have 1440p (2K) and 2160p (4K). Music videos and recently uploaded content tend to have the most quality options. The MP3 audio option extracts the sound track directly — it's available for every video and typically comes in at 128–320 kbps depending on what YouTube encoded. We never re-encode or lower the quality from what YouTube provides.
Is It Safe to Download YouTube Videos with rawlink?
Yes. rawlink processes your URL in server memory and never stores it or any personal data. We don't require login, don't set tracking cookies, and don't log which videos you download. The download link goes directly from YouTube's CDN to your device — rawlink acts as the bridge to find the URL, not to transfer the file through our servers. For legal safety: downloading YouTube videos for personal offline viewing is widely accepted, but redistributing, re-uploading, or monetizing downloaded content without the creator's permission violates YouTube's terms and copyright law. Always respect creators' rights.