1. Overview
SnapTube is a desktop application that downloads videos and audio from YouTube. It is designed with accessibility first: every control has a meaningful label, all actions can be done from the keyboard, and important events are announced by your screen reader using accessible_output2.
You can paste one URL or many (one per line), choose audio or video with your preferred format, pick an output folder once, and SnapTube remembers everything for next time.
2. Features
- Batch downloads — paste many URLs, one per line; SnapTube downloads them one after another with a live progress bar and status log.
- Audio extraction — convert to MP3, M4A, OPUS, WAV, or FLAC.
- Video downloads — best-quality video + audio merged into MP4, MKV, or WebM.
- Playlists & channels — paste a playlist or channel link and files are organised into subfolders by playlist or channel name.
- Remembers your output folder — starts blank on first run, then the folder you choose is saved and restored on the next launch.
- Saved authentication — cookies are stored once in
%APPDATA%\SnapTube\cookies.txt and applied automatically, so private or age-restricted videos keep working.
- One-click yt-dlp update — updates the standalone
yt-dlp.exe next to the app (never a pip-installed copy).
- Screen reader announcements — start, progress milestones, completion, and errors are spoken when a screen reader is running.
- Automatic dependency setup — if yt-dlp or ffmpeg is missing, SnapTube offers to download and install them next to the app.
- Cancel anytime — a Cancel button stops the current download cleanly.
3. Requirements
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).
- Python 3.9+ only if you run from source (the installer needs nothing).
- yt-dlp — included with the installer.
- ffmpeg — included with the installer; needed for audio conversion and merging.
4. Installation & Setup
- Download the installer from the Download tab and run it. SnapTube installs into Program Files with Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts.
- First launch — if you want private or age-restricted content, set up cookies (see section 7). Public videos work immediately.
- Update — SnapTube checks for its own updates on startup and announces them aloud when one is available.
Tip: everything SnapTube needs (yt-dlp, ffmpeg) ships inside the installer, so there is nothing extra to download.
5. How to Use
Step by step
- Paste URLs — one link per line. Videos, playlists, and channel links all work.
- Choose type & format — Audio or Video, then the format (MP3/M4A/OPUS/WAV/FLAC or MP4/MKV/WebM).
- Pick an output folder — press Download and SnapTube asks for a folder the first time. The folder is remembered afterwards.
- Press Download — the progress bar fills as files download, and milestones are announced aloud.
- Cancel if needed — stops the current download cleanly; completed files stay on disk.
Keyboard access
Every control has an access key — press Alt plus the underlined letter:
| Key | Control |
|---|
| Alt+U | URLs field |
| Alt+S | Save To folder field |
| Alt+B | Browse for output folder |
| Alt+D | Download |
| Alt+C | Cancel |
| Alt+Y | Update yt-dlp |
6. Authentication & Cookies
Some videos require you to be signed in — age-restricted videos, members-only content, or videos that ask you to "confirm you're not a bot". Give SnapTube your YouTube cookies once and it uses them automatically.
Getting your cookies.txt (recommended extension)
The recommended way is "Get cookies.txt LOCALLY", because it generates the file on your own computer and never uploads anything:
Get cookies.txt LOCALLY — Chrome Web Store
- Install the extension from the link above.
- Log in to YouTube in Chrome, and visit youtube.com.
- Click the extensions icon, then Get cookies.txt LOCALLY.
- Click the export button — the extension downloads a file named
cookies.txt.
- Keep the file somewhere safe (for example your Documents folder).
Important: cookies.txt is like a key to your account. Never share it, post it, or send it to anyone.
Adding cookies to SnapTube
- Browse for Cookies File — pick the
cookies.txt you exported; SnapTube copies it into %APPDATA%\SnapTube\cookies.txt.
- Paste Cookie Text — open
cookies.txt in Notepad, copy the contents, paste them into SnapTube, then press Save Cookies.
Refreshing expired cookies
If downloads start failing with "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot", "Private video", or age-restricted errors, export a fresh cookies.txt and press Update Cookies in SnapTube.
Note: cookies are optional. Public, non-restricted videos download fine without them.
7. Updating yt-dlp
- Press the Update yt-dlp button to update the standalone
yt-dlp.exe next to the app.
- If
yt-dlp.exe doesn't exist yet, SnapTube downloads the latest standalone build from GitHub into the app folder.
- The update never touches any pip-installed yt-dlp — only the local exe is updated.
8. Where Files Live
| Item | Location |
|---|
| SnapTube program | SnapTube.exe in the install folder |
| Download engine | yt-dlp.exe next to the app |
| FFmpeg tools | ffmpeg.exe next to the app |
| App icon | SnapTube.ico next to the app |
| Saved cookies | %APPDATA%\SnapTube\cookies.txt |
| Remembered output folder | %APPDATA%\SnapTube\settings.txt |
9. Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|
| "yt-dlp executable not found" | Run the Update yt-dlp button, or reinstall SnapTube so yt-dlp.exe is restored next to the app. |
| Downloads fail or stuck at "merging" | ffmpeg is missing next to the app. Reinstall SnapTube to restore it. |
| "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot" / private / age-restricted | Your cookies are missing or expired. Export a fresh cookies.txt and press Update Cookies. |
| "The output folder does not exist or is not writable" | Choose an existing, writable folder. SnapTube opens the folder picker if the field is blank. |
| "Invalid YouTube URLs" | Only YouTube links are accepted — check for extra spaces or stray punctuation. |
| No spoken announcements | SnapTube speaks only when a screen reader (NVDA or JAWS) is running. That is by design — sighted users get a quiet app. |
| Downloads suddenly fail after working for a while | yt-dlp is out of date. Press Update yt-dlp. |
10. Legal Note
Only download content you have permission to download. Respect YouTube's Terms of Service, copyright law, and the rights of content creators. This tool is provided as-is, free to use, and comes with no warranty. Use it at your own risk.