A fast, modern desktop universal video downloader designed for creators and editors.
macOS • Windows • Linux
YT-FORGE is a fast, lightweight desktop universal video downloader and yt-dlp GUI wrapper built on top of the powerful yt-dlp engine.
It focuses on three things:
• Speed
• Simplicity
• Editor-friendly downloads
Unlike many downloaders, YT-FORGE prioritizes H.264 video and AAC audio formats, ensuring smooth playback and seamless compatibility with professional editing software such as Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve.
-
1,000+ Sites Supported
Downloads from YouTube, X, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and basically anywhere else supported byyt-dlp. -
Fast Downloads
Powered by the battle-testedyt-dlpengine. -
Minimal Interface
Clean dark UI built with React and Shadcn UI. -
Editor-Friendly Formats
Automatically prefers H.264 + AAC (MP4) over AV1/VP9. -
Built-in H.264 Conversion
Easily convert downloaded VP9 or AV1 videos to H.264 directly within the app for maximum compatibility. -
No Ads. No Tracking.
Source-available and transparent.
| OS | Hardware / Architecture | Direct Download (v2.0.1) |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | Apple Silicon (M Series) | Download .dmg |
| Windows | Intel / AMD & Snapdragon (ARM) | Download .exe |
| Linux | Intel / AMD (Standard PCs) | .AppImage · .deb |
| Linux | ARM Devices (Raspberry Pi, etc.) | .AppImage · .deb |
Latest release:
https://github.com/YT-Forge-Official/YT-Forge/releases/latest
Because this is an independent source-available application without enterprise code-signing certificates, your operating system may show a warning on first launch.
Windows:
More Info → Run Anyway
macOS:
Open the app once, dismiss the warning, then go to
System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to the YT-Forge message.
If macOS instead says the app "is damaged and can't be opened", the download was flagged by quarantine. Clear it with:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/YT-Forge.appThis approval is required only once.
YT-FORGE is a graphical interface for the open-source yt-dlp project.
This application does not modify or circumvent the original software.
Please download only content that you have permission to access or distribute.
YT-Forge is source-available, not open source.
It is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. In plain terms:
- Allowed — personal use, hobby projects, study and research, and use by charities, schools, public research bodies and government institutions. You may read, modify, fork and redistribute the source for those purposes.
- Not allowed — any commercial purpose. You may not sell YT-Forge, ship it inside a paid product, or rebrand it and monetise it.
"YT-Forge", the YT-Forge name and the YT-Forge logo are trademarks of the author and are not licensed by the above. A permitted fork must be distributed under a different name and branding.
For a commercial licence, contact the author.
The initial Electron + Vite + React scaffold was derived from PikoCanFly/electron-react-vite-starter-project (MIT).
YT-Forge also bundles yt-dlp (Unlicense) and FFmpeg / FFprobe (GPL-3.0-or-later), which it invokes as separate executables, and compiles in BgUtils (MIT) to obtain the YouTube "Proof of Origin" tokens that some videos require.
Full attributions and licence texts: NOTICE.md.
YT-Forge respects your privacy. There is no telemetry, analytics, or remote tracking. All of your downloads, search history, and settings are stored locally on your device.
For full details regarding network requests and optional features like YouTube sign-in, please read the Privacy Policy.