YTYT-Downloader

Download YouTube videos, extract MP3 audio, save transcripts, and stream to VLC - all from YouTube's interface.

Quick Install (PowerShell One-Liner)

Paste this into an elevated PowerShell window:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SysAdminDoc/YTYT-Downloader/refs/heads/main/src/Install-YTYT.ps1 | iex

The installer automatically downloads and configures everything: yt-dlp, ffmpeg, VLC detection, protocol handlers, and the userscript.

Features

• Download Video - One-click MP4 downloads up to 1080p with progress UI
• Download Audio - Extract MP3 audio from any video
• Download Transcript - Save video captions/subtitles as timestamped text files
• Stream to VLC - Instantly stream any video to VLC media player
• Progress Popup - Real-time download progress with thumbnail, speed, and ETA
• Auto-Retry - Failed downloads automatically retry up to 3 times
• Settings Panel - Toggle which buttons to show/hide
• Shorts Support - Works on both regular videos and YouTube Shorts
• SPA Compatible - Handles YouTube's single-page navigation seamlessly

Screenshot

The script adds download buttons to YouTube's action bar with a settings gear:

Button	Color	Function	Default
Video	Green	Download video as MP4	Shown
MP3	Purple	Download audio as MP3	Shown
TXT	Blue	Download transcript	Shown
VLC	Orange	Stream in VLC Player	Hidden
⚙️	Gray	Settings panel	Always

Click the gear icon to toggle button visibility. Settings persist across sessions.

Requirements

Automatic Installation (Recommended)

Run the PowerShell installer - it handles everything automatically:

• Downloads yt-dlp and ffmpeg
• Detects VLC installation
• Registers protocol handlers
• Creates the userscript

Manual Requirements

If installing manually, you'll need:

1. Userscript Manager - Install one of:

   • Tampermonkey (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)
   • Violentmonkey (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)
   • Greasemonkey (Firefox)

2. VLC Media Player - Download

3. yt-dlp - Download

4. ffmpeg - Required for MP3 extraction and video merging

Installation

Option 1: Automatic Installer (Windows)

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
2. Run the one-liner:

   irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SysAdminDoc/YTYT-Downloader/refs/heads/main/src/Install-YTYT.ps1 | iex

3. Follow the installer prompts
4. Install the userscript in your browser

Option 2: Manual Installation

1. Install a userscript manager (see Requirements)

2. Install the userscript:

   Install YTYT-Downloader

3. Set up protocol handlers manually (see Protocol Handlers section below)

Installer Screenshots

How It Works

1. The userscript detects YouTube video/Shorts pages
2. It injects download buttons into the action bar
3. Clicking a button triggers a custom protocol URL:
   • ytdl:// - Download video/audio
   • ytvlc:// - Stream to VLC
4. Windows protocol handlers launch PowerShell scripts
5. Download progress appears in a popup window with thumbnail

Transcript Download

The transcript button extracts captions directly in the browser:

• Prefers English captions, falls back to first available language
• Includes timestamps in [MM:SS] format
• Downloads as a .txt file

Protocol Handlers (Manual Setup)

If not using the automatic installer, create these registry entries:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; VLC Protocol Handler
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ytvlc]
@="URL:YTVLC Protocol"
"URL Protocol"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ytvlc\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Path\\To\\ytvlc-handler.bat\" \"%1\""

; Download Protocol Handler
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ytdl]
@="URL:YTDL Protocol"
"URL Protocol"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ytdl\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Path\\To\\ytdl-handler.bat\" \"%1\""

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Buttons don't appear	Refresh the page or wait for YouTube to fully load
"Protocol not recognized"	Re-run the installer or check registry entries
VLC doesn't open	Verify VLC is installed and path is correct
Download fails	Check that yt-dlp and ffmpeg are installed
Settings don't save	Ensure your userscript manager has storage permissions
No transcript available	Video doesn't have captions/subtitles

Uninstalling

Run the installer again - it automatically removes the previous installation before reinstalling. To fully uninstall:

1. Delete the installation folder (default: %LOCALAPPDATA%\YTYT)
2. Remove registry keys under HKCU:\Software\Classes\ for: ytvlc, ytvlcq, ytdl, ytmpv, ytdlplay
3. Remove the userscript from your userscript manager
4. Delete desktop shortcut if created

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

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

Acknowledgments

• yt-dlp - The powerful YouTube downloader
• VLC - The versatile media player
• ffmpeg - Audio/video processing

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