YouTube Download Extension – Offline Made Easy

A local‑environment browser extension enabling users to download YouTube videos or audio directly from the player.

View on GitHub

Project Overview

A lightweight browser extension that injects download buttons into YouTube’s UI, allowing users to save videos in various formats locally. Ideal for offline access, built with familiar web technologies and leveraging server-side download scripts.

  • JavaScript
  • Browser Extension API
  • Node.js / Express
  • ytdl-core
  • HTML & CSS
Extension Screenshot

Core Features

Integrated Download Button

Adds “Download” buttons in YouTube’s UI for convenience and speed.

Supports Multiple Formats

Users can choose video (MP4/WebM) or audio (MP3) streams via ytdl-core.

Local Development

Works entirely in local environment—no third‑party servers involved.

Lightweight Backend

Simple Node.js + Express server handles download requests.

Development Insights

Injecting UI in YouTube reliably across updates was challenging. We crafted robust content scripts and message passing to maintain interface integrity. Parsing video metadata and managing download streams via ytdl-core required careful handling of async responses and format filtering.

Future Enhancements

  • 🌐 Add multi‑quality download options with bitrate selectors.
  • 🗺️ Provide drag‑and‑drop download queue UI.
  • 🔄 Auto-update extension on YouTube design changes.
  • 📦 Pack as Chrome Web Store / Firefox Add‑on for easier distribution.
GitHub Repository