How to download a clip

Spoolfield saves clips from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Reddit, Pinterest, Dailymotion and Truth Social. Here’s the whole flow, from link to file.

Saving clips from sites is part of Spoolfield Pro and the free trial. The Lite plan converts files only: see How to convert files.

Only download videos you made, videos licensed for reuse, or videos you have permission to use. Spoolfield doesn’t remove DRM.

1. Paste your links

Open Spoolfield and stay on Download from links.
Copy a link from the site’s address bar or its Share button, then paste it into the Video links box. Add as many links as you like, one per line, even from different sites.
If you’ve just copied a link, Spoolfield offers it under Link on your clipboard. Click Paste to add it.
Click Check links. Each link shows its title, length and the best quality the site offers, before anything downloads. Lines that aren’t supported links are skipped, and Spoolfield tells you how many.

2. Choose a format

MP4: Plays anywhere: phones, TVs, browsers and most editors.
MOV: Opens straight in Final Cut, iMovie and on iPhone.
MKV: Keeps the best video and audio the site has, such as VP9 or AV1, with nothing converted.
WebM: For the web and OBS.
MP3: Audio for any player, with the cover art and title added.
M4A: Usually the site’s own AAC audio, moved into an M4A file without re-encoding.
WAV: Lossless audio for editing.

3. Pick a quality

For video, choose a resolution from 144p up to 4320p (8K), or Best. Less common sizes are under More….
Each clip downloads at the resolution you chose. A clip that doesn’t go that high uses its highest one, and Spoolfield tells you before you start.
With MP4, Plays everywhere (H.264) converts clips that have no H.264 version at your resolution, so they open in any editor or phone. Converting takes longer, so turn it off if you want the download to finish sooner.
For MP3, pick a bitrate: 128, 192, 256 or 320 kbps.

4. Download a whole playlist

Paste a YouTube link that’s part of a playlist and click Check links. The link shows how many clips the playlist has.
Turn on Download the whole playlist. Spoolfield saves every clip into a subfolder named after the playlist.
Playlists work for YouTube. Links from other sites download one clip each.

5. Download and find your files

Check the Estimated size, then click Download. The button shows how many clips you’re about to download. Ctrl + Enter does the same.
Clips line up in the Queue and download one at a time. You can cancel or retry any of them.
Files are saved to the folder under Save to. It starts as a Spoolfield folder inside your Downloads folder. Click Change to pick another folder, or Open folder to see your files.
Next to a finished clip, click Open file or Show in folder.

Videos that need you signed in

Some videos only play for signed-in viewers, such as age-restricted videos and many Instagram, Facebook and X posts. Spoolfield can use your browser’s sign-in for these, but only after you turn it on. See A site asks you to sign in.

Live streams can’t be downloaded until they end.