YouTube
Download YouTube video and audio on a Mac
Cromoteca saves YouTube video or audio straight to a folder on your Mac, at the best quality the source actually offers. Nothing is stored in a cloud library — completed files land on your disk and the temporary copy is deleted.
What you get
Paste one link or a hundred. Each item downloads at the highest resolution or bitrate the source provides — Cromoteca never upscales, so a 480p original stays 480p rather than being stretched into a bigger, softer file.
- Video — MP4 up to 4K where the source offers it, video and audio muxed together.
- Audio — M4A at the best available bitrate, or MP3 when you need maximum compatibility.
- Transcript — spoken content turned into searchable text, transcribed on your own machine.
Where the files go
In the desktop app you pick a destination folder and files are written straight there. In the browser workspace you can nominate a folder with the File System Access API, or let the download land in your normal Downloads folder. Cromoteca keeps no media library of its own: once a file reaches you, the working copy is removed.
Limitations worth knowing
Cromoteca works with content you can already reach and are entitled to save. It does not bypass sign-in walls, age gates, paywalls, or DRM. Age-restricted or members-only material needs you to be signed in through your own browser, and some videos are simply not downloadable. Live streams must finish before they can be saved.
How it works
Paste the links
One per line, or a whole playlist URL — Cromoteca expands playlists and removes duplicates for you.
Choose an output
Video, audio, or a transcript. The quality selector applies to the whole batch.
Pick where it lands
Choose a folder, then start the batch. Progress is shown per item, with the reason clearly stated if one fails.
FAQ
FAQ
Does Cromoteca download private or members-only YouTube videos?
No. Cromoteca does not bypass sign-in walls, age gates, or DRM. If content requires an account, you need to be signed in through your own browser and be authorised to save it.
What quality can I expect?
The best the source actually provides, up to 4K MP4 for video and the highest available bitrate for audio. Cromoteca never upscales, so an old low-resolution upload stays at its native quality.
Are my downloads stored in the cloud?
No. Completed files are delivered to your computer and the temporary working copy is deleted. Cromoteca keeps job metadata such as status and file size, never your media.
Can I download a whole playlist at once?
Yes. Paste the playlist URL and Cromoteca expands it into individual items, then runs them as one batch.