Phantom Recorder for YouTube
YouTube video downloader for Windows
Paste a YouTube link and Phantom Recorder shows the video as a tile. Pick the resolution — or audio only — and download it. It works for normal videos, Shorts and past live streams.
What you can save
- Normal videos
- Shorts
- Past live streams
- Every resolution the video offers
- Audio only
Good to know
- YouTube works one video per link. Phantom Recorder does not go through a whole channel.
- Above 480p, YouTube delivers video and audio separately. They are joined with the ffmpeg that comes with the program — there is nothing to install.
- Some videos only hand out a lower quality unless the request carries a browser session.
- A live that is still running is not recorded; a past live stream can be downloaded afterwards by its link.
How it works
- 1
Copy the link
A youtube.com/watch… or youtu.be/… address, a Short, or a /live/ link.
- 2
Paste it
Into the search box at the top, or press Ctrl+V anywhere in the window. The video appears as a single tile in Get.
- 3
Pick the quality
Double-click the tile to open the viewer and choose the quality: every resolution the video offers, plus an audio-only entry.
- 4
Download
Tick the tile and press Download selected.
Every button explained: the YouTube section of the documentation →
In the program
Questions
Which quality can I download a YouTube video in?
In every resolution the video offers. Open the viewer with a double-click on the tile and pick one. There is also an audio-only entry.
Can I download only the audio?
Yes. The quality list in the viewer has an audio-only entry.
Can I download a whole YouTube channel?
No. YouTube works by link here: one video per link. Phantom Recorder does not go through a channel.
Do I need ffmpeg or anything else?
No. ffmpeg comes with Phantom Recorder. It is used to join video and audio, which YouTube delivers separately above 480p.
Phantom Recorder 2.4.8
Free for Windows. Unzip and start — nothing to install.