I just wanted to download a YouTube video.
That's it.
Instead, I got:
"1080p" downloads with no audio
fake download buttons everywhere
random websites full of ads
files that Premiere Pro refused to import properly
At first I thought I was doing something wrong.
Then I learned that YouTube serves a lot of videos using codecs like AV1 and VP9. They're great for streaming, but not always great when you want to edit the video afterwards.
So every time I downloaded something, I ended up spending extra time converting files, fixing codecs, or searching for yet another downloader that claimed to "just work."
After getting annoyed enough, I decided to build my own.
The result is YT-Forge.
It's a desktop app built on top of yt-dlp, but focused on people who actually want to use the downloaded video afterwards.
A few things it does:
- Downloads up to 8K
- Automatically prefers H.264 + AAC when possible
- Can convert higher-resolution videos (>=2k) to H.264 with a single checkbox
Automatically keeps yt-dlp updated so it doesn't randomly stop working one day
Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux
No ads, no popups, no sketchy download pages
Honestly, I built it for myself.
I was tired of fighting downloaders and wanted something that I could open, paste a link into, and trust.
Eventually I cleaned it up, added a proper UI, and open-sourced it.
If you've ever had a downloader give you a silent "1080p" video or a file your editor hated, you'll probably understand why this exists.
GitHub:
https://github.com/Shaikh-Suja-Rahaman/YT-Forge
Would love to hear what you think.
