Frequently Asked Questions

YouTube, X, Douyin, Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Bilibili, WeChat Channels, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and more — anything covered by yt-dlp and gallery-dl. Availability may change as platform rules evolve.

Currently supported: ZCOOL works, Xiaohongshu (RedNote) photo notes, Instagram albums, Telegraph pages, and images in X posts. Multi-image content is downloaded in batch when the source provides the files. Content behind a login, private, or restricted may require the platform's Cookies first. Availability may be temporarily affected when platform pages or APIs change.

Some Weibo videos have the watermark burned into the picture by Weibo's own transcoding/distribution pipeline. SaveXTube downloads the MP4 or M3U8 streams Weibo actually provides, so a watermark-free version cannot be restored from a feed that already has it baked in. Whether a watermark-free source exists depends on Weibo offering the author's original file or another un-watermarked media variant.

SaveXTube resolves WeChat Channels download URLs through Tencent Yuanbao, so a valid Tencent Yuanbao web Cookies is required. First open and sign in to Tencent Yuanbao in Chrome or Edge, then use the Get cookies.txt LOCALLY extension to export Netscape-format Cookies. In SaveXTube, open "Settings → Cookies", choose "Channels", paste the Cookies, and save. After that, paste a WeChat Channels share link to start downloading. Cookies are stored locally only — never send them to anyone.

Available quality and formats depend on the source site and your login state (Cookies) — some platforms only unlock higher quality or specific formats when signed in. When the site offers the option, SaveXTube automatically picks the best video and audio streams and merges them.

Downloading and calling online AI services need internet. Managing downloaded files, local transcription, and some organizing features run offline.

Please only download content you have the right to access and keep, and respect copyright, platform terms, and local law.

Yes. Each personal license can be activated on up to 3 personal computers, so you can use SaveXTube across your everyday machines.

This usually isn't a broken installer — your Windows version is older than what the app requires. The WinUI 3 / Windows App SDK used by SaveXTube supports Windows 10 1809 (OS Build 17763) at minimum; earlier versions lack the system APIs the runtime needs. Run winver in PowerShell or the Run dialog to check your version and OS build, and confirm you're on at least Windows 10 1809 / Build 17763. If not, update via Windows Update first — Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 is recommended.

In SaveXTube's "Settings → Floating Download", choose the default download ball or a Codex pet as your desktop download entry: drag a browser link onto the floating entry to download; after copying a URL, right-click to create a job instantly, and left-click to open the main window. To change the app's look, grab a community skin from SaveXTube Skins; to design your own, use the SaveXTube Skin Builder Skill; to build a desktop pet of your own, use the Codex Pet Builder Skill. SaveXTube can also install pets from codex-pet.org page links or ZIP files, and discovers pets installed by local Codex in read-only mode. Skins, Skills, and the pet directory are community resources; codex-pet.org is not an official OpenAI service, and SaveXTube neither preinstalls nor redistributes third-party pets from it.

Accuracy mainly depends on the model you choose. SaveXTube supports both local and cloud models: local models run fully offline with better privacy; cloud models are usually more accurate on complex material. Switch freely based on your needs.

Open SaveXTube's "Settings → AI Models → Speech-to-Text" and choose local MLX / Whisper, Alibaba Cloud Bailian, or an OpenAI-compatible service. For a local engine, install and check the model as prompted; for a cloud service, fill in the API key, model, and other details and save. Then go to the "Files" page, find the downloaded video or audio, click the transcribe button or choose "Start Transcription / Speech-to-Text" from the right-click menu. When it finishes, read the full transcript in "Smart Analysis" and save it as Markdown if needed.

An AI summary requires that the video or audio has already been transcribed. In "Settings → AI Models → Language Model", configure and test an available LLM — OpenAI, DeepSeek, Qwen, a local Ollama model, or other compatible services. Back on the "Files" page, right-click the file and choose "Generate AI Summary", or open "Smart Analysis" first and click generate there. Summaries are saved with the smart analysis results and can be exported as Markdown. When using a cloud LLM, the transcript is sent to the chosen provider for processing.

A mind map also needs an existing transcript and a configured language model. After transcribing and saving/testing an LLM in "Settings → AI Models → Language Model", go to the "Files" page, right-click the file and choose "Generate Mind Map", or click generate inside the "Smart Analysis" window. SaveXTube turns the transcript into a hierarchy you can preview right away and save as an XMind file; supported versions can also zoom in and export a JPG.

Open SaveXTube's "Settings → Remote Control" and enable the MCP service; the HTTP API turns on automatically alongside it. Click "Copy Agent Config" and paste the JSON into an AI agent that supports remote HTTP MCP, then restart or refresh the agent. The config already includes the MCP endpoint and Bearer API key; once connected, the agent can submit links, query progress, and read recent jobs. The default endpoint is local-only. To connect from another device, enable LAN access only on a trusted network such as your LAN or Tailscale — never expose the port publicly or leak the API key.

In SaveXTube, open the WeChat bot, scan the QR code with WeChat on your phone, and confirm login. Once linked, just send a supported link to WeChat. SaveXTube must be running on your computer.

Keep each returned file under 1GB. Both videos and files are limited to one return every 30 seconds — don't send several in a row within 30 seconds. For large or batch files, process them in batches; if a return fails, retry later or download locally instead.

First enable the HTTP API in SaveXTube's "Settings → Remote Control". For phone connections also enable "Allow LAN access", and note your computer's address, port, and API key. Then install the SaveXTube Shortcut and fill in those details as prompted. In use, pick the Shortcut from the share menu in your phone's browser or other apps, or copy a video link and run it directly. SaveXTube on your computer must stay running. Phone and computer should be on the same trusted network; away from home, connect through a secure network such as Tailscale and never expose the HTTP API port to the public internet.

After configuring a Bot Token and the allowed Telegram users, you can send single or batch links, check run status, watch live download progress, and have finished files sent back to Telegram per your settings.

We recommend the Chrome / Edge extension Get cookies.txt LOCALLY. Open the platform you want to download from and sign in, click the extension icon in the toolbar, make sure Export Format is Netscape, then click Copy. In SaveXTube, open "Settings → Cookies", pick the platform, paste the content into the Cookies editor, and save. Cookies represent your login state — treat them like passwords and never share them.

Cookies are temporary credentials platforms use to recognize your login. They all expire, and may die early if you sign out, change your password, or the platform's security policy kicks in — SaveXTube cannot extend their lifetime. If downloads worked before but now report login or parsing failures, sign in to the platform again in your browser (WeChat Channels requires signing in to Tencent Yuanbao again), re-export fresh Netscape-format Cookies, overwrite the old ones for that platform in SaveXTube, save, and retry.