Private Video Downloads

Not all videos are public. Some require you to be logged in, verify your age, or have a paid membership. The good news is that if you can watch it in your browser, Fetchii can usually download it — you just need to prove you have access.

Types of Restricted Videos

Different videos have different restrictions:

Private videos are visible only to the owner or people they've specifically shared with. You'll need account cookies to download these.

Unlisted videos are accessible to anyone with the direct link. Most of the time, these download without any special authentication.

Age-restricted content requires you to be logged in so the site can verify your age. Once verified, your cookies handle the rest.

Member-only videos require an active channel membership. Your membership cookies prove you're a paying member.

Subscription content from paid services like YouTube Premium or Vimeo Plus requires your subscription cookies.

The Easy Way: Browser Extension

The simplest approach is using the Fetchii browser extension:

Open your browser and go to the video site (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
Log in to your account
Navigate to the video and make sure you can actually watch it
Right-click on the video, link, or page
Select Download with Fetchii from the menu

That's it. The extension automatically sends your login cookies to Fetchii, and the download proceeds as if you're watching in your browser.

This works because websites use cookies to remember who you are. When Fetchii has your cookies, it can request the video the same way your browser does.

If you paste a link into Fetchii and the site wants a login, the download fails with a reason like Login required or Age restricted, and the row keeps a Resolve… button visible. Click it to open a sheet with your options:

Use Browser Extension (recommended): click Retry with Extension and Fetchii asks the extension for that site's login, then tries again. Open in Browser opens the page so you can log in first. If the extension isn't installed yet, the sheet offers Set up browser extension instead.
Auto Import from Browser: retry with the cookies Fetchii reads directly from Firefox or Chrome. Chrome may ask for macOS permissions first (Full Disk Access and a Keychain prompt).

To always use one browser's login, choose it in Settings > Advanced > Signed-In Sites > Use sign-in from. Firefox is recommended because it doesn't need Keychain access.

This is particularly useful when:

The browser extension isn't syncing cookies properly
You need to complete two-factor authentication
The site has special login requirements

Your Own Private Videos

If you've uploaded private videos to your own channel and want to download them:

Make sure you're logged into your account
Use the browser extension, or a retry from the Resolve… sheet

Alternatively, you can temporarily change the video to "unlisted," download it, then set it back to private. Unlisted videos don't require authentication since anyone with the link can view them.

Age-Restricted Content

For age-restricted videos on YouTube:

Complete age verification on YouTube (this is a one-time thing)
Stay logged in
Use the browser extension to download

Once your account is age-verified, your cookies include that verification, and Fetchii can download age-restricted content normally.

Troubleshooting

"Login required" error: First, double-check that you're actually logged in by trying to watch the video in your browser. If you can watch it, click Resolve… and choose Retry with Extension to re-sync cookies. If that doesn't work, try a retry with Firefox or Chrome cookies from the same sheet.

"Private" error: The video might be private and not shared with your account, or it might have been deleted. Verify in your browser that the video is still available and that you have access.

Downloads working, then suddenly failing: Your cookies probably expired. Log back into the site and re-sync using the extension.

Two-factor authentication sites: After completing 2FA in your browser, sync your cookies. They should remain valid until you log out.

A Note on Privacy

Only download videos you have legitimate access to. If someone shares a private video with you, that's fine. But attempting to download content you shouldn't have access to isn't just against most platforms' terms of service — it's not cool.

Fetchii gives you tools to save content for personal use. Use them responsibly.