How to download members-only videos with your browser sign-in
Updated · For Fetchii 1.1 · 2 min read
Short answer
Sign in to the site in your browser, install the Fetchii browser helper and send the video from that browser: the helper passes your sign-in for that site to Fetchii, so members-only, private or age-restricted videos you can watch download too. For links you paste into Fetchii, it can use your sign-in from Firefox, Chrome or another Chromium browser instead.
Step by step
1
Sign in and check you can play the video
Open the video in Safari, Chrome, Edge or Brave while signed in to the site. If you can't play it in the browser, Fetchii can't download it either.
2
Install the browser helper
Open Fetchii → Settings → Browser Extension, or Help → Set up browser extension, and follow the steps for your browser. In Safari, click the Fetchii icon in the toolbar and choose Always Allow on Every Website; without this, downloads and sign-in passing won't work. See how to save videos from Safari or Chrome.
3
Send the video to Fetchii
Right-click the page or the video and choose Download with Fetchii, or click the Fetchii toolbar icon and choose Send this page to Fetchii. Fetchii must be open. If a download fails because the site wants you signed in, its row keeps a Resolve… button that offers ways to fix it, such as retrying through the browser helper.
[Screenshot: Right-click menu in Chrome with Download with Fetchii]
4
For pasted links: read cookies from a browser
If you'd rather paste links into Fetchii, open Settings → Advanced → Signed-In Sites and set Use sign-in from to Firefox (Recommended), which needs no extra permissions, or to Google Chrome, Brave, Microsoft Edge or Chromium. These may need Full Disk Access for Fetchii in System Settings → Privacy & Security, and a Keychain prompt. Click Test Connection to check.
[Screenshot: Settings, Advanced page, Signed-In Sites with Firefox (Recommended) selected]
Please note:Members-only videos are made for members. Keep downloads for your own viewing and respect the creator's and the site's terms.
More you can do
How long sign-ins are kept
Cookies the browser helper sends are stored on your Mac, used only for that site and deleted after the Cookie retention period in Settings → Browser Extension (7 days by default; 1 to 30). You can delete them per site or with Clear All Cookies.
“Sign in to confirm you're not a bot”
If a site shows this, sending the video from your signed-in browser usually helps. Settings → Advanced → Browser Identity (User-Agent) can also help on some sites.
Questions
Does Fetchii see my password?
No. It uses the site's sign-in cookies, not your password. When it uses a browser's sign-in for pasted links, Fetchii reads the cookies from that browser's local data and doesn't keep its own copy.
Can it download videos my account can't watch?
No. It only downloads what your signed-in account can already play.
Which browsers can I use?
The browser helper works in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave and Chromium. Using a browser's sign-in for pasted links works with Firefox, Chrome, Brave, Edge and Chromium.
Do I need the browser helper for every site?
Only for videos that need you to be signed in. Public videos download from a pasted link.
