🎥 Video Downloader for PowerToys Run
⚡ Overview
VideoDownloader seamlessly integrates video downloading into PowerToys Run. Type dl followed by any video URL and download instantly—no browser, no extra tools, just pure productivity.
- Action Keyword:
dl
- Platforms: YouTube, Vimeo, and 1000+ sites
- Architectures: x64 & ARM64
- Requirements: Windows 10/11 (build 19041+), PowerToys v0.75+
⚠️ Educational purposes only. Respect copyright laws and platform terms of service. This tool doesn’t bypass DRM or paid content restrictions.
✨ Features
- ⚡ One-Command Downloads – Type URL, hit Enter, done
- 🎬 Multiple Formats – MP4 video, MP3 audio, various qualities
- 📊 Format Preview – View all available qualities before downloading
- 🎨 Theme-Aware – Auto-adapts to dark/light system theme
- 📂 Custom Locations – Save to any folder you choose
- 🔄 Auto-Updates – yt-dlp auto-downloaded and managed
- 🎬 Premiere Pro Compatible – Auto-transcodes AV1/VP9 to H.264/AAC for direct import
- 📝 Subtitle Support – Download with captions when needed
- 🚀 No Dependencies – Everything bundled, zero config
🚀 Installation
winget (recommended)
winget install ruslanlap.PowerToysRun-VideoDownloader
That’s it — winget handles everything automatically.
Manual Install (ZIP)
-
Download the latest release:
-
Extract to:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\
-
Restart PowerToys (right-click tray icon → Exit, then relaunch)
-
Test by pressing Alt+Space and typing dl
Manual Build
git clone https://github.com/ruslanlap/PowerToysRun-VideoDownloader.git
cd PowerToysRun-VideoDownloader
dotnet restore
dotnet build -c Release
Output: VideoDownloader/bin/Release/net9.0-windows10.0.22621.0/
📚 Usage
Basic Download
dl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Available Options
| Command |
Description |
dl [URL] |
Download best quality video |
| Select “Audio Only (MP3)” |
Extract audio as MP3 |
| Select “Video Information” |
Preview available formats |
| Select “Open Download Folder” |
Open downloads location |
Examples
 |
 |
 |
| Basic download |
Audio extraction |
Format selection |
⚙️ Configuration
Access via: PowerToys Settings → Run → Plugins → Video Downloader
Settings
- Action Keyword – Change from default
dl
- Download Location – Set custom save folder
- Default Format – Video (MP4) or Audio (MP3)
- Quality Preference – Best, 1080p, 720p, etc.
- Auto-Open Folder – Open location after download
- Transcode to H.264 – Re-encode AV1/VP9 downloads for Premiere Pro (default: on)
🛠️ Building from Source
Prerequisites
Build
# Clone repo
git clone https://github.com/ruslanlap/PowerToysRun-VideoDownloader.git
cd PowerToysRun-VideoDownloader
# Restore and build
dotnet restore
dotnet build -c Release
# Package for distribution
cd VideoDownloader
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained false
Project Structure
PowerToysRun-VideoDownloader/
├── VideoDownloader/
│ └── Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.VideoDownloader/
│ ├── Main.cs # Plugin entry point
│ ├── VideoDownloadService.cs # Core download logic
│ └── plugin.json # Plugin metadata
├── tests/ # Unit tests
├── assets/ # Icons, demos, screenshots
├── .github/workflows/ # CI/CD automation
└── README.md
❓ FAQ
Which sites are supported?
YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, TikTok, and 1000+ more via yt-dlp.
Can I download 4K videos?
Yes, if the source provides 4K and your download location has sufficient space.
Does it work with playlists?
Yes, paste a playlist URL and it’ll download all videos sequentially.
Is it legal?
Downloading copyrighted content without permission violates most platforms’ ToS. Use responsibly and only for content you have rights to download.
Plugin not showing up?
- Verify extraction to
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\
- Ensure folder name matches:
Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.VideoDownloader
- Restart PowerToys completely (Exit from tray)
- Check PowerToys Settings → Run → Plugins → Enable “Video Downloader”
Download fails with "yt-dlp not found"?
The plugin auto-downloads yt-dlp on first use. Ensure internet connectivity and try again.
How do I update yt-dlp?
The plugin checks for yt-dlp updates automatically. You can manually update by deleting the yt-dlp binary from the plugin folder—it’ll re-download latest on next use.
🛠️ Troubleshooting
| Issue |
Solution |
| Plugin not appearing |
Extract to correct folder, restart PowerToys |
| Download hangs |
Check internet connection, try different quality |
| “Video unavailable” |
Site may block downloads or require login |
| Slow downloads |
Try lower quality or check bandwidth |
| yt-dlp errors |
Delete yt-dlp.exe from plugin folder to trigger re-download |
Still stuck? Open an issue with:
- Video URL
- Error message
- Screenshot
📝 Changelog
v1.3.0 (Latest)
- ✨ Inno Setup installer — clean Windows install/uninstall experience
- 📦 winget-ready — published to
microsoft/winget-pkgs
- 🐛 Fixed version extraction in CI (bash shell compatibility)
- 🐛 Fixed Inno Setup payload and output paths
v1.2.2
- 🐛 Fixed auto-merge wait loop in dependabot workflow
v1.2.1
- 🐛 Fixed installer artifact naming (empty VERSION variable)
v1.2.0
- 🐛 Snyk auth fix for Dependabot PRs
- ✅ CI pipeline improvements
v1.0.12
- 🐛 Fixed filename formatting - now preserves spaces instead of replacing with underscores
- ✨ Filenames now match native yt-dlp behavior while remaining Windows-compatible
v1.0.11
- ✨ Added subtitle download option
- ⚡ Improved download speed
- 🐛 Fixed metadata handling
v1.0.8
- ✅ PowerToys Run compliance (PTRUN1301, PTRUN1303, etc.)
- 📦 SHA256 checksums for releases
- 🔧 ARM64 build fixes
Full changelog
🙏 Acknowledgements
Built with:
Special thanks to all contributors and users!
📄 License
MIT License – see LICENSE for details.
☕ Support
Enjoying this plugin? Support development:
![dependabot[bot]](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/in/29110?v=4)
![github-actions[bot]](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/in/15368?v=4)
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