Downie 4.13.1 — macOS

You find a video you want to keep, but it only lives on a website. Downie handles that job on a Mac.

Downie — a Mac app for downloading online videos to your computer.

Browser extension — a small add-on that sends the current page’s video to Downie without copying the URL yourself.

Audio-only save — you can extract just the soundtrack from a video and store it as a separate file.

Permute integration — hands off downloaded videos to Permute for format conversion or for joining split parts into one file.

CSV/XML import — lets you load a list of downloads with custom titles, which is handy for batch jobs.

Languages — the interface is translated into 32 languages, including English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese.

Drag a URL into the app window to skip the extension

Downie has a few details that you might not notice on the first run, but they save time once you know them.

Dragging a URL into the app window. You don't always need the browser extension or the menu bar. If a video is playing in your browser, just grab the URL from the address bar and drop it onto the Downie window. It starts processing immediately.

Search from inside the app. Downie includes its own search box. You can type a video title or a channel name directly in the app, and it looks through supported sites for matching content. This is useful when you have the app open and don't want to switch back to a browser.

The paste monitor. Copy a video URL anywhere on your Mac — from a messaging app, an email, a document — and Downie picks it up. The download starts without you having to click anything. You can turn this on or off, but when it's active, it feels automatic.

Automatic MP4 conversion. By default, Downie converts whatever it downloads into an MP4 file. That means you don't end up with unusual containers or codecs that your media player can't handle. The conversion happens during the download, so you wait once instead of doing a separate step later.

4K YouTube downloads. When YouTube offers a video in 4K resolution, Downie can grab that stream directly. You don't need extra tools or workarounds. The app shows available resolutions before you start, so you can pick the one that matches your storage and screen.

Collect clips from YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook before your meeting

Let's say you're collecting clips for a project. You have a browser tab open with a YouTube playlist, a Vimeo link in an email, and a Facebook video a colleague shared. You have about twenty minutes before a meeting.

First, you open Downie. The main window shows a clean list: empty, with a prompt to add URLs. You start with the YouTube playlist. You copy the playlist URL, switch to Downie, and paste it. The app reads the playlist and lists each video individually. You can check or uncheck the ones you don't need. You leave them all checked and let it start.

While Downie works through the playlist, you open the email with the Vimeo link. You highlight the URL and copy it. Downie has the paste monitor turned on, so the URL appears in the queue and the download begins without you doing anything else. You see a new entry in the list with a progress bar.

The Facebook video is trickier because the URL isn't always obvious. You click the Downie icon in the browser's toolbar — the extension is installed already. The current page's video is sent to Downie automatically. Now three downloads are running at the same time.

The playlist finishes first. Each video is saved as an MP4 file in your Downloads folder, with filenames based on the video titles. The Vimeo clip completes a moment later. The Facebook video takes a little longer because the source is slower, but it finishes before you leave for the meeting.

When you come back, you open the Downie window. The queue is empty, and the log shows all three jobs completed without errors. You open the output folder to check the files — each one plays in the default video player without any format issues. That's the whole session.

How Downie compares with similar Mac apps

There are a few other Mac apps for downloading online videos. They each work a bit differently.

Downie versus 4K Video Downloader. 4K Video Downloader focuses on YouTube and a few other major sites. Downie supports more than 1,200 websites. If you regularly download from smaller or niche video platforms, Downie is more likely to handle the URL without extra steps. 4K Video Downloader has a separate tool for extracting audio, while Downie includes that function in the same app. Both apps can save 4K video from YouTube when the source offers it.

Downie versus yt-dlp. yt-dlp is a command-line tool that runs in the terminal. It is powerful but requires typing commands, remembering flags, and troubleshooting errors in text. Downie gives you a graphical window with lists, progress bars, and logs that are easier to read. If you are comfortable with the terminal and want fine-grained control, yt-dlp is an option. If you want to click and go, Downie is the more practical choice for day-to-day use.

Downie versus Permute. Permute is not a downloader — it converts media files. But Downie integrates with Permute for the second step. You can set Downie to send finished downloads to Permute automatically for format conversion or for joining parts of a split video back together. The two apps are designed to work as a pair. If you only need downloads, Downie alone is enough. If you also need post-processing, the combination covers both stages cleanly.

Build a local media library of tutorials, music videos, or lectures

Downie suits anyone who regularly saves online videos, but some users benefit more than others.

People building a local media library. If you keep a collection of tutorials, music videos, or lectures on your hard drive, Downie makes it easy to fetch them in bulk. The CSV and XML import lets you queue dozens of downloads with custom titles, and the automatic MP4 conversion keeps everything in a consistent format.

Users who need audio from video. Podcasters, musicians, and language learners often need the soundtrack without the video. The audio-only save option extracts the track during the download, so you end up with a smaller file that works in any audio app.

People on Apple Silicon Macs. Downie runs natively on Apple Silicon, which means it does not go through an emulation layer. That matters less for a download tool than for heavy processing apps, but it keeps the power use low and the interface responsive.

Anyone who works with content from many different websites. If your sources are limited to YouTube and Vimeo, many downloaders work fine. If you need to grab clips from smaller platforms, forums, or regional video sites, Downie's coverage of more than 1,200 sites makes it a better fit.

Office workers who handle media for presentations or training. If you prepare slide decks or internal training videos, you may need to pull clips from various sources. The browser extension and paste monitor let you collect videos without interrupting your workflow. The Permute integration can then convert them to a standard format for the team.

Downie runs on macOS 11 or later, on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

• macOS 11 or later
• Apple Silicon or Intel