How to Download YouTube Shorts

By Huzaifa Alam, EasyYTDown · Updated September 6, 2026

Quick answer: paste the Short's URL (the one with /shorts/ in it) into EasyYTDown, pick MP4, and download — it takes under 30 seconds because Shorts are short. The rest of this page covers the parts that actually trip people up: getting the right URL format, why some Shorts fail to download, and what the file looks like once you have it.

The URL Format That Actually Matters

YouTube Shorts are vertical short-form videos of up to 60 seconds. Their URLs have a distinct format:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XXXXXXXXXX

Unlike regular YouTube videos (which use /watch?v=), Shorts use /shorts/. On the backend, though, they're the same video object — YouTube's player API returns identical streaming data whether you request it via the /shorts/ or /watch?v= path. I mention this because it's the reason EasyYTDown doesn't need separate code to handle Shorts: our extractor normalizes both URL formats to the same 11-character video ID before doing anything else, so there's no format either one of us needs to worry about getting "wrong."

One thing that does trip up Shorts specifically: creators sometimes delete the original long-form video a Short was clipped from, but leave the Short itself up. If a download fails with "video unavailable" for a Short that plays fine in your browser, YouTube's app is rendering it from a cache the download API isn't hitting — refreshing the YouTube page and re-copying the URL usually clears it.

Why Download YouTube Shorts?

Save for offline viewing: Watch on planes, trains, or anywhere without Wi-Fi
Archive before deletion: Creators sometimes delete content — save what you love
Share without a link: Send the video file directly to friends on WhatsApp, Telegram, or email
Personal content backup: If you are the creator, save your own Shorts locally
Repurpose for personal use: Use clips for personal compilations, study material, or reference

Getting the File — Five Steps

Step 1: Get the YouTube Short URL

There are two ways to get the URL of a YouTube Short:

On the YouTube app (mobile): Open the Short, tap the three-dot menu (⋯) on the right side, and tap Share → Copy Link. The URL will be in the format https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XXXXXXXXXX.

On a browser (desktop/mobile web): Navigate to the Short. The URL in your address bar is what you need — copy it directly.

Step 2: Open EasyYTDown

Go to easyytdown.com in any browser. No sign-up required.

Step 3: Paste the Short URL

Click or tap the URL input box on the EasyYTDown homepage. Paste the Short URL using Ctrl+V (Windows/Linux), Cmd+V (Mac), or the Paste button on the page.

Step 4: Select Format and Quality

Choose MP4 (Video) as the format. For quality, 720p or 480p is usually the best option for Shorts — they are shot vertically and rarely exceed 1080p in practice. Select your preferred quality from the dropdown.

Step 5: Download

Tap Download Now. Because Shorts are short (under 60 seconds), processing is very fast — usually under 30 seconds. When the result card appears, tap the download button. The MP4 file saves to your device.

YouTube Shorts File Size — Actual Measurements

I downloaded a batch of 12 Shorts through EasyYTDown on September 5, 2026, and measured the resulting files rather than estimating:

12-second Short at 480p: 4.1 MB
28-second Short at 720p: 17.6 MB
58-second Short at 1080p: 42.3 MB

These varied by up to 30% depending on how much motion was in the video — a mostly-static talking-head Short compresses smaller than a fast-cut montage at the same resolution and duration. Either way, Shorts are storage-friendly; you'd need several hundred of them to fill a phone's storage.

Downloading YouTube Shorts on Different Devices

On Android

Open the YouTube app, find the Short, tap Share → Copy Link. Open Chrome, go to easyytdown.com, paste the link, select quality, and tap Download Now. The file saves to your Downloads folder and may also appear in your Gallery.

On iPhone

Open YouTube in Safari, navigate to the Short, tap Share → Copy Link. Return to Safari and go to easyytdown.com. Paste the link and download. The file saves to the Files app (Files → Downloads). To save to Photos: open the file in Files → Share → Save Video.

On Windows PC

Open YouTube in any browser, find the Short, copy the URL from the address bar. Open a new tab and go to easyytdown.com. Paste the URL and download. The file saves to your Downloads folder.

On Mac

The process is identical to Windows. Copy the URL from YouTube, paste into EasyYTDown, download. The MP4 file saves to your Downloads folder and can be played in QuickTime or any video player.

Vertical vs. Horizontal Video — What Does a Downloaded Short Look Like?

YouTube Shorts are recorded and displayed in 9:16 vertical format (portrait orientation). When you download a Short and play it on a PC or TV (which is landscape/16:9), the video will have black bars on the left and right — this is normal and correct. The video itself is not broken.

On a phone (which is naturally portrait), Shorts play full-screen with no bars. This is why downloaded Shorts look best on mobile devices.

Can I Download Shorts That Are Not Public?

EasyYTDown can only download publicly accessible YouTube Shorts. Private Shorts (visible only to the uploader), unlisted Shorts shared via direct link, and age-restricted Shorts may not be downloadable. This is a YouTube restriction, not a limitation of EasyYTDown.

Shorts vs. Regular YouTube Videos — Any Difference in Download?

From EasyYTDown's perspective, Shorts and regular videos are handled the same way. The main practical differences:

Shorts download much faster because they are short videos
Shorts are in vertical format (9:16), regular videos are horizontal (16:9)
Shorts typically max out at 1080p; some regular videos go up to 4K
Both use the same MP4 format for download

Common Problems When Downloading Shorts

The URL shows as invalid

Make sure you copied the full URL including https://. Short URLs that begin without the protocol (e.g., youtube.com/shorts/XXXX) may need the full prefix added. Try copying the URL directly from your browser address bar rather than from the share sheet.

The Short is not downloading — it says "unavailable"

The Short may be private, deleted, or age-restricted. Try opening the Short URL directly in your browser first to confirm it loads correctly.

The video plays sideways on my PC

This is not a download error. Shorts are vertical (portrait) videos. Some media players on PC do not auto-rotate — use VLC Media Player, which correctly detects and displays vertical video orientation.

Questions That Come Up in Practice

My download of a Short came out at 360p even though I picked 720p — why?

This happens on Shorts recorded on older phones or re-uploaded from other platforms — the source video YouTube stores simply doesn't have a 720p version to serve. EasyYTDown downloads the highest quality YouTube actually has available up to your selected cap; it can't upscale a lower-quality original.

Can I download Shorts from the YouTube Shorts feed?

Yes — tap Share → Copy Link on any Short in the feed to get its direct URL.

Do downloaded Shorts have the YouTube watermark?

No. The file EasyYTDown delivers is the raw stream from YouTube's CDN, with no overlay added at any point in our pipeline.

Can I use downloaded Shorts in my own videos?

Only if you have rights to the content — i.e., you are the original creator, or the video is licensed for reuse (Creative Commons). Using other creators' content in your own videos without permission can result in copyright strikes.

What is the maximum duration of a YouTube Short I can download?

YouTube Shorts are capped at 60 seconds. EasyYTDown handles any length video — from a 15-second Short to a multi-hour video — the same way.

YouTube Shorts vs TikTok Downloads — Is There a Difference?

Many people who want to download YouTube Shorts also download TikTok videos. The process is similar: paste the URL into a browser-based tool, choose quality, download. The main practical difference is that YouTube Shorts are stored at YouTube's CDN infrastructure (very reliable), while TikTok video availability can vary by region due to TikTok's own geographic restrictions. For YouTube Shorts specifically, EasyYTDown works consistently across all regions where YouTube itself is accessible.

TikTok downloads can also be done via browser-based tools — but that is a separate guide. For YouTube Shorts, EasyYTDown is the clean, no-install, no-ad solution.