Pick the build for your computer. The download starts straight away — you do not need anything else installed. You will enter your license key once the app opens.
Both builds are verified on real hardware. The app needs an internet connection to check your license when it starts.
Unzip the file and run Grabdeck.exe.
Next to the .exe you will find an _internal folder. It carries everything the app
needs to run — ffmpeg, yt-dlp and the Python runtime — so you never have to install those yourself.
Keep Grabdeck.exe and _internal together. Moving the .exe on its
own stops it from starting.
To launch from your desktop, right-click the .exe and choose Create shortcut, then move the shortcut. Moving the whole folder is fine.
Unzip the file, move the app into your Applications folder, then right-click it and choose Open, and confirm with Open once more.
A plain double-click shows an "unidentified developer" warning, because the build is not signed by Apple. If the right-click route still refuses, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and press Open Anyway near the bottom. After the first launch a normal double-click works.
Moving the app to Applications matters: run straight from the unzipped folder and macOS launches it from a temporary quarantined location instead.
On first launch the app asks for your e-mail address and license key. Use the same address you placed the order with, and the key from your confirmation e-mail.
Capitalisation, hyphens and spaces are ignored, so
GRAB-A7K2-M3Q9 and grab a7k2 m3q9 are the same key.
It is stored after the first time, so you will not be asked again on that computer. You will need it again after reinstalling or moving to another machine.
Your license covers 1 device. To move it, email skykstarfam@gmail.com and we will reset it — within 24–48 hours on business days.
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
[uploader_views_date_title_ID].mp4 | The downloaded video |
youtube_list_<date>.tsv | A spreadsheet list — opens directly in Google Sheets or Excel |
subtitles_<lang>_<date>.txt | Subtitles merged into one transcript per language |
downloaded_shorts.txtdownloaded_longform.txt | Lists of what you already downloaded |
Those last two let the app skip videos you already have when you run it again in the same folder. Delete them only if you want everything downloaded afresh.
The app deliberately waits 20–40 seconds between videos. Downloading a lot without pauses gets throttled by YouTube, so slow and steady progress is normal, not a fault.
There is an option to use your browser cookies, which helps YouTube treat you as a signed-in user. Most people do not need it. On Windows, Chrome 127 and later encrypt their cookies so no other app can read them (and Edge behaves the same) — if you see a decryption error, either carry on without cookies, or install Firefox and sign in to YouTube there. The app finds Firefox on its own.
There is no uninstaller — removing it is manual.
Windows — delete the app folder (the one holding Grabdeck.exe and
_internal), then press Win + R, enter
%LOCALAPPDATA% and delete the Grabdeck folder there.
macOS — move Grabdeck.app to the Trash, then in Finder press
⌘ + ⇧ + G, go to
~/Library/Application Support and delete the Grabdeck folder.
Videos you downloaded stay where you saved them. Removing the settings folder also erases the stored license key, so keep the key if you plan to reinstall.
Anything not covered here — email skykstarfam@gmail.com (within 24–48 hours on business days). The full guide, including screenshots, lives at https://github.com/grabdeck/grabdeck#readme.
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