What batch mode is for

Batch mode exists for the boring part of archiving: a playlist of your own uploads, a set of product clips you have permission to keep, or a list of links you collected while researching. Instead of repeating the single-link flow ten times, you paste the links once and let the queue work through them.

It is deliberately bounded. Each submission accepts up to ten links, and a playlist is processed ten videos at a time rather than being expanded into one enormous job. That keeps a single submission from hammering YouTube and makes failures easier to see.

Option 1: paste individual links

  1. Turn on Batch / Playlist mode in the download card.
  2. Paste one URL per line. Watch, Shorts and youtu.be links can be mixed.
  3. Choose the type (video or audio) and a quality.
  4. Press Start Batch Download.

Each item gets its own status: pending, processing, done or failed. A failure on item four does not stop items five to ten.

Option 2: paste a playlist URL

Paste the playlist link instead of individual videos. Downlify expands the first ten entries, queues them, and tells you whether more remain. When the page finishes, a Load Next 10 button appears; pressing it queues the next ten.

This paging is intentional. A 200-video playlist is twenty pages, not one 200-item burst. It also means you can stop after the first page if the playlist is not what you expected.

Choosing quality

Batch mode offers video or audio, and a quality menu with best, 1080p, 720p and 480p. The single-link flow exposes the full resolution range; the batch menu is narrower on purpose, so one slow 4K item cannot hold up the other nine.

If you need a specific odd resolution, download that item individually through the YouTube downloader.

Collecting the results

When the queue finishes, every completed item has its own download button. If you want one file instead of ten, use Download All as ZIP; the archive contains the finished downloads from that batch.

Failed items are listed with their error. Common causes:

  • The video is private, members-only or age-restricted and needs a signed-in session.
  • YouTube rate-limited the request. Waiting and retrying usually works.
  • The URL points at a live stream that has not finished.
  • The source only offers formats the selected quality cannot satisfy.

When batch mode is the wrong tool

If you need a specific resolution for one important video, do that one individually — the single-link flow exposes more options. If the playlist is a mix of videos you own and videos you only want to watch, do not queue the whole thing; download the handful you actually need. And if the list is longer than about fifty items, ask whether you need all of it. A smaller, curated archive is easier to back up and far easier to find things in later.

YouTube specifically

YouTube changes its player often and rate-limits bursts of requests. The downloader spaces its requests and retries, but it cannot promise that every link in a long playlist will succeed on the first attempt. Expect the occasional item to need a second try, and do not delete the original list until you have checked the output folder.

For individual uploads, the Shorts guide covers the short-form variant of the same flow.

A practical routine for a long playlist

  1. Open the playlist and copy the URL.
  2. Paste it in batch mode, choose video and 1080p.
  3. Wait for the ten items, then check the failures before pressing Load Next 10.
  4. Retry the failed items individually, or with a lower quality.
  5. Download the ZIP, rename the folder, and store it somewhere backed up.

If you are archiving your own channel, start with the oldest videos. They are the ones most likely to be lost to an account issue, and they are the least likely to be re-uploaded elsewhere.

Keep the tab open while the queue runs. The page polls for each item’s status, and while closing it does not cancel work that is already queued, you lose the per-item view until you reopen the page. If you are archiving a large playlist, do it in sittings rather than leaving one tab open all afternoon.

FAQ

How many links can I submit at once?

Up to ten per batch submission. A playlist is paged in tens, with a Load Next 10 button between pages.

Can I mix platforms in a batch?

The queue accepts YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and Pinterest links. Playlist expansion is YouTube-only.

Can I choose audio for a whole playlist?

Yes. Set the batch type to audio; each item is extracted at 192 kbps.

Why did only nine of ten items finish?

One item failed; the reason is shown next to it. Private, restricted or region-locked videos are the usual causes.

Does the ZIP include failed items?

No. Only completed files are archived; failed items remain listed with their error so you can retry them.

Will a 500-video playlist work?

It works in pages of ten. That is fifty submissions of the Load Next 10 button, which is slow by design but keeps each request small.

Can I cancel a batch after it starts?

Items already queued continue; closing the tab stops the local polling for new results. Re-open the page and start a new batch with the links you still need.

Only download content you own or have permission to use. Respect copyright and platform terms.