Skip to content
Download free

B-ROLL: free YouTube downloader for video editors

A free YouTube downloader made by a video editor, for video editors.

B-ROLL is a free, donation-supported desktop YouTube downloader for video editors: it downloads videos, clips, playlists and channels, converts them automatically into edit-ready ProRes or DNxHR (or saves MP4, MKV, WEBM or audio), and includes built-in trimming, subtitles and automatic creator credit files.

Download for Windows (free) How it works

v1.0 · 20.3 MB installer · Windows 10 and 11

macOS and Linux versions are planned, not released yet.

Free forever, supported by donations. No account, no ads.

B-ROLL main window: save and audio folders, Video or Audio type, quality, format and subtitle selects, the link field, the Paste and Download button, and a finished download row
B-ROLL main window on Windows

At a glance

B-ROLL in seven facts

B-ROLL is a Windows app that turns YouTube links into files an editor can use, and it never asks for an account or money.

Price
Free forever. Voluntary PayPal donations; no account, no ads, no paid tier.
Platform
Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit, as an installer or a portable exe. macOS and Linux planned, not released.
Engine
yt-dlp, ffmpeg and Deno, downloaded automatically on first launch into %LOCALAPPDATA%\Broll.
Inputs
Single videos, playlists, channels, a .txt list of links, Chrome, Edge or Brave bookmark folders, and YouTube search inside the app.
Outputs
MP4, MKV or WEBM; ProRes or DNxHR .mov converted after the download; MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC or OPUS; subtitles as SRT, ASS, VTT or embedded.
Credits
A .credits.txt next to every file plus a running credits.txt per folder, on by default.
Current version
1.0, released 30 Jul 2026 on GitHub Releases.

Features

What B-ROLL does for an edit

B-ROLL covers the eight jobs between a YouTube link and a timeline, from trimming a clip before it downloads to writing the credit line. Each card opens the full feature page.

Clips with in and out points

Mark in and out points in the preview player, or type the times, and B-ROLL downloads only that part.

Title [mm-ss to mm-ss] · preview needs VLC

ProRes or DNxHR, converted for you

B-ROLL downloads the best streams, then converts them into an edit-ready .mov at the lightest tier that preserves the source.

Resolution and frame rate kept

Playlists and channels

Paste a playlist or channel link, then pick videos from a list, take the latest few, or download every video.

Channels: switch on in Advanced options

Link lists and bookmarks

Queue every YouTube link in a .txt file, or a bookmark folder from Chrome, Edge or Brave.

One queue you can reorder

Subtitles in SRT, ASS or VTT

Choose from the languages each video really has, official or auto-generated, as files or embedded.

SRT, ASS, VTT or embedded

Audio for the edit

Save only the soundtrack as MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC or OPUS, in its own folder if you want one.

Separate audio folder

Automatic credit files

Every download gets a .credits.txt with title, creator, link, upload date, license line and a ready credit line.

On by default

Real bitrate and resolution

Each card shows the bitrate measured on the finished file, so you see what you actually got.

Real bitrate 8.2 Mbps · 1080p

Every option in one place: B-ROLL settings and advanced options explained.

Made for editing

Edit-ready ProRes or DNxHR, picked per video

B-ROLL converts YouTube downloads into ProRes or DNxHR .mov files, the intraframe codecs editing apps scrub without effort. As of September 2026, files straight from YouTube usually carry long-GOP AV1 or VP9 video, which plays heavy on a timeline.

  • The lightest tier that preserves the source. B-ROLL measures the source bitrate and takes the first tier whose data rate, scaled to the video's resolution and frame rate, is at least 10 times that bitrate.
  • Resolution and frame rate kept. Nothing is scaled or conformed. 10-bit sources get DNxHR HQX, and ProRes is always 10-bit 4:2:2.
  • Uncompressed audio. The .mov carries 16-bit PCM audio next to the first video track.
  • The real bitrate on every card. Measured on the finished file, for example "Real bitrate 8.2 Mbps · 1080p", not the quality label.

Step-by-step imports: download YouTube videos for DaVinci Resolve and for Premiere Pro and After Effects. The format itself: download YouTube videos in ProRes or DNxHR.

Tier pick, 1080p 30 fps at 8 Mbps
  • Target: 10 x 8 Mbps80 Mbps or more
  • DNxHR LB, 36 Mbpstoo light
  • DNxHR SQ, 124 Mbpspicked
  • ProRes 422 Proxy, 45 Mbpstoo light
  • ProRes 422 LT, 102 Mbpspicked
Reference rates at 1080p 29.97 from the app's own tier table; the output rate scales with resolution and frame rate. More examples: how B-ROLL picks a ProRes or DNxHR tier.

Clips, not whole videos

Download the clip, not the whole video

B-ROLL downloads only the range between your in and out points, so a 30-second cutaway from a two-hour stream arrives as a 30-second file.

  • Editor keys. J K L to shuttle, I and O to mark, Enter to add the range as a part.
  • Several parts in one go. Each part becomes its own download and file, named after the title and its time range.
  • Fast or frame-exact. Fast cuts snap to keyframes; the frame-exact option in Advanced options re-encodes around the cut.
  • Any format. Clips work as MP4, MKV, WEBM, ProRes, DNxHR or audio.

The preview player needs VLC media player installed; without it, B-ROLL asks for typed start and end times. The details: YouTube clip downloader with preview and in and out points, or the task itself in how to download part of a YouTube video.

Download folder
  • Interview [02-10 to 02-38].movpart 1
  • Interview [05-02 to 05-19].movpart 2
  • Interview [02-10 to 02-38].credits.txtcredit
  • Interview [05-02 to 05-19].credits.txtcredit
  • credits.txtfolder log
Example names: two parts of one video, each with its own credits file.

Credits built in

A credits file written for every download

B-ROLL writes a .credits.txt next to every file and appends the same block to a running credits.txt in the folder, so the source list is ready when the edit locks. The option is on by default.

Each block holds the title, creator, channel, source link, upload date, license line and a copy-paste credit line. The License line is what yt-dlp reports, and it reads "Standard YouTube License" when nothing is reported, so check the license on the video page: the file is a convenience, not proof of rights.

More on the files: automatic credit files for every YouTube download. Wording for the end credits: how to credit a YouTube video.

Harbor at Dawn.credits.txt 
Title:     Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage
Creator:   Example Channel
Channel:   https://www.youtube.com/@examplechannel
Source:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
Uploaded:  2025-05-17
License:   Standard YouTube License

Credit (copy-paste):
"Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage" by Example Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
Example with placeholder values. In the real file the credit line and the link sit on one line, separated by a long dash.

How it works

From YouTube link to timeline in four steps

B-ROLL turns a YouTube link into a file your editing app opens in four steps. The install and first download guide walks through each one.

  1. Paste a link or search

    Paste one or many links and press Paste & Download, or type words to search YouTube inside the app.

  2. Choose the format and the part

    Pick Video or Audio, a quality cap, a format such as ProRes or DNx, subtitles, and a part of the video if you only need a clip.

  3. Download, then convert

    yt-dlp fetches the best streams. For ProRes or DNx, ffmpeg converts the file next, on every CPU core, while the next download starts.

  4. Import with the credits

    The file, its .credits.txt and any subtitles land side by side in your folder, ready for the media pool.

Before you download

What to check before you download YouTube footage for editing

Four checks decide whether a YouTube download is ready for a timeline: the codec, the real bitrate, the part you need, and the credit.

  • Codec. Long-GOP AV1 or VP9 is heavy to scrub; an intraframe ProRes or DNxHR file is not. Which one to pick: best format to download YouTube videos for editing.
  • Real bitrate. The bitrate of the file you receive shows how much detail it holds, whatever the quality label says.
  • Only the part you need. Trimming before the download saves disk space and import time, above all with ProRes or DNxHR.
  • Credit. Record the creator, link and license when you download, not the night before delivery.

The table compares the common ways to get YouTube footage by what an editor needs from them.

Way to download Setup ProRes or DNxHR output Trim before download Credit record
Online downloader sitesA web page, no installRarely offeredSometimesNot usually
Browser extensionsA browser add-onRarely offeredRarelyNot usually
Paid desktop downloadersA paid desktop installVaries by productVaries by productVaries by product
Command-line tools (yt-dlp with ffmpeg)Typed commandsWith your own ffmpeg commandYes, with a sections optionMetadata only, no ready credit line
B-ROLLFree Windows appYes, converted after the download, tier picked per videoYes, in the preview player or by typed timesYes, a .credits.txt per file

Criterion by criterion, with the risks of each: online downloader vs desktop app vs browser extension.

Knowledge base

Explore the B-ROLL knowledge base by topic

The site is organized in 7 sections, from step-by-step guides to codecs, fixes and the rules for crediting creators.

Start here

Start with these pages

6 pages that answer the first questions editors bring to B-ROLL: clips, codecs, credits and sign-in prompts.

The project

Built on open-source tools

B-ROLL is a graphical app made by a video editor, and the engineering underneath belongs to the open-source projects listed here. Ema Zamboni designed and tested B-ROLL with Claude as coding assistant; the app stands on the work of the people who build these tools.

B-ROLL's own source code is not published, and each project keeps its own license. Every component, its license and how the app uses it: open-source credits and licenses. Who makes it: about B-ROLL and Ema Zamboni. Every build: releases on GitHub.

FAQ

Questions editors ask before installing B-ROLL

6 short answers from the B-ROLL FAQ, each with a link to the page that goes deeper.

Is B-ROLL free?
Yes. B-ROLL is free forever: no paid tier, no trial, no ads and no account. Money enters only as a voluntary PayPal donation, which adds no features and is never needed to download, convert or update. Why donations exist is explained on the support page.
Which operating systems does B-ROLL run on?
B-ROLL runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11, as an installer or a portable exe. It needs an internet connection, plus VLC media player for the preview player only. macOS and Linux versions are planned, with no release date yet. Sizes, checksums and requirements are on the download page.
Is B-ROLL safe to install?
Only when the file comes from the official links on this site or on GitHub and its SHA-256 checksum matches the published one. B-ROLL is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen may show "Windows protected your PC" before the first run: choose More info, then Run anyway. The checksum steps are in Is B-ROLL safe? SmartScreen, signing and checksums.
Can B-ROLL download only part of a video?
Yes. Mark in and out points in the preview player with I and O, or type start and end times, and B-ROLL downloads only that range. The player can queue several parts of one video, each saved as "Title [mm-ss to mm-ss]". The player needs VLC media player; see the YouTube clip downloader.
Which formats can B-ROLL save?
B-ROLL saves video as MP4, MKV or WEBM with the codec YouTube serves, or converts it after the download into an edit-ready ProRes or DNxHR .mov. Audio comes as MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC or OPUS, and subtitles as SRT, ASS or VTT files or embedded. Why ProRes and DNxHR edit better: download YouTube videos in ProRes or DNxHR.
Why does YouTube ask me to sign in or confirm I'm not a bot?
As of September 2026, YouTube shows that message when it wants a request to come from a signed-in account. Restart B-ROLL so yt-dlp updates itself, then follow the guided wizard to sign in with your own YouTube account through a cookies.txt export. The full fix is in Sign in to confirm you're not a bot.

All 16 questions, grouped by topic: B-ROLL frequently asked questions.

Download B-ROLL, free

Windows 10 and 11 today, macOS and Linux planned. No account, no ads. Voluntary donations keep it free.

Download for Windows

v1.0 · 20.3 MB installer · Windows 10 and 11