Batch Download YouTube Videos from a List or Bookmarks
In short
B-ROLL downloads many YouTube videos at once from a .txt file with one URL per line or from a bookmarks folder in Chrome, Edge or Brave. You pick the file, or the browser profile and folder, and B-ROLL queues every YouTube link it finds, one video at a time, with the format you set once.
On this page
How do you batch download YouTube videos in B-ROLL?
B-ROLL takes a batch of YouTube links in three ways: several links pasted at once, a .txt file loaded with URL list (.txt), or a browser bookmarks folder loaded with Bookmarks. Every link joins one queue that downloads one video at a time with the settings in the main window.
The three batch inputs compare like this, with a single playlist or channel link as the fourth way to start many downloads:
| Input | Where in B-ROLL | What it accepts | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Several pasted links | Paste box, then Enter or Paste & Download | One or many links at once, duplicates dropped | A handful of links on the clipboard |
| .txt list | Sidebar, URL list (.txt) | Every YouTube link found in the file | Long lists from a doc, a spreadsheet column or a script |
| Bookmarks folder | Sidebar, Bookmarks | YouTube video links in one Chrome, Edge or Brave folder | Links you saved while researching |
| Playlist or channel link | Paste box | One link, then pick videos from the list; channel links need Download channels on in Advanced options first | One creator’s own collection |
Command-line tools cover the same job with a batch file: the yt-dlp README documents --batch-file as a file with one URL per line. B-ROLL is built on yt-dlp and ffmpeg and puts that job behind two buttons, with ProRes or DNxHR conversion and credit files on top. For the wider trade-offs, see online downloader vs desktop app vs browser extension, or browse all B-ROLL features for video editors.
How should a .txt list of URLs be formatted for B-ROLL?
A .txt list with one URL per line is a valid B-ROLL input. B-ROLL reads the whole file and queues every YouTube link it finds in the text, so a list copied from a spreadsheet column or a notes app works as saved.
A list in Notepad looks like this (the IDs are placeholders):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX
https://youtu.be/XXXXXXXXXXX
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XXXXXXXXXXX
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=XXXXXXXXXXXThree rules keep every line in the queue:
- Write full links. Each link starts with
https://orhttp://; a link typed asyoutube.com/watch?v=...without it is not recognized. - Use regular YouTube links. B-ROLL recognizes
youtube.com/watch,youtu.be/,youtube.com/shorts/,youtube.com/playlistand channel pages (/@name,/channel/,/c/,/user/). Mobile (m.youtube.com), YouTube Music,/live/and/embed/links are not recognized, so replace them with the regular watch link. - Expect YouTube only. B-ROLL downloads from YouTube alone and skips links to any other site.
Load the file with URL list (.txt) in the sidebar. The picker is titled “Choose a .txt file with YouTube URLs (one per line)”.
How does B-ROLL’s bookmark import work?
B-ROLL imports YouTube links from a bookmarks folder in Chrome, Edge or Brave. You pick a browser profile, then one folder, and B-ROLL queues the YouTube video links saved in it.
- Click Bookmarks in the sidebar. The Choose a browser profile screen lists every Chrome, Edge and Brave profile on the PC, with the account email when B-ROLL can read it.
- Select the profile and click Next →. The Choose a folder screen lists only the folders that contain YouTube video links.
- Select a folder and click Download folder. The links join the queue; ← Back returns to the profile list instead.
B-ROLL queues bookmarks in playlist mode. A bookmarked link that carries a playlist parameter (&list=) therefore downloads the whole playlist, not just the one video. A profile without YouTube bookmarks shows “No YouTube links found”, and a PC without those browsers shows “No browser profiles found”.
Which browsers can B-ROLL read bookmarks from?
B-ROLL reads bookmarks from Chrome, Edge and Brave on Windows, in every profile of each browser. Firefox bookmarks are not supported.
Bookmark sources by browser, with the folder B-ROLL looks in:
| Browser | Where B-ROLL reads it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data |
The Default profile plus every Profile 1, Profile 2 folder |
| Microsoft Edge | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data |
Edge calls bookmarks favorites; same profile layout |
| Brave | %LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data |
Same profile layout |
| Firefox | Not read | Import the bookmarks into Chrome, or copy the links into a .txt list |
The Chromium project documents %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data as Chrome’s default user data directory on Windows, with each profile in a subfolder such as Default. Edge and Brave are built on Chromium and keep the same layout in their own folders. Firefox users can move their bookmarks into Chrome with Import bookmarks and settings, as Chrome Help explains.
How do you build a research list while browsing?
A research list is one bookmarks folder, or one .txt file, per project that you fill while you watch references. When the edit starts, you download the whole folder or list in one batch.
In Chrome, Ctrl + D bookmarks the current page and Ctrl + Shift + D saves all open tabs into a new bookmarks folder, according to the Chrome keyboard shortcuts page. That second shortcut turns a research session of open tabs into a ready batch. Inside B-ROLL, right-click a search result or a card and choose Copy link to add it to a .txt list.
Keep each list tied to one project folder in SAVE TO. With Save credits on (the default), every download writes its own .credits.txt and adds a block to the folder’s credits.txt, so the batch leaves one file listing every source; the automatic credit files page shows the template. For folder structure and bins, see how to organize downloaded YouTube clips, and for a long research edit, how to collect and track clips for a video essay.
Check each video’s license before it enters the list; b-roll from YouTube: rights, clips, codecs and credits walks through those checks.
What happens to links B-ROLL cannot download?
B-ROLL skips links it cannot recognize and marks a video that fails as failed, and the other cards in the batch keep downloading. The outcome depends on the kind of link:
| Link or problem | What B-ROLL does | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Not YouTube, mobile, Music, live or embed link | Leaves it out of the queue | Replace it with the regular watch link |
| Channel link | Shows “Channel downloads are off: enable in Advanced.” and skips it | Set Download channels to Ask or Yes in Advanced options |
| Link already downloaded with the same settings | Opens Already downloaded | Choose Re-download or Cancel |
| Private, removed or unavailable video | Marks the card failed with yt-dlp’s error line | Remove the link, or press ↻ retry later |
| Video that asks for sign-in | With no cookies.txt set, tries your browser logins, then opens Sign-in needed | Load a cookies.txt from your own signed-in account |
As of September 2026, YouTube asks for a sign-in on some videos, and a batch can hit that message partway through. Export a fresh cookies.txt from a browser signed in to your own YouTube account and load it in B-ROLL; cookies expire, so export again when the message returns. For a playlist or list that stops early or skips entries, see playlist download skips or stops, and for playlist-specific options, the YouTube playlist and channel downloader.
How to batch download YouTube videos from a list with B-ROLL
-
Set the output once
In the main window choose Video or Audio, the quality, the format and the SAVE TO folder. Every link in the batch uses these settings.
-
Collect the links
Save the links in a .txt file with one URL per line, or bookmark the videos into one folder in Chrome, Edge or Brave.
-
Load a .txt list
Click URL list (.txt) in the sidebar and choose the file. B-ROLL queues every YouTube link it finds in the text.
-
Or load a bookmarks folder
Click Bookmarks in the sidebar, choose the browser profile, click Next, choose the folder and click Download folder.
-
Let the queue run
B-ROLL downloads one video at a time. Each card shows its progress, speed, real bitrate and resolution, then done or failed.
Frequently asked questions
Can the list mix videos, playlists and channels?
Yes. A .txt list can mix watch, youtu.be, Shorts, playlist and channel links. Video links join the queue directly. A playlist link asks first, by default, before it opens the playlist downloader, and a channel link is skipped until you set Download channels to Ask or Yes in Advanced options, because channel downloads are off by default.
Why did a bookmark download a whole playlist?
The bookmarked link contains a playlist parameter (&list=). B-ROLL queues bookmarks in playlist mode, so a video saved while a playlist was playing brings the whole playlist with it. Bookmark the plain watch link instead, or put the link in a .txt list, where B-ROLL asks Just this video or Whole playlist unless Download playlists is set to Yes or No.
Is Firefox supported for bookmark import?
No. B-ROLL reads bookmarks from Chrome, Edge and Brave profiles only. To use Firefox bookmarks, import them into Chrome first with More, Bookmarks and lists, Import bookmarks and settings, then pick that Chrome profile in B-ROLL. The other route is to copy the Firefox links into a .txt list, one URL per line.
Can I pick the output format for the whole batch?
Yes. B-ROLL gives every link in the batch the Type, Quality, Format and Subtitles chosen in the main window, and it asks for subtitle languages once per batch. With ProRes or DNx, conversions run in their own queue, so the next video downloads while the previous file converts to a .mov.
Sources
- yt-dlp README on GitHub github.com
- Chromium docs: User Data Directory chromium.googlesource.com
- Google Chrome Help: Chrome keyboard shortcuts support.google.com
- Google Chrome Help: Import bookmarks and settings support.google.com
