YouTube 4K Downloader
Paste a YouTube link and pick the resolution, up to 4K. Vidferry shows the sizes the video really has, merges the sound back in, and saves one MP4 on your Mac or PC.
- 4K, 1440p, 1080p and lower
- MP4 with sound
- Single videos and playlists
- No resolution paywall
Built by the team behind Hoverify, trusted by 26,000+ developers
Everything you need to download YouTube in 4K.
One paste, and it’s yours, at the quality and format you want.
The resolutions it really has
Vidferry reads the video first and lists the sizes YouTube actually offers for it, 2160p, 1440p, 1080p and down. You pick a number and get that number.
Sound merged in
At high resolutions YouTube keeps the picture and the sound in separate files. Vidferry joins them into one MP4, so a 4K download never comes out silent.
1080p that plays anywhere
Unless you pick higher, Vidferry starts on the sharpest version in H.264, usually 1080p: a plain MP4 that opens in QuickTime, on phones, TVs and in editors.
4K for whole playlists
Set a quality once and a whole playlist or channel comes down at it, up to 4K. Videos that don't go that high come down at their best instead.
Pick 2160p, get 2160p
YouTube serves its high resolutions in AV1 or VP9 rather than the older H.264. A downloader that only fetches H.264 tops out at 1080p, whatever its menu says, and you don’t find out until you look at the file.
Vidferry reads the video first and lists the resolutions YouTube really has for it. Pick 2160p and you get 2160p, in whatever format YouTube stores it. If 2160p isn’t on the list, the uploader didn’t post it in 4K, and no downloader can add detail that was never there.
The catch with 4K files, and the 1080p default
AV1 and VP9 play fine in VLC and web browsers, but built-in players are patchier: QuickTime can’t open VP9, and it plays AV1 only on newer Macs. So Vidferry doesn’t jump to 4K by default. It starts on the sharpest version in H.264, usually 1080p, which plays on anything, and marks the higher resolutions so you know what you’re choosing. Want the extra detail for a big screen or an edit? Pick it. Want a file that opens everywhere? Leave it on 1080p.
Sound included, at every size
At high resolutions YouTube keeps the picture and the sound in separate files, and a lot of silent “4K downloads” come from tools that only fetch the picture. Vidferry downloads both and merges them into one MP4 before it saves. The same goes for playlists and channels: set a quality once and the whole list comes down at it, up to 4K. For everything else the YouTube downloader does, like audio, clips and transcripts, the main page covers it.
How to download a YouTube video in 4K
Three steps, about a minute. No setup, no sign-up.
- 1
Copy the YouTube link
Copy the URL of the video, or of a playlist.
- 2
Pick 2160p
Paste it into Vidferry and choose 2160p, the 4K option, from the resolutions the video has. Resolutions above 1080p carry a marker.
- 3
Save the MP4
Hit Ferry it. Vidferry fetches the picture and the sound, merges them, and saves one MP4 to your folder.
YouTube 4K downloader FAQ
Paste the link into Vidferry, choose 2160p from the list of resolutions, and download. Vidferry merges the 4K picture with the audio and saves a single MP4. If 2160p isn't in the list, the uploader didn't post the video in 4K.
Above 1080p, YouTube only offers its videos in the newer AV1 or VP9 formats, not H.264. QuickTime can't play VP9 at all, and it plays AV1 only on Macs with an AV1 decoder, M3 and later. On Windows, AV1 needs Microsoft's free AV1 Video Extension. VLC and web browsers play both. That's why Vidferry marks those resolutions, prefers AV1 over VP9 when it can, and starts on the sharpest H.264 copy, usually 1080p, unless you pick higher.
Yes, and it's the default. Vidferry starts on the sharpest version that plays everywhere, which for most videos is 1080p H.264. You can also pick 1440p, 720p, 480p or whatever else the video offers.
Yes. YouTube stores high-resolution picture and audio as separate files, and a downloader that only grabs the picture gives you a silent video. Vidferry downloads both and merges them into one MP4, with no extra step.
When a video has an 8K version, yes: pick it on that single video and Vidferry saves it. Very few videos go that high, playlists stop at 4K, and YouTube's 8K usually comes as AV1, so check that your player handles it.
No. There's no free tier capped at 720p and no upgrade for HD. Vidferry costs $12 once for Mac and Windows, and every resolution the video has is available from the start.
Ready to ferry?
Paste your first link in under a minute. $12 once, yours to keep, on Mac and PC.