You can download a whole YouTube playlist, a twenty-lesson course, an artist's album or a set of conference talks, from a single link. Skachok expands the playlist into a list of videos, and the "Download all videos" button starts them all at once. The second option is to paste several links to individual videos, one per line. Below we explain which link counts as a playlist link, how many videos you can grab per request on each plan, how to download the whole list as MP3 and what to do when a playlist is longer than the limit.
Two ways: a playlist link or a list of links
Batch downloading in Skachok works from a single input field; only its contents differ.
A playlist link. You paste one address like youtube.com/playlist?list=…. The service fetches the list of videos and shows a card for each one, with thumbnail, title and duration.
A list of links. You paste several addresses of individual videos, separated by line breaks, spaces or commas. This is handy when the videos you need are not collected in one playlist or live on different platforms: half on YouTube, half on VK Video (the video service of Russia's largest social network). Skachok supports more than 25 sites, and you can mix any of them in one list.
In both cases everything else is the same: cards, a shared download button and a "recognized N of M" counter.
Which link counts as a playlist
There is a subtlety here that trips up many people. YouTube has two kinds of links with a list parameter.
youtube.com/playlist?list=PL…is a link to the playlist itself. Skachok expands it into the list of videos.youtube.com/watch?v=…&list=PL…is a link to one video opened from a playlist. Skachok processes only that video and does not touch the rest.
The second kind shows up in the address bar while you watch a video inside a playlist. To get the right link, open the playlist page (click its name next to the player, or find it in the "Playlists" tab on the channel) and copy the address from there. Or click "Share" on the playlist page.
Private playlists are not accessible; unlisted ones work. Videos inside a playlist that were deleted or hidden by the author are skipped.
How many videos you can download at once
The per-request link limit depends on the plan:
| Plan | Links per request | Downloads per day | In parallel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 3 | 5 (3 without sign-up) | 1 |
| Lite ($1.99/mo; 99 ₽ in Russia) | 5 | 20 | 2 |
| Pro ($3.99/mo; 249 ₽ in Russia) | 10 | 50 | 3 |
| Max ($5.99/mo; 399 ₽ in Russia) | 50 | 100 | 10 |
A playlist is expanded within the same limit: on the free plan the first 3 videos of the playlist are taken, on Max the first 50. A note under the list tells you how many links did not fit.
The daily limit counts downloaded files, not requests. A 10-video playlist on Pro uses 10 of the 50 daily downloads. The number of parallel downloads determines how many files download simultaneously: the rest wait in the queue and start automatically.
Real playlists in full, a 30-lesson course or a 15-track album, are easier to grab on Pro or Max. Every new account gets 2 days of Pro for free, no card required, and the full plan comparison is on the pricing page.
Step by step: downloading a YouTube playlist
- Open the playlist page on YouTube and copy the link from the address bar. Check that it starts with
youtube.com/playlist?list=. - Go to the YouTube page on Skachok or the home page and paste the link into the field. Click "Find".
- In a few seconds the cards for all videos appear, along with the line "recognized N of M links".
- Click "Download all videos". Skachok picks the best quality your plan allows for each video: up to 720p on Free, up to 1080p on Lite, up to 1440p on Pro, up to 4K on Max.
- The browser asks permission to download multiple files: allow it, otherwise the download stops after the first file. The files are saved to the Downloads folder.
If you need a different quality for some video than the one the service picked, open its card and click the option you want manually; this does not interfere with the batch download.
Videos up to 720p are served immediately. For 1080p and above the server first merges video and audio, so those cards show a progress bar. We explained why in the article on downloading in 1080p and 4K.
A playlist as MP3
For music playlists and podcasts, next to the "Download all videos" button there is "All as MP3". It extracts the audio from each video and delivers a set of MP3 files at 192 kbps. Each file is named after the video title, so an album immediately looks like an album.
The limits are the same: links per request and the daily limit. Sound quality, bitrate and the other audio formats are covered in how to download music from YouTube to MP3.
If the playlist is longer than the limit
A 100-video playlist will not download in one go even on Max, where the limit is 50. Options:
- Split it into parts. Copy the links to the remaining videos from the playlist page and paste them as a list in a separate request. The playlist numbering helps you keep your place.
- Create your own playlists. On YouTube you can gather the videos you need into several playlists of 50 and download each with one link.
- Mind the daily limit. 100 downloads a day on Max is exactly one long playlist. The remainder carries over to tomorrow.
If some videos are not recognized
Next to a problem link in the card list, Skachok shows the reason. Usually it is one of three: the video is private, deleted or available only in certain countries. Such videos are simply skipped; the rest download as usual. If the whole playlist is not recognized, check that the link points at playlist?list= rather than watch?v=.
One more rare cause is a temporary error on YouTube's side under peak load. Wait a minute and click "Find" again: the list is fetched anew. If the problem persists, write to us on the support page and include the playlist link.
FAQ
Why did only one video download from the playlist?
Most likely you pasted a link like watch?v=…&list=…, which is the address of one video opened from a playlist. Copy the link from the playlist's own page; it starts with youtube.com/playlist?list=.
How many playlist videos can I download for free?
3 per request; per day, 3 without sign-up and 5 on a free account. On Lite it is 5 and 20, on Pro 10 and 50, on Max 50 and 100. Signing up gives 2 days of Pro, enough to grab a playlist of up to 10 videos per request.
What quality do videos download in during a batch download?
The best available on your plan for each video: up to 720p on Free, up to 1080p on Lite, 1440p on Pro, 4K on Max. An individual video can be downloaded in a different quality manually from its card.
Can I download a whole playlist as MP3 at once?
Yes, the "All as MP3" button extracts the audio from every video. The files are named after the video titles and delivered at 192 kbps.
Can I mix links from different sites in one list?
Yes. One request can contain links to YouTube, VK Video, TikTok, Rutube and any other of the 25+ supported platforms, one per line.