Java-related Questions

Why do you guys use Java? I loved the site they way it was before...
Actually, we liked it the old way too. The problem is that Youtube didn't. Youtube has made some changes on their website that require us to use this new technique. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we're doing our best here.

Why does it ask me to trust ClipNabber? I like you're site and all, but it just doesn't feel safe!
We understand your concern, so here's exactly what's happening. To get the download links, we need to send the code request from your computer, to the Youtube servers. Before we sent the request from our servers, but we can't do that anymore because of changes Youtube has made. So, in order to send the request directly from your computer, you need to "trust" us, so that Java (a computer programming language) has access to send the request.

I clicked "deny," but now I want to give you Java access. How do I get that box back?
You'll need to quit your browser, reopen it, then go back to ClipNabber and try again.

Do I have to click "trust" every single time?
Nope, when you click trust, just click the option to remember it for our site (it should be a checkbox in the security certificate box).

It doesn't work! What's going on?
First, check that you have Java. Go to main java site and there you can check what version you have. 1.5.0 or better is your best bet. If you don't have an updated version of Java, you can install it by following the instructions there.

I can't use it, so show me how to use the bookmarklet instead.
No problemo. Check out our youtube video showing a tutorial here: bookmarklet tutorial on youtube

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I download videos from Youtube?
Well, you sure came to the right place. This website will help you download videos from Youtube and a whole bunch of other video websites. Copy the link of the page with the video on it and paste it in the input box on the homepage. Right-click on the 'Download' link and follow the instructions to download the video.

How do I play videos I downloaded from YouTube?
NOTE: The extension for most videos (including YouTube) must be .flv
Find your downloaded file and change the file extension to .flv (example: 'get_video.htm' should be changed to 'video.flv')
If there is no extension, then simply add .flv to the filename.
Use VLC Player to open the file. It works on all major operating systems.

What's the deal with this whole renaming files to .flv thing?
The file that you download from most websites is in .flv format. In order for your computer to recognize this, the file must end in .flv (you may need to add it manually). Here is how you should rename files for some specific video websites:
Youtube: get_video => whatever.flv
ZippyVideos: 209323 => whatever.flv

Basically, when in doubt, make sure the file name has .flv at the end.

I heard rumors that your site will give me a virus. Is this true?
These rumors are absolutely false. The file you download comes directly from the video website's server, not ours, as you can see in the URL. You are downloading the file directly from them, not us, so there's nothing to worry about in terms of viruses.

My downloaded files are only a few KBs.. || OR || I get a forbidden message from the download links. What do I do?
Many users have reported errors like these, especially when using Firefox. Open up the download manager window (from the tools menu at the top). Then, drag the download links in there, instead of doing the whole right-click business. This should solve the problem. This is especially true for Veoh downloading.

When I click on Download MP4, the video plays in the browser instead of being downloaded...
Instead of clicking the button, right-click and select Save Target As, or Save Linked File (wording may vary depending on your browser).

How do I convert .flv files for use on my iPod or PSP?
There are several applications you can use for this purpose. We recommend StreamClip.

Why can't you just allow us to convert it using ClipNabber? That would be awesome!
Well, it gets a little complicated. It seems like a nice convenience, but really it doesn't work that well. There are websites that have on-the-fly converters - but they usually don't work due to server timeouts, bandwidth overload, etc. The other web-based method is to have us convert the video and email it to you. Eh. That sorta works, but really it's much easier for both of us if you convert it yourself on your own computer. See the previous question for programs to use for this kinda thing.

Why do I see jibberish instead of a download link?
Most likely the website has changed its code. Send us a bug report and we'll fix it right away.

How do I download videos embedded in other websites?
Embedded videos are a very common sight on blogs, articles, and other websites. Most often, if you click on the video somewhere other than the buttons, you will be take to the original video page. Then you can copy the URL and proceed to download it using ClipNabber.

The video file I'm downloading is very large. Can I pause the download and resume it later?
This actual depends on which site you are downloading the video from. For several sites the link to the FLV file changes, and so you won't be able to resume the download later (including Youtube, Veoh, Dailymotion, and a few others). However with most sites you should be able to do this without any problems.

Why do large Veoh videos only download part of the way?
Veoh has measures in place to protect against downloading large files. Therefore, any video longer than 45 minutes will only allow you to download a preview.

What's with Youku downloading? It breaks up my videos into a million pieces!
Unfortunately, this is just how Youku works. Any video over 7 minutes, it divides up into parts of 7 minutes each. We can't put the pieces together for you, but we can give you links to download each part.

Why should I use ClipNabber over similar services?
We're glad you asked! See the About page for more info on this.

This website is great? Is the service completely free?
Yep, 100% free. Download videos to your heart's desire -- for free.

I've a developer. Do you have any type of API to use ClipNabber on a large scale?
Shoot us an email about what you need and we'll talk from there.

I love your site, but it isn't in my language.
We are hoping to translate our site into a variety of languages. Please email us if you can help with this process - we need volunteers.

I have a different question. Help!
Email us at support [at] clipnabber.com and we will gladly assist you. We may also add your question to the FAQs.

What improvements do you have planned for the site?
We are looking to constantly make the website better for the users. Here are some things we are working on:

• translating the website into more languages
• adding support for more video websites
• making the website more accessible among different browsers
• adding social interactivity features
• cleaning up all the bugs
• speeding up load times