YouTube Shorts have exploded in popularity, but the platform doesn't provide a native download option for most users. If you've seen a Short — a comedy clip, a cooking tutorial, a trending music reel, or a viral moment — that you want to keep offline, this guide explains exactly how to save it in full 1080p HD without any watermarks, directly on your iPhone or Android phone.
What Are YouTube Shorts? (A Quick Technical Overview)
YouTube Shorts are short-form vertical videos, capped at 3 minutes (reduced from the original 60-second limit in 2024). They are recorded and displayed in 9:16 portrait orientation at 1080×1920 pixels — the same aspect ratio used by Instagram Reels and TikTok. Shorts live at youtube.com/shorts/ URLs and are served through a separate, mobile-optimized content delivery pipeline distinct from regular YouTube videos. YTDown identifies and fetches the original full-resolution stream regardless of the URL format.
How to Download YouTube Shorts on Android
- 1Open the YouTube app on your Android phone.
- 2Find the Short you want to save and tap on it to open it.
- 3Tap the Share button (the curved arrow icon, usually on the right side of the screen).
- 4In the Share sheet, tap Copy link (you may need to scroll the options row).
- 5Open Chrome (or any Android browser) and type ytdown.ltd in the address bar.
- 6Tap the input field on the YTDown page and paste the copied link (hold → Paste).
- 7Tap Download. Wait 2–3 seconds for the video info to load.
- 8Select MP4 (1080p vertical) to save the video, or MP3 for audio only.
- 9The file downloads to your Downloads folder — find it in the Files app or My Files.
How to Download YouTube Shorts on iPhone (iOS / Safari)
- 1Open the YouTube app on your iPhone or iPad.
- 2Navigate to the Short you want to save.
- 3Tap the Share button (the box-with-arrow icon at the bottom or right of the Short).
- 4Scroll through the options and tap Copy Link.
- 5Open Safari — this is important, as Safari handles file downloads differently from Chrome on iOS.
- 6Type ytdown.ltd in Safari's address bar and open the site.
- 7Tap the input box and paste the Shorts URL (tap and hold → Paste).
- 8Tap Download and wait for the results to appear.
- 9Tap the MP4 download button for the vertical 1080p video.
- 10Safari will show a download bar at the top. Tap the Downloads icon (arrow-in-circle) to see the saved file.
- 11Tap the file to play it, or tap the Share icon to move it to your Photos library.
Are the Downloaded Shorts Watermark-Free?
Yes — completely. YTDown fetches the original source video stream from YouTube's CDN (Content Delivery Network) before any platform overlay or watermark is applied. The downloaded MP4 file contains only the raw video and audio data — no YouTube logo, no username tag, no subscribe button overlay, no view counter. This is fundamentally different from screen-recording a Short, which would capture every UI element visible on your screen.
Saving YouTube Shorts Directly to Your Photo Library
On iPhone: After downloading the MP4 file to your Files app, tap the file to open it, then tap the Share icon (box with arrow) and select 'Save Video'. It will appear in your Camera Roll / Photos library. On Android: Downloaded MP4 files in your Downloads folder are automatically visible in the Gallery app on Samsung devices. On other Android phones, open the Files app, locate the MP4, tap and hold it, then tap Move to Gallery or Save to Photos.
Troubleshooting: Common Issues When Downloading Shorts
The link I copied isn't working on YTDown
Make sure you're copying the full Shorts URL (it should contain youtube.com/shorts/ or be a youtu.be/ short link). Some Share options on YouTube give you a YouTube Music or video link instead — tap Share again and specifically choose Copy Link.
The download option isn't appearing on iPhone
Use Safari, not Chrome, on iPhone. Safari has native file download support on iOS 13 and later. Chrome on iOS handles downloads differently and may not trigger the save dialog properly.
The downloaded video is rotated incorrectly
This happens occasionally when a video player doesn't respect the file's rotation metadata. Open the file in VLC Media Player, which always correctly applies rotation metadata. Alternatively, rotate it using your phone's built-in photo/video editor.
Can I download Shorts that are set to 'Private'?
No. YTDown can only access publicly available content. Private, unlisted with no shared link, or members-only Shorts cannot be downloaded through any web-based tool.