# Video URL > Paste a YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or X link and get the video as a file for trimming, captions, analysis and remixing. Choose part of long videos. Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/automate/video-url The **Video URL** node turns a link to a social video into a video file that your workflow can use. Paste a link from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or X, and the node downloads the video into your library. Every node you connect receives the video file, not the web page, and the download costs no credits. - Found in: Automate › Get Content - Output: video - API type: `youtube-video` ## When to use it - Re-edit, caption or analyze a YouTube video, or a part of one. - Remix a TikTok video or an Instagram Reel. - Use a social video as the motion reference for [Motion Transfer](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/motion-transfer). - Take frames from a video with [Extract Frame](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/extract-frame). - Transcribe or dub the sound of a video with [Transcribe](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/transcribe) or [Dubbing](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/dubbing). ## Quick start ### Add the node Press Tab on the canvas and choose **Automate › Get Content › Video URL**. The node is also on the **Common** and **Video** tabs, next to the upload nodes. ### Paste the link Paste the link into the node, or into **Video URL** in the settings panel. The download starts by itself, and the node shows its progress. ### Choose a part of a long YouTube video For a YouTube video of 4 minutes or longer, the node shows the length of the video and asks what to download. Set **From** and **To** and click **Download this part**, or click **Download whole video**. ### Connect the video Connect the **Video** output to the next node, such as [Trim Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/trim-video) or [Add Captions](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/add-captions). Workflow: A part of a YouTube video is downloaded, cut exactly with Trim Video, and captioned. - Video URL → Trim Video - Trim Video → Add Captions ## How a link is fetched | Link | What happens | | --- | --- | | TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or X | The whole video downloads as soon as you paste the link. | | YouTube, shorter than 4 minutes | The whole video downloads as soon as you paste the link, at up to 1080p. | | YouTube, 4 minutes or longer, or of unknown length | The node shows the length and asks: **Download this part** or **Download whole video**. Nothing downloads until you choose. | | YouTube live stream | It cannot be downloaded. Try again after the stream ends. | | Direct link to a video file (`.mp4`, `.webm`, `.mov`, `.avi`) | The link passes through as it is. Nothing is downloaded. | ## Download part of a long YouTube video **From** and **To** accept a time such as `1:30`, `1:02:03` or a number of seconds. The default part is `0:00` to `1:00`. The clip you get can include a few extra seconds on each side, because the cut follows the keyframes of the video. Add a [Trim Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/trim-video) node after it when you need an exact cut. After the download, you can fetch another part of the same link from the settings panel with **Download a different part**. ## What happens when you run a workflow A run never uses a link that was not downloaded yet. If a connected Video URL node has no file, the run downloads it first and then starts. The node shows its own progress, and **Cancel** on the message stops the wait, while the download itself carries on. Two cases stop the run with a message that names the node: - A long YouTube video with no part chosen. Choose a part, or the whole video, and run again. - A download that failed. The message says why. A run fetches only what it needs: - A Video URL node that is not connected to anything in the run is left alone. - [Transcribe](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/transcribe), [Suno Cover](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/suno-cover) and [Dubbing](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/dubbing) use only the sound of the link. When they are the only nodes that read it, the run never waits for the video download. Opening a workflow never starts a download. A node that was downloading when you closed the page picks up that same download if it is still running. Otherwise the node shows **Download Video** again. ## Output The output, **Video**, is the downloaded file, or the direct file link that you pasted. The node also fetches the sound of the link in the background, and [Suno Cover](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/suno-cover) and [Transcribe](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/transcribe) use it when they are connected. ## When a download fails The node shows one of these messages. Hover the message to see the site's own wording. | Message | What it means | | --- | --- | | The video came through without its sound | The site sent a copy without sound. Try again in a moment. If the video really has no sound, choose **Download without sound**. | | This video is private | Ask the owner to make it public. | | This video is age-restricted | It cannot be downloaded. | | This video isn't available in the region we download from | The site blocks the video by location. | | The connection dropped while downloading | Try again. The download may already be finished, and the retry picks it up. | | Too many downloads are running at once | An account can run 4 downloads at a time. Wait for one to finish, then try again. | | Couldn't fetch this video | Check that the link opens in a private browser window. | Click **Retry Download** to try again after you fix the cause. ## Credits and storage The Video URL node costs no credits. The downloaded file counts toward your storage, so delete it from your library when you no longer need it. ## Tips - **Sound only.** To use only the sound of a YouTube video, use the [Reference Audio](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/audio/reference-audio) node instead. - **Choose a short part.** A short part downloads faster, and every node after it processes less video. - **Use videos you may use.** Download only videos that you have the right to use. ## From the API A Video URL node gets its file only when the editor downloads it. A workflow written through the API or by an AI assistant carries only the link, and a run started from the API does not download it. To use a social video in such a workflow, import it first with `POST /v1/download-video`. Then put the returned file URL in an [Upload Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/upload-video) node, or in the **Video URL** field of this node. A direct file link passes through that field without a download. See [Voice and media](https://nodaro.ai/docs/developers/api/voice-and-media). ## Frequently asked questions ### Which sites does the Video URL node support? YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. A direct link to a video file ending in .mp4, .webm, .mov or .avi also works, and passes through without a download. ### Does the Video URL node cost credits? No. Downloading a video is free. The downloaded file counts toward your storage, so delete it from your library when you no longer need it. ### How do I use only part of a long YouTube video? For a YouTube video of 4 minutes or longer, the node asks what to download. Set From and To, for example 1:30 and 2:30, and click Download this part. The clip can include a few extra seconds on each side, so add Trim Video for an exact cut. ### Why did my video download fail? The node shows the reason. The most common ones are a private or age-restricted video, a video blocked in the region Nodaro downloads from, and more than 4 downloads running at once on your account. Hover the message to see the site's own wording. ### Can a workflow started from the API download a Video URL link? No. A run started from the API does not download links. Import the video first with POST /v1/download-video, then put the returned file URL in an Upload Video node or in the Video URL field.