BrowserTools

Direct Media Downloader

Save your files from direct links

By Guga — BrowserTools maintainer, Tbilisi, Georgia Updated 2026-09-12
Free No sign-up Uses a third-party API

This is a genuine network request, and the URL in the field is sent to whichever host you name. Your browser contacts that server directly and the file comes back to you; nothing is uploaded and this site stores nothing, but the remote host sees the request along with any cookies your browser holds for it, exactly as it would for a normal visit.

What is Direct Media Downloader?

Enter a direct link to a file — a URL ending in .png, .mp4, .mp3 or .pdf rather than a web page — and the browser fetches it, reports the byte size and content type, saves it under the filename taken from the URL path, and shows a preview for images, video and audio. The request is made by your browser straight to the host serving the file, so the bytes travel from that origin to your disk with nothing operated by this site in between, and any cookies your browser already holds for that host travel with it, which means a private link behind your own login still works. The firm limit is cross-origin policy: the file's server has to return permissive CORS headers, or the browser blocks the response before a byte reaches you. A panel below the form explains that limit, and the error message repeats it.

Save your own files — video, audio, image or document — from a direct download link through your browser, with a live preview for images and video. Only use with links you own or are authorized to download.

Runs In Your Browser

Runs in your browser, but this tool contacts a third-party service to do its job. The overview above says exactly what is sent.

Step-by-Step

How to use Direct Media Downloader

1

Paste a full http:// or https:// URL that ends in the file itself into the File URL field.

2

Press Download; the browser requests that URL directly and refuses anything that is not a well-formed absolute link.

3

Read the File, Size and Type tiles once the transfer finishes, and use the preview for image, video and audio types.

4

When the transfer fails on a cross-origin message, fall back to Save link as… from a normal browser tab.

Key Capabilities
  • The fetch is issued by your own browser to the host named in the URL, so no file content passes through a server operated by this site.
  • The saved filename comes from the last path segment, falling back to download when the path carries no name at all.
  • Images, video and audio produce an inline preview from a local object URL, and that object URL is released when it is replaced.
  • A failed transfer names the HTTP status and explains the CORS cause, which is the cause in the overwhelming majority of failures.
Common Use Cases
  • A developer grabs a build artefact from a direct storage URL to test it locally without opening a terminal.
  • Someone saves a large image from a link they already hold, using the session their browser is logged in with.
  • A tester checks what a remote asset genuinely returns — its content type and byte count — before wiring it into a build.
Clear Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does it fail on so many sites?
Because the browser enforces the same-origin policy and the file's server has to opt in by returning an Access-Control-Allow-Origin header. Object storage buckets, CDNs and your own static host usually do; an HTML page, a login wall or an app endpoint usually does not. Save link as… in a normal tab sidesteps the restriction entirely.
Can it pull a video off a streaming or social site?
No, and it makes no attempt to. Those pages do not expose a direct media URL, and obtaining one would need server-side tooling. Use the site's own download option, or tooling you are licensed to run for media you own.
Will it save something that sits behind a login?
Yes, if your browser is already authenticated with that host, because the request carries the same cookies a normal visit would. That is convenient for your own files and a good reason to be careful with any link you did not expect to still be live.
How large a file can it take?
The whole response is held in memory before being written out, so a very large video will be slow or can exhaust the tab's memory. For big files a download manager or the command line handles streaming and resumption considerably better.