A modern, feature-rich media downloader for YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok with an advanced GUI interface and intelligent file management.
- Multi-platform support: Download from YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok
- Intelligent format detection: Automatically detects and displays actual file formats (MP4, WEBM, MKV, etc.)
- Quality selection: Choose from 360p to 1080p for video downloads
- Playlist support: Download single videos or entire YouTube playlists
- Comprehensive format support: Handles 15+ video/audio formats including MP4, WEBM, MKV, AVI, MOV, FLV, MP3, M4A, AAC, and more
- Wider main interface: Spacious 1200x700 window optimized for better content viewing
- Platform-specific tabs: Organized interface with separate tabs for each platform showing actual downloaded formats
- Interactive thumbnail previews: Click to select entries, then hover for borderless video thumbnail previews
- Two-quality thumbnail system: Fast low-quality previews with background high-quality generation
- System tray integration: Completely silent startup - launches hidden to system tray
- Auto-clipboard monitoring: Automatically detect URLs from clipboard with platform switching
- Real-time download progress: Live progress updates and status notifications
- Video thumbnail generation: Extract actual thumbnails from video files using ffmpeg
- Smart caching system: Efficient thumbnail caching with progressive quality enhancement
- Unicode support: Full Arabic and special character support in filenames and titles
- Auto-history management: Automatic cleanup of deleted files and import of existing files
- Background processing: Downloads and thumbnail generation run in optimized background threads
- Configuration persistence: All settings automatically saved and restored between sessions
- Format categorization: Files automatically categorized by actual format (not requested format)
- History tracking: Complete download history with file status and thumbnail previews
- Auto-import existing files: Scans download directories and imports existing media files
- Dead file cleanup: Automatically removes entries for deleted files from history
- Organized storage: Downloads sorted by platform and actual file format
- Python 3.7+ installed on your system
- yt-dlp installed and accessible in PATH
# Using pip
pip install yt-dlp
# Or download from GitHub
# Visit: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp#installationFFmpeg is essential for generating video thumbnails from local files:
# Windows (using Chocolatey)
choco install ffmpeg
# Windows (using Winget)
winget install FFmpeg
# macOS (using Homebrew)
brew install ffmpeg
# Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install ffmpeg
# Linux (CentOS/RHEL)
sudo yum install ffmpeg
# Or download from: https://ffmpeg.org/download.html- Clone or download this repository
- Install required dependencies:
pip install -r requirements.txtpython src/g-downloader.pywNote: The application starts completely hidden in the system tray for silent operation. Look for the G-Downloader icon in your system tray to access the main window.
- System Tray Access: Double-click the tray icon or right-click for menu options
- Settings Panel: Configure save paths and enable/disable features like clipboard monitoring
- Platform Tabs: Switch between YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok tabs with format-specific categorization
- Interactive History: Click entries to select, then hover for instant video thumbnail previews
- Smart URL Input: Paste URLs directly or let clipboard monitoring handle detection automatically
- Click to Select: Click any history entry to select it for thumbnail previews
- Hover for Preview: Hover over selected entries to see borderless video thumbnails
- Two-Quality System: Fast low-quality previews appear instantly, with high-quality versions generated in background
- Video Frame Extraction: Thumbnails generated directly from video files using ffmpeg
- Smart Caching: Intelligent caching system for optimal performance
- URL Detection: Paste URLs or enable auto-monitoring for automatic detection
- Platform Switching: Interface automatically switches to the appropriate platform tab
- Format Selection: Choose format, quality, and playlist options (for YouTube)
- Live Preview: See actual video thumbnails and information before downloading
- Progress Tracking: Real-time download progress with background processing
- Auto-Categorization: Files automatically sorted by actual format in history
- Silent Startup: Application launches completely hidden for unobtrusive operation
- Tray Menu: Right-click tray icon for quick access to show/hide and exit options
- Smart Notifications: Get notified when URLs are detected or downloads complete
- Double-Click Access: Double-click tray icon to show main window
- Customizable download location in settings
- Automatic directory creation with organized structure:
Downloads/G-Downloader/ ├── YouTube/ │ ├── MP3/ # Audio files │ ├── MP4/ # Video files │ ├── WEBM/ # Alternative video format │ └── MKV/ # High-quality video format ├── Instagram/ │ ├── MP4/ # Video content │ ├── JPG/ # Image content │ └── PNG/ # Image content └── TikTok/ ├── MP4/ # Video content └── WEBM/ # Alternative format
- Clipboard Monitoring: Enable/disable automatic URL detection
- Thumbnail Previews: Toggle video thumbnail generation and hover previews
- Format Detection: Automatic detection and categorization of actual file formats
- Unicode Support: Full support for Arabic and special characters in filenames
- Background Processing: Optimized thumbnail generation and download management
- Video Formats: MP4, WEBM, MKV, AVI, MOV, FLV, M4V
- Audio Formats: MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, FLAC, OGG
- Quality Options: 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p
- Special Features: Playlist support, format optimization, thumbnail extraction
- Video Formats: MP4, WEBM, MOV
- Image Formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WEBP
- Features: Story downloads, post downloads, automatic format detection
- Video Formats: MP4, WEBM, MOV
- Features: High-quality video downloads, format preservation
- Auto-Import: Automatically imports existing files from download directories
- History Cleanup: Removes entries for deleted files from history
- Format Recognition: Detects actual file formats vs. requested formats
- Unicode Handling: Proper support for international characters and Arabic text
- Video Frame Extraction: Uses ffmpeg to extract actual frames from video files
- Progressive Quality: Low-quality for speed, high-quality for detail
- Background Processing: Non-blocking thumbnail generation
- Smart Caching: Efficient memory management and storage
- Silent Operation: Starts hidden in system tray
- Platform Detection: Automatic tab switching based on detected URLs
- Click-to-Select: Intuitive thumbnail preview interaction
- Real-Time Updates: Live status updates and progress tracking
-
Application doesn't appear on startup
- The app now starts hidden in the system tray by design
- Look for the G-Downloader icon in your system tray
- Double-click the tray icon to show the main window
-
No thumbnails showing
- Ensure ffmpeg is installed and accessible in PATH
- Check that "Show thumbnails on hover" is enabled in settings
- Click an entry first, then hover over it to see thumbnails
-
yt-dlp not found
- Ensure yt-dlp is installed and in your system PATH
- The application will prompt you to locate the executable if not found
-
Download failures
- Check your internet connection
- Verify the URL is accessible and not region-restricted
- Some platforms may have temporary restrictions
-
Format detection issues
- The app now shows actual file formats, not requested formats
- If you requested MP4 but got WEBM, it will correctly show "WEBM"
- This is normal behavior for format optimization
-
Unicode/Arabic character issues
- The application now fully supports Arabic and special characters
- Files with Arabic names should display and function correctly
- Thumbnail generation works with international file names
- Thumbnail Generation: Adjust quality settings in the code if needed
- Memory Usage: Clear thumbnail cache if memory usage becomes high
- Background Processing: Disable thumbnail preloading for slower systems
Use the provided build script for easy compilation:
# Build with default configuration
python build.py
# Build with specific configuration
python build.py optimized
# List available configurations
python build.py --listYou can also build manually using PyInstaller:
# Install PyInstaller
pip install pyinstaller
# Build with default configuration
pyinstaller build-configs/g-downloader.spec
# Build with optimized configuration
pyinstaller build-configs/g-downloader-optimized.spec- default: Standard build with all dependencies
- optimized: Smaller executable size, optimized for performance
- embedded: Single file with all resources embedded
- final: Production-ready build for distribution
- complete: Complete build with all features and compatibility
The built executable will be available in the dist/ directory.
tkinter: GUI framework (built into Python)Pillow: Image processing for thumbnailsrequests: HTTP requests for web thumbnailspystray: System tray integrationyt-dlp: Media downloading engine (external dependency)ffmpeg: Video processing for thumbnail generation (external dependency)
g-downloader/
├── src/
│ └── g-downloader.pyw # Main application with all features
├── assets/
│ └── icon.ico # Application icon for tray and window
├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies
├── README.md # This comprehensive documentation
├── .gitignore # Git ignore patterns
└── .g-downloader-config.json # User configuration (auto-created)
- Silent Startup:
self.root.withdraw()called immediately after window creation - Format Detection:
get_file_format_from_extension()function for accurate format identification - Thumbnail System: Progressive quality system with background generation
- Unicode Support: Safe printing and encoding throughout the application
- Click-to-Select:
selected_entry_idtracking for targeted thumbnail previews
This project is open source. Feel free to modify and distribute according to your needs.
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit pull requests or open issues for bugs and feature requests.
- ✅ Silent Startup: Application now launches completely hidden to system tray
- ✅ Smart Format Detection: Shows actual file formats (WEBM, MKV, etc.) instead of requested
- ✅ Enhanced Thumbnails: Click-to-select system with borderless previews
- ✅ Unicode Support: Full Arabic and special character support
- ✅ Wider Interface: Optimized 1200x700 layout for better content viewing
- ✅ Progressive Thumbnails: Two-quality system for optimal performance
- ✅ Background Processing: Non-blocking thumbnail generation and downloads