Converter status
cobalt not working with YouTube? It no longer supports it
cobalt.tools is online, but the official instance no longer downloads from YouTube. On October 21, 2026 its public API (version 11.7.1) listed 20 supported services, including Bilibili, Bluesky, Instagram, Reddit, SoundCloud, TikTok, Twitch clips, Twitter and Vimeo, and YouTube was not among them. If a YouTube link fails there, that is the service list, not an outage on your side.
Published October 21, 2026. Facts are dated and sourced below; individual user reviews are quoted as individual accounts, not as verified findings.
What happened to YouTube on cobalt.tools
cobalt is an open-source, ad-free downloader, and for years YouTube was its best-known use. In June 2025 users opened GitHub issue #1356, "Can't download videos from YouTube on cobalt.tools". On August 15, 2025 a maintainer wrote there that strict network limits on YouTube's side were still in place and that the project could not work around them at the scale of the public instance.
By October 2026 YouTube had dropped off the official instance entirely. The root of api.cobalt.tools, which the cobalt.tools website uses, publishes the list of services it accepts; when we checked it on October 21, 2026 the list had 20 entries and no YouTube. AlternativeTo user reviews from February 2026 report the same thing: the site still works for other platforms, but not for YouTube.
Self-hosted cobalt instances
cobalt's source code on GitHub still contains a YouTube module, so a cobalt server run by someone else may accept YouTube links. Those instances are separate operators, not the cobalt team: their logging, limits and reliability are whatever their owners choose, and the public ones are the first to be limited by YouTube. Running your own instance is the honest route if you want cobalt itself, and it needs a server you maintain.
Quick checks
- If cobalt.tools rejects a YouTube link, that is expected: YouTube is not on its supported-services list.
- Links from the supported services, such as SoundCloud, TikTok or Vimeo, should still work there.
- Be careful with sites that use the cobalt name or claim to be an official YouTube mirror. The project's own address is cobalt.tools.
- Whatever tool you use, open the video on YouTube first. Private, age restricted, region restricted or removed videos fail everywhere.
An ad-free alternative: what AudioFetcher offers
AudioFetcher is the converter we build, so read this section as the developer's description rather than an independent review. The facts below are the ones a visitor can check on the site itself.
| Ads and pop-ups | None. The service is funded by Supporter Passes and donations, not ad networks. |
|---|---|
| Installation | None. It runs in the browser on desktop and mobile; a Firefox extension is optional. |
| Free limit | Single videos up to 60 minutes, MP3 up to 320 kbps, FLAC, or the original Opus and M4A streams. Up to 50 free MP4s a day, up to 1080p. |
| Paid option | Supporter Pass, $5 one-time for 30 days: audio up to 12 hours, full playlists, priority processing. No subscription. |
| Extras | Chapter embedding and splitting, SponsorBlock removal, ID3 tags and cover art, subtitles, LRCLIB lyrics, ordered playlist ZIPs. |
| Verification | One Cloudflare Turnstile check before a free conversion. No account for free use. |
| Files | Temporary. Downloads expire after a short window and are deleted; nothing is kept as a library. |
| Content policy | Convert only videos you own or have permission to download. |
Common questions
Does cobalt still work with YouTube?
Not on the official cobalt.tools site. Its public API listed 20 supported services on October 21, 2026, and YouTube was not one of them. Self-hosted instances run by other people may differ.
Is cobalt.tools down?
The live check on this page shows whether cobalt.tools answers from our server. It usually does: the website is up, it just no longer accepts YouTube links.
Is cobalt safe?
cobalt is open source under the AGPL, shows no ads and describes a zero-log policy on its about page. The risk is not cobalt itself but copycat sites using its name.
What does AudioFetcher do differently?
It is built for YouTube audio, with no ads. Free single videos up to 60 minutes as MP3 up to 320 kbps, FLAC, or the original Opus and M4A streams without re-encoding, plus MP4 up to 1080p. A $5 Supporter Pass adds 12-hour audio and full playlists.
Other converter status pages
Sources
- cobalt.tools public API, checked October 21, 2026Version 11.7.1; its supported-services list has 20 entries and does not include YouTube.
- GitHub issue #1356"Can't download videos from YouTube on cobalt.tools", opened June 2025; maintainer update on August 15, 2025 about YouTube's network limits.
- AlternativeTo: cobalt user reviewsReviews from February 2026 report that YouTube downloads no longer work on cobalt.tools (individual accounts).
- cobalt on GitHubOpen-source code (AGPL), self-hosting instructions; the code still includes a YouTube module.
- cobalt about pageNo ads, no tracking, zero-log policy.
Sources support factual statements about third-party services as of the dates shown. Service behaviour changes; check the source before relying on a detail.