Squidlr has been discontinued
The Squidlr online video downloader is no longer available.
Thank you to everyone who used Squidlr to save videos from X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn over the past years!
Why was Squidlr shut down?
Squidlr has always been a one-person side project. Today my family and my work come first, and I simply don't have enough time anymore to keep developing and hosting Squidlr the way it deserves.
On top of that, running a web-based video download service is complicated. Social media sites keep evolving: they change their APIs and page structure, add new bot protection and rate limits, and restrict anonymous access. Every one of those changes could break downloads overnight, and keeping up with them requires constant maintenance.
The source code of Squidlr stays available on GitHub.
How to download videos now
You don't need an online service to save videos from social media. Two excellent free and open-source tools run directly on your own device and support far more platforms than Squidlr ever did.
Desktop: yt-dlp
yt-dlp is a command-line program for Windows, macOS and Linux that downloads videos from thousands of websites, including X / Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn.
1. Install it, for example with:
winget install yt-dlp # Windows
brew install yt-dlp # macOS
python3 -m pip install -U yt-dlp # any OS with Python
On Linux it is also available in most package managers. Installing FFmpeg as well is recommended, so yt-dlp can merge separate video and audio streams into a single MP4 file.
2. Download a video by passing the link of the post:
yt-dlp "https://x.com/user/status/1234567890"
To see all available resolutions first and then pick one:
yt-dlp -F "<url>"
yt-dlp -f <format-id> "<url>"
If a platform asks you to log in, yt-dlp can use the cookies of your browser,
e.g. --cookies-from-browser firefox.
Keep yt-dlp up to date (yt-dlp -U) as sites change frequently.
Android: Seal
Seal is a free Android app built on top of yt-dlp. It wraps all of its power in a clean, easy-to-use interface, so you don't need a computer at all.
- Install Seal from its GitHub releases or from F-Droid.
- In the X, Instagram, TikTok or any other app, tap Share on the post and choose Seal – or copy the link and paste it into Seal.
- Pick video or audio, choose the quality and start the download.
- The file is saved to your device's download folder.
Seal also lets you update its built-in yt-dlp from within the app, which keeps downloads working when platforms change.
Please respect the rights of content creators: only download videos for personal use and do not redistribute them without permission.
Frequently asked questions
Will Squidlr come back?
There are no plans to bring the online service back. The source code stays publicly available on GitHub for anyone who is interested in how it worked.
Do my old Squidlr download links still work?
No. Squidlr no longer contacts any social media platform, so previously shared download links and bookmarks don't work anymore. Use yt-dlp or Seal with the original post link instead.
Is Squidlr affiliated with yt-dlp, Seal or any social media platform?
No. Squidlr is not affiliated with or endorsed by yt-dlp, Seal or any social media platform. They are simply the tools I recommend.
How can I get in touch?
You can still reach me via email.