Why downloading playlists one by one doesn't work
YouTube playlists can have dozens — sometimes hundreds — of videos. Downloading them one at a time by copying each URL is tedious and error-prone. You'd spend more time copying URLs than watching the actual videos.
Online playlist downloaders exist, but they typically limit you to 10-20 videos at a time, cap quality at 720p, and show aggressive ads between each download. Star Video Downloader takes a single playlist URL and queues every video automatically.
How to Download a YouTube Playlist on Mac — Step by Step
Download Star Video Downloader
Get the free app from starvideoapp.com. Unzip and move to Applications. Works on macOS 14+ with Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Copy the playlist URL
Open the YouTube playlist page (not an individual video within it). The URL should look like youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxxxxxxx. Copy it from your browser's address bar.
Paste and download
Paste the playlist URL into Star Video Downloader. The app scans the playlist, detects every video, and adds them all to the download queue. Downloads start automatically.
Find your files
All videos are saved to your chosen download folder. Each file is named with the original video title, so you can find them easily. The playlist order is preserved.
Tip: Make sure to copy the playlist URL, not a video URL within the playlist. The playlist URL starts with youtube.com/playlist?list=. If you copy a video URL that happens to have a &list= parameter, the app will still detect the playlist — but using the direct playlist URL is more reliable.
What you can batch-download
Public playlists
Any public YouTube playlist works — whether it's a music album, tutorial series, lecture course, or curated collection. Just paste the playlist URL and all videos are queued.
Channel uploads
Want to download all videos from a YouTube channel? Copy the channel's "Videos" tab URL. Star Video Downloader treats it like a playlist and queues all uploads.
Course content and tutorial series
Many educators organize their content into playlists. Download an entire programming course, language learning series, or music lesson collection for offline study. No internet needed once downloaded.
Music playlists
Download a music playlist and use the Convert tab to extract audio as MP3, FLAC, AAC, or WAV. Build an offline music library from your favorite YouTube music playlists.
Batch downloading tips
- Check disk space first — a 50-video playlist at 1080p could use 10-25 GB
- Use the queue — Star Video Downloader processes multiple downloads concurrently but manages bandwidth intelligently
- Convert after downloading — if you need all videos in a specific format, download them first, then batch-convert using the Convert tab
- Extract audio — for music playlists, use the Convert tab to extract audio from all downloaded videos at once
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I download an entire YouTube playlist at once?
Yes. Paste the playlist URL into Star Video Downloader and it automatically detects all videos in the playlist, queuing them for batch download. Each video is saved as a separate file with its original title.
Is there a limit on playlist size?
Star Video Downloader has no artificial limit on playlist size. However, the free tier allows 5 downloads per day. Pro users can download unlimited videos — even playlists with hundreds of videos.
Can I download a YouTube Mix or auto-generated playlist?
YouTube Mixes and auto-generated playlists (like "My Mix" or "Watch Later") may have limited support since they are dynamically generated per user. Standard playlists created by channels work reliably.
Can I choose different quality for each video in a playlist?
When downloading a playlist, Star Video Downloader applies the same quality setting to all videos. The app automatically selects the best available quality up to your chosen maximum.
Download Entire YouTube Playlists on Mac
One URL, all videos. Batch download with automatic naming and quality selection.
macOS 14+ • Apple Silicon & Intel • No subscription