Media Sniffing
How the extension detects video and audio on pages, and how to download them.
Download Button
When you hover over a playing video, a download button appears. Clicking it makes the extension automatically identify the video resource and send it to the desktop app.
The button can be dragged to reposition. Click × to close (refresh to restore). It can be globally disabled in extension settings.
Resource List
Click the extension icon → Resources. This shows all media network requests made by the current page.
When a page offers multiple qualities, each quality appears as a separate entry. Select one and click download to send it to the desktop app.
For sites that deliver video and audio separately (common with HD video), you can select one video entry and one audio entry, then use merged download.
If the download button says "Multiple media resources found", it means there are multiple streams on the page that cannot be auto-selected. Go to the resource list and pick manually.
Handling Different Video Formats
| Format | Download method |
|---|---|
| HLS / DASH stream (.m3u8 / .mpd) | Desktop app resolves segments then downloads |
| Separate video + audio tracks | Merged download (video and audio downloaded separately, then merged automatically) |
| Plain MP4 | Direct download |
Separate-track video requires both the video track and audio track to be captured before merging. If a wait prompt appears after clicking the button, keep playing for a few seconds and try again.
Site Differences
| Site | Behavior |
|---|---|
| YouTube | Handled by desktop app (supports quality selection and subtitles) |
| Bilibili | Handled by desktop app (supports quality and multi-P) |
| Douyin / Instagram / X | Extension automatically detects video and audio tracks, merged download |
| Others | Generic strategy: stream first → split-track merge → single file |
Cases Where Capture Fails
- DRM-protected videos (Youku, Tencent Video, iQiyi, etc.): you can see the request, but the file cannot be played after download.
- Content that requires login: use the download button (it automatically carries login state). Do not manually copy links from the resource list.
For detailed site notes, see Site Notes.