How to Download a Video From a Link: A Simple Guide

The short answer

To download a video from a link, copy the share link of the public post, paste it into a downloader that supports that platform, and save the file it returns. On Clearlla that means pasting the link into the box on the home page or on the matching platform page, waiting a moment while it looks up the post, and pressing Download on the version you want.

The catch is in the words supported and public. A link only works if Clearlla has a working route for that platform and that type of post, and if the post can be seen without signing in. The rest of this guide explains what that means in practice.

What a downloadable link actually is

Most links people share point at a page, not a file. A TikTok link opens the TikTok page for a video. A Reddit link opens a thread. The video itself lives somewhere else, usually on a content delivery network the platform runs.

A downloader's job is to read the page or the platform's public data, find the address of the real media file, and hand that file to your browser. If there is no public route from the page to the file, there is nothing to download, however the link looks.

How Clearlla handles a supported public link

Clearlla does not keep a copy of the file and does not store the link you pasted.

• It recognises which platform the link belongs to from its address.
• It checks the link is safe to look up, so private network addresses and odd schemes are refused.
• Its server asks that platform's public interface for the post's media details. No login is used.
• It shows a preview and the files it found, for example an MP4 in one or two qualities, an audio track, or a set of images.
• When you press Download, your browser fetches the file from the platform's own servers and saves it.

Which links work today

Support depends on the platform and on the type of post. The status page and each platform page show the current picture. At the time of writing:

• Supported: TikTok videos and slideshows, Reddit posts, Pinterest pins, Streamable videos, Twitch clips, and Mastodon posts.
• Limited: Bluesky image posts, public Telegram channel posts, Discord attachment links, YouTube thumbnails only, public X posts with media, and public Facebook Page videos.
• In Development, with downloads switched off: Vimeo and Dailymotion.
• Not supported: Instagram, private accounts, and arbitrary websites.

Why some links work and others do not

Common mistakes when copying links

The share button is almost always the most reliable source. Tracking text after a question mark is usually fine; Clearlla ignores what it does not need.

• Copying the profile or channel link instead of the link to one post.
• Copying a search results page or a feed address.
• Copying only part of the link when selecting text on a phone.
• Using a shortened link that redirects to a login page, such as fb.watch. Copy the full facebook.com link instead.
• Pasting a link you copied hours ago from a direct media file rather than the post itself.

Practical troubleshooting

• Open the link in a private browser window. If it asks you to log in, the post is not public.
• Copy the link again from the Share button and paste it fresh.
• Check the status page to see whether the platform is Supported, Limited, or In Development.
• Read the message Clearlla shows. It is written to name the actual cause, such as a removed post or an unsupported link type.
• If the file opens in a new tab instead of saving, use your browser's save option from that tab. Some platforms do not let other sites save their files directly.