# Paste a link · OmniGet Docs - URL: https://getomniget.com/docs/omnibox - Updated: 2026-10-02 - OmniGet 1.0.0 > Free, open-source yt-dlp GUI for Windows, macOS and Linux. Paste a link to save video, audio and files from 1,000+ sites, or run AI coding agents. --- Download # Paste a link Every download starts from one box at the top of Home: **Paste a link or search**. Paste a link and OmniGet checks it, shows a preview and gives you one button to download it. ## Where it is **Home**, the first item in the sidebar. The box is always in the middle of the page. ## How to use it 1. Copy a link in your browser. 2. Click **Paste** at the right of the box, or click the box and press `⌘V` (macOS) / `Ctrl+V`. 3. Wait while OmniGet shows **Checking link…**. When it knows the site, it shows the site name and the kind of content (Video, Short, Playlist, Post…) under the box, and opens **Download options** with a preview. 4. Click the main button. Its label follows the content: **Download video**, **Download audio**, **Download photo**, or **Download** with a count for playlists and torrents. 5. OmniGet shows **Added to Downloads**. Click **Open Downloads** to follow it in the [Queue](https://getomniget.com/docs/queue). You can also type and press `↩` (macOS) / `Enter`, or click the arrow button (**Download this link**) that appears at the right when the box has text. ### Drag and drop Drag something onto the OmniGet window and it shows **Drop to download** with **Links, torrent files or a .txt list**. - A link dragged from the browser goes into the box, as if you had pasted it. - A `.torrent` file opens the file picker for that torrent. See [Torrents and magnet links](https://getomniget.com/docs/torrents). - A `.txt` file with one link per line becomes a batch. See [Many links at once](https://getomniget.com/docs/batch). - Any other file shows **OmniGet can’t open this file. Try a link, a torrent or a .txt list.** When you drop several files at once, only the first one is used. ### The menu at the left of the box The button at the left of the box (**More ways to download**) opens four more ways in: | Item | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Paste many links…** | Opens a `.txt` file with one link per line. See [Many links at once](https://getomniget.com/docs/batch). | | **Open a torrent file…** | Picks a `.torrent` file. See [Torrents and magnet links](https://getomniget.com/docs/torrents). | | **Send a file with a code…** | Sends a file from your computer to another OmniGet user. See [Send a file with a code](https://getomniget.com/docs/p2p). | | **yt-dlp command…** | Opens a panel where you type the yt-dlp arguments yourself. See [yt-dlp command](https://getomniget.com/docs/ytdlp-command). | ### What the box accepts - Links that start with `http://` or `https://`. - Magnet links (`magnet:…`) and paths to `.torrent` files. - Share codes from another OmniGet (`p2p:…`). - Several links at once, separated by spaces or new lines. OmniGet shows how many it found and a **Download all** button. - Anything else is treated as a search. See [Search without a link](https://getomniget.com/docs/search). When you paste a link, OmniGet removes common tracking parameters (such as `utm_source` or `fbclid`) and follows simple redirect links before it checks the site. ## Options Everything about the download itself lives under **Quality and more**, below the main button. See [Quality, mode and formats](https://getomniget.com/docs/quality). | Option | What it does | Default | | --- | --- | --- | | **Clipboard detection** | Fills the box when you copy a link anywhere on your computer. In **Settings › Downloads › Clipboard & hotkeys**. | Off | | **Auto-download on paste** | Starts the download by itself a moment after a link is detected. In **Settings › Downloads › Clipboard & hotkeys**. | Off | ## Shortcuts | Action | Keys | | --- | --- | | Paste into the box | `⌘V` (macOS) / `Ctrl+V` | | Check the link or start the download | `↩` (macOS) / `Enter` | | Clear the box | `esc` (macOS) / `Esc` | ## Messages you may see These appear in the preview area while you prepare a download. | Message | What it means | | --- | --- | | **This site’s saved cookie is getting old.** | The login OmniGet keeps for this site may expire soon. Click **Update it** to open the cookie settings. See [Accounts and cookies](https://getomniget.com/docs/cookies). | | **This site’s saved cookie has expired — downloads may fail.** | The saved login no longer works. Capture it again with the [browser extension](https://getomniget.com/docs/extension). | | **This link changed since you last downloaded it: …** | You downloaded this link before, and its title or length is different now. The download still starts. | | **Rule “…” applied** | One of your [Rules](https://getomniget.com/docs/rules) matched the link and changed the folder, the quality or the audio mode. | | **Link from your browser extension** | The link came from the [browser extension](https://getomniget.com/docs/extension), not from you typing it. | ## Common problems When a download cannot start, the box turns into a card with a plain sentence, a button that fixes the most likely cause and **Try again**. Open **Details** to see the raw error and **Copy** it for a bug report. ### This one needs your login. The site asks for an account (members-only, a video only you can see, or a login wall). Click **Use my browser login** to open **Settings › Downloads › Cookies**, then capture your login with the [browser extension](https://getomniget.com/docs/extension). Use only your own accounts. ### This one is age-restricted. Sign in on the site in your browser, confirm your age there, capture the cookies with the extension, and click **Try again**. ### Not available in your region. The site blocks the link where you are. OmniGet cannot change that. If you use a proxy for other reasons, see [Proxy and network](https://getomniget.com/docs/network). ### This link is gone. The video was removed or made private. Click **Paste another link**. ### The site asked us to slow down. The site is limiting requests. Wait a few minutes, then click **Try again**. ### Couldn’t reach the site. Check your internet connection, then click **Try again**. ### OmniGet can’t open this site yet. yt-dlp has no extractor for this page. Click **See supported sites** to open the list, check the link, or see [Sites and engines](https://getomniget.com/docs/sites). ### The video saved, but couldn’t be merged. OmniGet needs FFmpeg to join the video and audio tracks. Click **Install FFmpeg** to open Settings, then install it in **Settings › Advanced › Dependencies**. See [Dependencies](https://getomniget.com/docs/dependencies). ### Couldn’t download this. Any other error. Click **Try again**. If it keeps failing, open **Details**, click **Copy** and include the text in your report. [Troubleshooting](https://getomniget.com/docs/troubleshooting) lists the usual causes. ### I typed an address and got search results The box only treats text as a link when it starts with `http://` or `https://` (or is a magnet, a torrent or a share code). Copy the full address from the browser’s address bar. ### The first download takes longer The first time, OmniGet may need to set up its download engine. You see **Setting up. The first download takes a bit longer.** Later downloads start faster. [Previous**← The app window**](https://getomniget.com/docs/interface) [Next**Quality, mode and formats →**](https://getomniget.com/docs/quality)