Video downloader extension for Brave
Brave already removes the ads and trackers around a video. What it still will not do is hand you the video itself: press play and there is nothing to save, because what arrives is not a file.
Why Brave cannot save a streaming video
Modern players do not send one video file. They send hundreds of small segments described by a playlist — HLS (.m3u8) or DASH (.mpd) — and the browser stitches them together on the fly. There is no single URL to right-click, so "save video as" simply is not offered.
The extension reads that playlist, fetches the segments and rebuilds them into an ordinary MP4 without re-encoding: nothing is lost in the process and there is no long conversion wait.
Installing it in Brave
Brave uses the Chrome Web Store as its extension catalogue, so there is no separate Brave build to hunt down: you add it from the same listing as Chrome and it updates itself from there.
It runs on desktop Brave — Windows, macOS and Linux. As in any Chromium browser, extensions do not load in private windows unless you enable that explicitly from brave://extensions.
You do not have to lower Shields
Shields blocks trackers and ads; it does not block the player itself. The extension listens to the requests the player genuinely makes, so detection works with Shields left exactly as you keep it.
It also helps in the other direction: a minimum-size filter keeps ad clips, pixels and thumbnails out of the list, so what you see is the actual video and not the noise around it.
The full Chromium feature set
Because Brave is Chromium, the build you install is the complete one. That means a separate folder per file type (videos here, music there, images elsewhere), writing the download straight to disk as it progresses — which is what removes the size ceiling on multi-gigabyte files — and running the extension as a side panel or in its own window so a long download does not stop when you change tabs.
On top of video it grabs MP3 audio extracted from the stream, images, PDFs and office documents and archives found on the page, and it can trim a section before downloading instead of taking the whole thing.
Step by step
- Add it from the Chrome Web StoreBrave opens the store normally. One click, no sign-up.
- Open the video and press playA few seconds is enough for detection to pick up the stream.
- Click the extension iconYou get the list of what was found, with qualities and estimated sizes.
- Choose a quality and downloadSet a folder per file type in Settings and you never pick again.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a separate version for Brave?
No, and there does not need to be. Brave installs extensions from the Chrome Web Store, so the Chrome listing is the Brave version — same features, same updates.
Does it work with Shields turned on?
Yes. Shields filters ads and trackers, not the video player. The extension reads the requests the player makes, so you can leave Shields exactly as you have it.
Can it download an .m3u8 (HLS) stream?
That is the main case it exists for. It reads the playlist, downloads the segments and rebuilds a normal MP4 without re-encoding.
Does it run in a private window?
Only if you allow it. Chromium browsers keep extensions off in private windows by default; you can turn it on for this one from brave://extensions.
What about Netflix, Prime Video or Disney+?
Those are DRM-encrypted and cannot be downloaded. The extension detects the protection and says so, rather than producing a broken file.