YouTube playlist downloads just broke - here's the workaround that still works

What Changed With YouTube Playlists

Around mid-July 2026, YouTube updated its internal API to serve playlist metadata in a paginated format. Previously, a single API call returned all video IDs, titles, and stream URLs in one JSON response. Now, the first call returns a partial list and a continuation token. You need to chain multiple requests to get the full playlist.

This sounds minor, but it breaks every tool that assumed a single request. yt-dlp returns only the first 20-50 videos instead of the full playlist. Cobalt fails entirely. Most browser extensions silently stop after the first page.

YouTube has done this before. They rotate between API formats every 6-12 months, usually to reduce server load from bulk scrapers. The fix is always the same: update the extractor to follow continuation tokens. But until that patch lands, you need a workaround.

Why Most Tools Still Fail

The core problem is how playlist extractors are written. Most tools call YouTube's browse_next endpoint once, parse the response, and assume that is the complete list. With the new paginated format, that single call now returns a truncated response.

Some tools try to work around this by increasing the page size parameter, but YouTube caps it at 100 items. Playlists with 200+ videos will always be truncated unless the tool follows the continuation chain.

yt-dlp maintainers are aware of the issue. There is an open pull request on GitHub that adds continuation token handling, but it has not been merged yet. Until then, the individual video extraction method works reliably.

The Workaround: Download Videos Individually

Our YouTube downloader handles playlists differently. Instead of fetching all videos in one API call, it:

• Detects the playlist URL - when you paste a playlist link, the tool identifies it and extracts each video ID from the page
• Fetches each video independently - every video is processed using the same single-video pipeline that has been working reliably for months
• No truncation - because each video is fetched separately, there is no 20-50 video limit. A 500-video playlist downloads all 500
• Same quality - each video gets the same format selection (4K, 1080p, 720p) as if you pasted it individually

The tradeoff is speed. Fetching 100 videos one by one takes longer than a single bulk request. But it actually works, which is more than most tools can say right now.

Step by Step: Download a YouTube Playlist

1. Copy the playlist URL: Go to YouTube, open the playlist, copy the full URL from the address bar (it contains &list=).
2. Open the downloader: Go to techevangelistseo.com/youtube-downloader.
3. Paste and analyze: Paste the playlist URL. The tool detects it is a playlist and shows all available videos.
4. Pick quality and download: Select your preferred resolution for each video, or choose a default quality for the entire batch.
5. Save to device: Each video saves as an MP4 to your Downloads folder. On iPhone, use the share sheet to move to Photos.

What If You Need Audio Only?

The same workaround works for audio extraction. Paste the playlist URL, and when you see the video list, select the audio quality option for each track. The tool extracts and converts to MP3 automatically. This is useful for music playlists where you want the audio without the video.

For a single-video audio conversion, use the YouTube to MP3 tool instead. It is faster for one-off conversions.

When Will yt-dlp Fix This?

The yt-dlp team typically patches YouTube API changes within 1-3 weeks. The pull request for playlist continuation tokens is already in progress. Once merged, running yt-dlp --update will restore full playlist support.

In the meantime, the individual video extraction approach works for every playlist size. We have seen playlists with 1,000+ videos download completely using this method. It is not the fastest approach, but it is the most reliable one right now.

YouTube will likely change its API format again in a few months. This is an ongoing cat-and-mouse game. The individual video approach survives every format change because it does not depend on playlist-specific API endpoints.

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