Is It Legal to Download Kuaishou and Kwai Videos?
Saving your own videos is fine. Keeping others' for private viewing is low risk in most places. Reposting without permission isn't. Rules by country.
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Open the downloaderSaving your own Kuaishou or Kwai videos is fine. Keeping someone else’s public video to watch privately is low risk in most countries, though the exact rules vary. Reposting it, re-uploading it or using it commercially without permission is where you get into trouble, under copyright law and under the platforms’ own rules. If you’re unsure, ask the creator.
I’m not a lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice. It’s how I explain it to people who use the site. If you’re planning commercial use, talk to a lawyer where you live.
Who owns a Kuaishou or Kwai video?
The person who made it. Posting on Kuaishou or Kwai doesn’t hand ownership to the platform or to viewers. The creator gives the platform a licence to show the video, and that licence doesn’t pass on to you. Music, film clips and other material inside the video can belong to other people again.
Three situations, three different answers
1. Your own videos
This is the clearest case. Creators save their own posts to keep a backup, post them elsewhere or cut a compilation. One catch: music you added inside the app may only be licensed for that app. Reposting the same clip on YouTube can trigger a music claim even though the video is yours.
2. Someone else’s video, just for you
Saving a recipe, a tutorial or a funny clip to rewatch offline, without sharing it. Many countries allow some private copying, but the rules differ a lot (see below). Platform terms also usually limit downloading outside the app’s own features. Breaking terms of service is a contract matter between you and the platform, not a crime, but it can cost you your account.
3. Someone else’s video, shared or used commercially
Re-uploading to your channel, dropping it into a compilation, using it in an ad or selling it. This is where real problems start:
- copyright takedowns and strikes on the platform where you post
- demonetisation or a banned account
- in serious commercial cases, a claim for damages
Writing “no copyright intended” or “credit to the owner” doesn’t change any of this.
How the rules differ by country
Every country below protects short videos as creative works. What changes is how much private copying is allowed.
| Country | Law | What it allows, in short |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | Copyright Ordinance, 1962 (section 57) | Fair dealing for purposes such as private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting |
| India | Copyright Act, 1957 (section 52) | Fair dealing for private or personal use, including research, plus criticism, review and news reporting |
| Brazil | Lei 9.610/1998 (article 46) | Copying small excerpts for the copier’s private use. Narrower than many people assume. |
| Turkey | Law No. 5846 on Intellectual and Artistic Works (article 38) | Reproduction for personal use without a profit motive, as long as it doesn’t unreasonably harm the owner |
| United States | 17 U.S.C. § 107 | “Fair use”, judged case by case on four factors (below) |
None of these lets you republish someone’s whole video as your own.
What “fair use” actually means
Fair use is a US idea. Many other countries use narrower “fair dealing” rules instead. US courts weigh four factors:
- Purpose. Commentary, criticism, news and teaching help your case. Plain reposting doesn’t.
- The kind of work. Creative work gets stronger protection than factual material.
- How much you use. A few seconds you’re discussing is very different from the whole clip.
- Market effect. Does your use replace the original or pull viewers away from it?
How to reuse a video the right way
- Ask. Message the creator on the platform. Plenty will say yes if you credit them.
- Keep the yes. A screenshot of the message is better than nothing.
- Credit clearly. Use their name and a link to the original, in the video and in the caption.
- Respect a no. Or use the platform’s own tools, like duets, stitches and reposts, which keep the creator attached.
- Check the licence. If a creator has released a video under a Creative Commons licence, follow its terms, such as attribution or non-commercial use.
What our tool does and doesn’t do
The downloader only fetches videos anyone can already watch publicly without logging in. It doesn’t get around private settings, follower-only limits, region blocks or paywalls, and when Kuaishou asks for a security check, it stops. We don’t host or keep copies of videos. The privacy policy explains exactly what passes through.
If you’re a creator and believe the site is being used to infringe your rights, our copyright and DMCA policy explains how to reach me. I act on genuine notices quickly.
Next, read Kuaishou vs Kwai for how the two apps differ. If you’re saving your own videos, how to download Kuaishou videos walks you through it.