How to Download Kuaishou and Kwai Videos on PC or Mac

Open the video on kuaishou.com or kwai.com, copy the address bar, paste it into the downloader and click Download MP4. It saves to your Downloads folder. Press Ctrl+J in Chrome or Edge on Windows, or Option+Command+L in Safari or Chrome on a Mac, to see it.

Found the video on your phone instead? That works too. Send the link to your computer and paste it there. I do this all the time.

Getting the link on a computer

From the website

1. Open the single video, not the creator’s profile.
2. Click the address bar and copy everything (Ctrl+C on Windows, Command+C on a Mac).

Video addresses look like this:

• Kuaishou: https://www.kuaishou.com/short-video/3x...
• Kwai: https://www.kwai.com/@name/video/52...

Extra text after a ? is fine. Leave it in.

From your phone

Copy the link in the app as usual, then send it to yourself. WhatsApp Web, Telegram Desktop, an email or a notes app that syncs all work. Paste the whole message into the downloader. It finds the link and ignores the rest.

That’s also the fix if kuaishou.com won’t show the video where you live, or asks you to log in. The app link works without either.

Downloading

Paste the address into the downloader, click Find video, then pick a file:

• Download MP4: H.264. Plays everywhere and imports into every editor.
• Smaller MP4 (H.265): only on some Kuaishou posts. Same resolution, smaller file. See the Windows note below before you choose it.
• Download cover image and, for Kuaishou, Download audio (an M4A file).

Download buttons expire an hour after the lookup. If you leave the tab open for a while, look the video up again.

Where each browser saves the file

Browser	Default folder	Show downloads
Chrome (Windows, Linux)	Downloads	Ctrl+J
Chrome (Mac)	Downloads	Option+Command+L
Edge	Downloads	Ctrl+J
Firefox	Downloads	Ctrl+Shift+Y (Windows, Linux), Command+Shift+Y (Mac)
Safari (Mac)	Downloads	Option+Command+L

To change the folder, open your browser’s settings and search for “downloads”.

The H.265 file on Windows

Macs have played H.265 (HEVC) since macOS High Sierra. Windows is patchier. Some PCs come with Microsoft’s HEVC Video Extensions, and others need it from the Microsoft Store. Without it, the Films & TV or Media Player app may show an error or a black screen.

You have three easy fixes:

1. Download the regular Download MP4 file instead.
2. Play it in VLC, which is free and handles H.265 on its own.
3. Get HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store.

For editing, I’d use the H.264 file every time. It imports cleanly into CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro and iMovie.

Vertical video looks odd on a monitor

Kuaishou and Kwai videos are vertical (9:16). On a widescreen monitor, players add black bars on both sides. Nothing is wrong with the file. If you’re editing it into a horizontal video, crop or blur-fill the sides in your editor.

Desktop problems I see most

Clicking Download MP4 plays the video in a new tab. Right-click the button and choose Save link as….

The browser warns the file “may be dangerous”. Some browsers flag any download they didn’t expect. Check that the name ends in .mp4, .jpg, .webp or .m4a, then choose Keep. The tool only ever gives you video, image and audio files, so anything else, like a .exe, should be deleted.

An ad blocker or privacy extension stops the download. Pause it for this site and try again.

The troubleshooting guide has the rest.

Do you need a desktop program or extension?

Not for this. The web tool does the whole job in the browser you already have. I’m working on a browser extension for people who save a lot of videos. It’ll only appear here once it’s ready and approved by the browser stores.

New to the link types? Read Kuaishou and Kwai link formats. For the full walkthrough, see how to download Kuaishou videos.