Downloading private or unlisted YouTube Shorts isn’t as straightforward as grabbing public videos, since these clips are restricted by the uploader’s privacy settings. Below we explore what’s possible, the limitations, and the tools you can use if you have the right access.

1. Understanding YouTube Privacy Settings

• Unlisted Shorts: Anyone with the URL can view or download an unlisted Short, but it won’t appear in search results or on the creator’s public channel page.

• Private Shorts: Only users explicitly granted access by the uploader (via their Google account) can view private videos. No external tool can bypass this without proper credentials.

2. Downloading Unlisted Shorts (With the Link)

If you have the direct URL (e.g., the creator sent it to you), any standard downloader will work:

• 4K Video Downloader

1. Install and open 4K Video Downloader (link).

1. Click Paste Link - the app will fetch and queue the unlisted Short.

1. Choose your resolution and click Download.

• SnapDownloader

1. Download SnapDownloader from snapdownloader.com.

1. Paste the unlisted URL into the input field.

1. Select quality and format, then hit Download.

• yt-dlp (CLI) As long as yt-dlp can access the URL, it will download the unlisted Short in the best available quality.

yt-dlp https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UNLISTED_ID -f best -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s"

3. Downloading Private Shorts (With Authentication)

Private Shorts require you to sign in as an authorized viewer. Two main approaches:

• Cookie-Based Authentication (4K Video Downloader)

1. In your browser, export your YouTube cookies (using a trusted extension like “Get cookies.txt”).

1. In 4K Video Downloader, go to Preferences → Advanced → Use Cookies and load the cookies.txt file.

1. Paste the private Short’s URL and download as usual.

• Authenticated CLI (yt-dlp) By supplying your authenticated cookies, yt-dlp can access and download Shorts that are otherwise private.

yt-dlp https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PRIVATE_ID \
--cookies /path/to/cookies.txt \
-f best -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s"

4. Legal and Ethical Considerations

• Consent Is Mandatory: Always ensure the uploader has explicitly granted you permission to download, view, or share private content.

• No Bypassing Protections: Attempting to circumvent authentication without consent may violate YouTube’s Terms of Service and could be unlawful.

Conclusion

• Unlisted Shorts are trivially downloadable by anyone holding the direct link using any standard tool.

• Private Shorts can only be downloaded if you’re an authorized viewer and you supply your authenticated cookies to a downloader like 4K Video Downloader or yt-dlp.

• Always respect creators’ privacy settings and obtain explicit permission before downloading or sharing restricted content.