Skip the DownloadHelper Companion-App Dance
If you have used Firefox for a while, you know Video DownloadHelper. It is the extension everyone reaches for, and for years it just worked. Then it started asking you to install a separate “companion app” on your computer to handle most modern formats, because the browser sandbox will not let the extension convert HLS streams on its own. So now the “just add the extension” route means adding an extension and a desktop helper and keeping both updated.
Paste the video link into this page instead and you skip all of that. The MP4 downloads in Firefox with nothing installed, no add-on, no companion app.
- Works in Firefox on desktop and Android
- No extension and no companion app to install alongside it
- Rebuilds streamed HLS video into one MP4, audio included
- Takes YouTube, Vimeo, and direct links, plus a batch at once
- Public web video the site will serve, not DRM-protected streaming
Firefox lets you right-click and “Save Video As” too, and for a plain progressive MP4 that still works. The trouble is that most video is not a plain MP4 anymore. Same tool framed for Chrome on the Chrome video downloader.
Why Right-Click Save Works on Some Firefox Videos and Not Others
It comes down to how the video is served. An older or smaller site hands Firefox a single progressive MP4, and right-click “Save Video As” saves it fine. That is the case that still works, and if it works for you, use it.
Most sites now stream instead. They serve video as HLS, an .m3u8 playlist split into hundreds of chunks, and the <video> tag points at a temporary blob: address that only lives in that tab. There is no file to save, so Save As either greys out or hands you a useless stub. This is exactly the case DownloadHelper needs its companion app for, and exactly what this tool does in the browser: read the playlist, pull the chunks, stitch one MP4.
Firefox’s strict tracking protection can also block the network calls some on-page downloaders rely on. Pasting the link into a tool that fetches server-side sidesteps that too. DRM-protected streaming stays off-limits, in Firefox or anywhere, because it is encrypted.
Paste, Save, Done
- In Firefox, copy the video or page URL from the address bar.
- Paste it into the field on this page.
- Download. The MP4 lands in your Firefox Downloads.
On Firefox for Android the flow is the same. Copy the link, paste, save. No add-on, which matters on mobile where DownloadHelper’s companion-app model does not really work anyway.
Do More Than Save It
The download is step one. The same import can hand the video to AI, which is where a saved talk or tutorial stops being just a file. Get a transcript and a written summary with the AI video summarizer, ask the video questions with timestamped answers using the AI video watcher, run scene and content detection with the video analyzer, or turn it into a formatted write-up with video to document. The download is free in the browser; the AI features follow ScreenApp’s plan, first one free, then Growth at $19/month billed annually.
Who Downloads Video in Firefox
Long-time Firefox users who ran DownloadHelper for years and got tired of the companion-app prompt, the update nags, and the occasional watermark on the free tier. They want the file, not a toolchain.
Privacy-minded users who chose Firefox for its tracking protection and would rather not hand a downloader extension permission to read every site they visit. And Firefox mobile users, where extensions are limited and the companion-app model does not apply, so a web tool is the clean path to an actual file.
FAQ
How do I download a video in Firefox without an extension?
Copy the video or page URL and paste it into the downloader here to save the MP4, nothing installed. Firefox’s own right-click “Save Video As” works only for plain progressive video, and the popular extension, Video DownloadHelper, now needs a separate companion app for most streamed formats. A paste-URL web tool skips both by reassembling the stream in the browser.
Do I still need the Video DownloadHelper companion app?
Not with this. DownloadHelper asks for a desktop companion app because the browser sandbox will not let the extension convert HLS streams itself. This tool does that conversion server-side, so you paste a link and get an MP4 without installing the extension or its helper.
Why does Save Video As work on some Firefox videos but not others?
Because of how each site serves video. A single progressive MP4 saves fine with right-click. A streamed video (HLS, split into chunks behind a blob: address) has no single file for Save As to grab, so it greys out or gives you a stub. The streamed case is the one this tool is built for.
Does it work on Firefox for Android?
Yes. Copy the link, paste it here, and the MP4 saves to your phone’s Downloads. This is especially handy on mobile, where Firefox add-ons are limited and DownloadHelper’s companion-app approach does not really work.
Can I download private or login-only videos?
No. It works with public web video the site serves to a normal request. Video that loads only for your signed-in session will not download from a pasted link, and DRM-protected streaming is off-limits on any browser.
For a raw file across 1000+ sites see the video downloader hub, and on other browsers the same tool has the Safari video downloader, Edge video downloader, and Opera video downloader pages.
Privacy and Copyright
Download only web video you have the right to keep: your own content, public video you are authorized to use, or material in the public domain. Saving copyrighted video without permission can infringe the owner’s rights and breach the source site’s terms, and that responsibility is yours. DRM-protected streaming (Netflix, Disney+, paid subscription video) is off-limits in Firefox or any browser, because it is encrypted for exactly that reason.
On privacy, the fetch runs in your browser against the source site’s own servers, so the video goes from the site to your device rather than through a ScreenApp account. If you use the AI features (transcript or summary), that content is processed under ScreenApp’s privacy policy.
Recordings are transcribed by Whisper Large-v3 with SOC 2 Type 2 secure storage, used by 2,163,740 verified accounts as of 2026.
