Guide
Why did my conversion fail? Common errors and how to fix them
Every message Konvert can show, what causes it and what to try next: private and restricted videos, playlists, length limits and more.
Quick checklist
Run through these six questions first. They catch the large majority of problems.
- Is it a link to one YouTube video? Regular watch links, youtu.be short links, Shorts, live replays and YouTube Music links all work. Playlists, channels and other sites don't yet.
- Does it play without signing in? Open it in a private browser window. If YouTube asks you to sign in, Konvert can't convert it.
- Is it 1 hour or shorter? Longer videos aren't supported.
- Has it finished airing? Upcoming premieres and scheduled streams can't be converted until a replay is available.
- Have you started fewer than 10 conversions in the last hour?
- Did you download within 30 minutes? After that, the file is deleted.
Link problems
These messages appear on the converter as soon as you press Convert, before any conversion starts. None of them count toward your hourly limit. Your browser may also stop you first with its own message if the box is empty or the text isn't a web address.
“Please paste a video URL.”
Cause: the link box was empty, or contained only spaces.
Try: copy the video's address from your browser's address bar, or from the Share button in the YouTube app, then paste it in.
“Please enter a valid http:// or https:// video URL.”
Cause: the text isn't a complete web address. A common culprit is a link copied without its beginning, like youtube.com/watch?v=…, or extra words pasted along with it.
Try: paste the full link, starting with https://. Copying from the Share button gives you exactly that.
“That URL is too long (max 2000 characters).”
Cause: real video links are short, so this usually means several links or a block of text were pasted at once.
Try: clear the box and paste a single link.
“This URL isn't supported. Please paste a link to a single video from a supported site.”
Cause: the link isn't one Konvert recognizes. That includes links from Facebook, TikTok and other sites (Facebook and TikTok support is in development), and YouTube pages that aren't a single video, like the home page, search results or embedded-player links.
Try: open the video itself on YouTube and copy that link. Supported shapes are youtube.com/watch?v=…, youtu.be/…, youtube.com/shorts/…, youtube.com/live/… and music.youtube.com/watch?v=….
“This looks like a YouTube playlist link. Paste a link to a single video instead.”
Cause: the link points to a whole playlist. Konvert converts one video per job.
Try: open the video you want from the playlist and copy its link. A link like watch?v=…&list=… is fine: Konvert converts just that one video.
“This looks like a YouTube channel link. Paste a link to a single video instead.”
Cause: the link points to a channel (including @handle links), not a video.
Try: open the specific video on the channel and copy its link.
“Please choose a supported output format.” or “Please choose a supported mp3 quality.”
Cause: the format or MP3 quality didn't come through with the form. This is rare, and usually means the page was open for a long time or a browser extension changed the form.
Try: reload the page, choose MP3, M4A, OPUS, WAV or FLAC (and 128, 192 or 320 kbps for MP3), then convert again.
Video problems
These appear on the conversion status page after a conversion has started, when Konvert reads the video's details. Nothing is downloaded before this check passes.
“This video is private.”
Cause: the uploader has made the video private, so only accounts they've invited can watch it.
Try: if it's your video, you can change its visibility to Public or Unlisted in your own channel settings, then try again. Otherwise, it can't be converted.
“This video requires signing in to view.”
Cause: YouTube only shows this video to signed-in viewers. That's typically because it's age-restricted, members-only or otherwise limited. Konvert never signs in and doesn't get around these restrictions.
Try: choose a different video. Very occasionally, YouTube asks our server to sign in even for a public video. If the video plays for you in a private window without signing in, wait a few minutes and try again, and let us know if it keeps happening.
“This video is not available in the server's region.”
Cause: the uploader or rights holder has limited the video to certain countries, and our server isn't in one of them. The check happens where our server is, not where you are, so a video that plays for you can still fail. Using a VPN on your device won't change the result.
Try: look for another upload that's available more widely, ideally from the original creator.
“This video is unavailable or has been removed.”
Cause: the video was deleted, taken down, or the link is mistyped or incomplete.
Try: open the link in your browser to confirm the video still exists, then copy the link again rather than retyping it.
“Could not read this video. It may be invalid or temporarily unavailable.”
Cause: YouTube didn't return the video's details, and the reason didn't match any of the cases above. Common reasons are an upcoming premiere or scheduled stream that hasn't started, a live stream that's still processing, or a temporary problem on YouTube's side.
Try: wait a few minutes and try again. For premieres and live streams, try once the replay is available.
“Could not read video information.”
Cause: a rarer version of the message above: YouTube responded, but without the details Konvert needs.
Try: wait a moment and try again. If it keeps failing for the same video, try a different upload of it.
“Video is Ns long, which exceeds the Ns limit.”
Cause: the video is longer than 1 hour, the maximum Konvert supports. The message shows both numbers in seconds. Konvert checks the length before downloading anything, so no time is wasted.
Try: longer recordings aren't supported. If the creator has published the same material in shorter parts, like individual talks from a conference or chapters of a lecture, convert those instead.
Conversion problems
These appear on the status page after the video's details were read successfully, while the audio is downloading or converting.
“Could not download or convert this video.”
Cause: the download was interrupted, YouTube stopped serving the audio partway through, or the conversion step failed, for example because the video has no usable audio track.
Try: start the conversion again. Most of the time a second attempt works. If the same video fails repeatedly, try a different format. OPUS usually needs the least processing for YouTube videos.
“Conversion did not produce an output file.”
Cause: the conversion step finished, but no audio file came out of it. This is rare and usually temporary.
Try: check that the video actually has sound, then try again, perhaps with a different format.
“Something went wrong while converting this video. Please try again.”
Cause: an unexpected error on our side. We show this general message rather than technical details.
Try: try again in a minute. If it keeps happening with the same link, contact us and include the link and the format you chose.
“Support for this site isn't available yet. Please try a YouTube link instead.”
Cause: the link is from a site whose support is still being built. Facebook and TikTok are in development.
Try: use a YouTube link for now.
Limits and expiry
“Too many requests”
Cause: you've started 10 conversions within the last hour, the most each visitor can start. The limit is counted per network address, so people sharing a connection, like an office or school network, share one allowance. Every conversion that started counts, including ones that later failed.
Try: wait a while. The window rolls, so each slot frees up an hour after the conversion that used it started. Meanwhile, anything you've already converted can still be downloaded, as long as it hasn't expired.
“This job expired or never existed.”
Cause: converted files and their job details are deleted automatically about 30 minutes after the conversion starts, for your privacy and to keep the service fast. You'll also see this if the status link was mistyped, or if the job was lost during server maintenance.
Try: go back to the converter and paste the link again. From now on, download your file as soon as it's ready.
The Download button leads to “Page not found”
Cause: the file expired between finishing and your tap, usually because the tab was left open for a while.
Try: start a new conversion and download it straight away.
The progress bar seems stuck
Cause: the status page updates itself every couple of seconds. The bar fills once while downloading and again while converting, so a reset to 0% is normal. Long videos, and lossless formats like WAV and FLAC, take longer to finish.
Try: give it a moment, then refresh the page. If JavaScript is turned off in your browser, refresh the page yourself to check progress.
Download problems on phones
iPhone and iPad: “Where did my file go?”
Safari asks whether to download the file, then saves it to the Files app, in Downloads (on iCloud Drive or On My iPhone, depending on your settings). To see recent downloads, tap the page menu button in Safari's address bar and choose Downloads, or open Files › Downloads. You can change the location in Settings under Safari › Downloads (on recent versions of iOS, go to Settings › Apps › Safari).
Android: finding your download
Most browsers, including Chrome, save to your phone's Downloads folder and show a notification when the file is ready. If you miss it, open your browser's Downloads list or your phone's Files app.
Nothing happens when you tap Download
If you opened Konvert from a link inside another app, such as a social or chat app, you may be in that app's built-in browser, which often can't save files. Open the page in Safari or Chrome instead, using the app's “Open in browser” option, and start the conversion there.
The file won't play
MP3 and M4A play on virtually every phone. Some built-in players can't open OPUS or FLAC files. Either install a player that supports them or convert again as MP3 or M4A. Our audio formats guide explains which format works where.
The file name looks odd
Konvert names each file after the video title. Characters that aren't allowed in file names, like slashes and colons, are replaced with underscores, and very long titles are shortened. Rename the file however you like; it won't affect the audio.
Still stuck?
Check the FAQ for quick answers, or read how to use Konvert for a step-by-step walkthrough. If you think you've found a bug, get in touch with the link you tried, the format you chose and the exact message you saw. And if you're unsure whether you should convert a video at all, copyright basics is a good place to start.
More questions
Does a failed conversion count toward the hourly limit?
It depends on where it failed. Messages shown on the converter itself, like an unsupported or playlist link, happen before a conversion starts and don't count. Once a conversion has started, it counts toward your 10 per hour even if the video turns out to be private or unavailable.
Is it worth retrying a failed conversion?
It depends on the message. Temporary problems, like a download that was interrupted, often work on a second try. Private, sign-in-only, removed, region-blocked and over-length videos fail every time, so choose a different video instead.
Can I get an expired file back?
No. Files and their job details are deleted automatically, and there's no copy to restore. Paste the link again to start a fresh conversion.