JDownloader2 downloads Age-restricted YouTube videos

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Night457
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JDownloader2 downloads Age-restricted YouTube videos

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DISCUSSION:

There are sites that let you download age-restricted YouTube (and other sites) videos without logging in to anything:
https://9xbuddy.xyz/en-1bh
https://piped.video/

9xbuddy also downloads subtitles. Recently when I tried to use it to download Automated Subtitles on an Age-Restricted video, it did not work for me. I don't know why it did not work, but I had to use something else. youtube-dl and I think also yt-dlp are restricted from downloading Age-restricted videos. There may be a way around that, but I have not figured that out for those yet. (EDIT: Anyone, is there a way to use yt-dlp to access restricted content? If so, please post.)

I knew that JDownloader2 should work if I set it up with YouTube cookies.
The how-to instructions to do this are here:
https://support.jdownloader.org/Knowled ... structions

I had bookmarked that page long ago, but for some reason this time it was only available to me with a jdownloader site login. So I registered here:
https://board.jdownloader.org/index.php
And some hours later the Moderators approved my registration and I could see the Help page after logging in. Now I have logged out, cleared my browser history, exited my browser, changed my VPN server, gone back to my browser ... and I can still see the Help page, WITHOUT logging in! I am completely bewildered. Maybe it just did not like the IP address I was coming in from before. I just do not know!

Short version how-to:
1) Log in to your YouTube account.
2) Export the cookies.
3) Import your cookies into Jdownloader2 / Settings /AccountManager / Add account / Youtube.

You can then download age-restricted videos and the subtitles. WITHOUT logging in to YouTube. EDIT: You still have to Login to YouTube, so this is not as good an option as 9xbuddy or piped.video. It is a workable secondary option for when you need it.

It will NOT ask for your password, just your YouTube account username, and the cookies you generated. I used a dummy gmail email youtube account anyway, just for extra security. Eventually after some period of time (hours? days? weeks? months? every jdownloader session??) the cookies will expire and it will have to be done again. I don't download age-restricted videos very often. Yet I easily forget how and have to refer again to the Help page.

This same technique is also meant for other sites with login requirements, but I have not used it for anything except YouTube.

In case someone else is blocked from seeing the Help page, I include the text below, without pictures and without links.

FULL TEXT INSTRUCTIONS:
Spoiler:

Cookie login instructions

Posted by pspzockerscene psp, Last modified by pspzockerscene psp on 07 December 2022 11:44 PM
Cookie login instructions

This guide is only relevant for a hand full of services! Most of all times you will get a message in JD that leads you to this article.
Do not try these instructions on other than the advised websites in JD - it most likely won't work!
In some rare cases you may be advised by one of our supporters to try this login method for a specified service even if the JDownloader application did not ask you to do so.
Most of all services require you to enter your E-Mail/username & password in JD but for some, the following process is required or can optionally be used instead:

1. If your browser supports browser profiles, create a separate browser profile to initiate the login session that you will open later throughout this guide.
Alternatively you can use a private/incognito window. In this case make sure to allow the addons described below to be used in private browsing otherwise your private window will open without browser addons.
It is not recommended to use your current/normal browser session because JD could interfere with it and e.g. change the default language of the website you are about to login.
Also if you use your current session and you ever logout in your browser, JDownloader will be logged out too which you typically don't want to happen.

2. Use your browser to login into the website you want to use with JD like you normally do.
If that website has a checkbox during its' login process like "Keep session", "Trust this computer" or "Do not ask again" or similar, enable it!
Do not logout in your browser afterwards as this would terminate your session in JD too. Simply close your browser window once you're done with the last step of these instructions.

3. Exporting your cookies
Now you need to export the cookies of the website you've just logged in in order to import them into JD.
This requires you to install one of the following browser addons in the two options following down below.

Step 3 option 1: FlagCookies (Firefox, Chrome, Opera)

a. Install the open source addon Flag Cookies (Firefox | Chrome | Opera).
b. Visit the website you want JD to login into.
If you've opened the website before installing the addon, reload the page once.
c. Click on the addons' symbol --> Preferences --> Scroll down until you see the "Export cookie data to clipboard" button from the screenshot below and click on it:

Now continue with the next numbered step down below.

Step 3 option 2: EditThisCookie (Chrome, Opera)

a. Install the open source addon EditThisCookie.
b. Navigate to the options of EditThisCookie and make sure that "Choose the preferred export format" is set to "JSON" as shown in the following screenshot:

c. Visit the website you want JD to login into and then export your cookies as shown in the screenshot below.
If you've opened the website before installing the addon, reload the page once.
Doing this will copy your cookies into your clipboard so you are ready to continue with the next numbered step down below.


4. Importing your cookies in JDownloader
Open JD and go to Settings -> Account Manager, click on Add account and look for the website you want to login into and for which you've exported your cookies.
Enter your username/E-Mail into the username field, paste your exported cookies into the password field and click Save:

JDownloader should accept your account in a few seconds.

Troubleshooting: Login with exported cookies isn't working - what to do?

Make sure that the cookies you've exported are for exactly the domain that is shown in JD e.g. if you want to login into "drive.google.com", export your cookies while you're logged in and have opened the website "https://drive.google.com/bla".
Some websites might redirect you to another domain than the one you've selected in JD e.g. inside JD it is 'example.de' but that redirects you to 'example.com'.
In this case you can try it with that other domain anyways.
Open the website you want to login into in your browser, logout if you're still logged in, clear your browsers' cookies and try again.
Repeat all steps with another browser and/or another addon for exporting cookies:
The above instructions contain at least two addons/options you can use in step 3 for cookie export!
Try again with the option you haven't tried yet.
If you think you've followed these instructions correctly but you just can't get it to work, you can contact our support.
Adding multiple accounts of the same host to JD using cookie login

If you want to add multiple accounts of the same host to JDownloader, here is how that's possible.
As stated above, logging out in your browser will invalidate that cookie session in JDownloader too so you can't just log out in your browser, login into another account and add that to JDownloader.
Example use case when the following instructions can be helpful for you: You want to add 3 different drive.google.com accounts to JDownloader.

Method 1:

Create a new browser profile for each account you want to add to JD.
In each browser profile: Login in your browser in that profile and add the cookies to JDownloader.
Method 2:

Allow your browser to enable the addon you're using for cookie export in incognito mode/private tab too.
Open a private tab/incognito window.
Login into your account and add the cookies to JD.
Now close that window (do not log out!) and repeat these instructions for every account of that same host you want to add.
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