Use the browser extension "Get cookies.txt LOCALLY." Export your ThisVid cookies to a file named cookies.txt on your desktop.
If you are reading this, you know the pain. You’ve stumbled upon a rare gem on ThisVid—a clip that is exactly what you need for your offline archive. But instead of a play button, you are greeted by a glaring lock icon. It’s a private video . thisvid private video downloader better
Introduction: The Frustration of the "Locked" Screen Use the browser extension "Get cookies
yt-dlp --cookies cookies.txt "https://thisvid.com/videos/private-video-id/" You will see the terminal output: [generic] Extracting URL [generic] Downloading m3u8 manifest [download] Destination: Private_Video_Title.mp4 [download] 100% of 245.67MiB But instead of a play button, you are
yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome --referer "https://thisvid.com" [PRIVATE_VIDEO_URL] Add -f bestvideo+bestaudio --merge-output-format mp4 to get the highest bitrate audio and video merged perfectly.
If you get "403 Forbidden," your cookies expired. Re-export them. Alternatives: The "Gray Area" Browser Scripts If you don't want to install software, a "better" lightweight option exists: Tampermonkey Userscripts .