Niconico Video Downloader

Paste the address of a Niconico video (the site many still call Nico Nico Douga) and every quality that video has appears with its file size. Pick one to save an MP4, or switch to MP3 for the sound alone. Use the address of the video page itself, the one with /watch/sm and a number in it. Short nico.ms links from the app's Share button work too, and so do sp.nicovideo.jp addresses copied on a phone.

We can save what Niconico plays to a viewer who is not signed in. On six recent popular videos we checked, that meant 144p, 360p, 480p and 720p every time. Niconico keeps 1080p for Premium members, so it never shows up here. Older uploads often stop at 360p, and the list stops there too instead of inventing a sharper copy.

The MP4 holds H.264 video and AAC sound, which plays on any phone, TV, browser or video editor. Sizes are worked out before you save: a 12-minute video at 720p was listed at about 223 MB and came out at 223 MB.

The Audio tab saves an MP3 at 64, 128, 256 or 320 kbps with the title and thumbnail filled in, so it sorts properly in a music app. It suits utaite covers, Vocaloid songs, radio shows and long background mixes. Niconico's own audio is AAC at roughly 160 to 200 kbps on recent uploads, so 320 kbps keeps everything that is there without adding detail that never was.

Set a start and an end time to keep only a chorus or a single scene. Niconico sends picture and sound as separate streams, so for a cut we fetch the whole video and trim it on our side. That makes cuts from long videos a little slower than whole files.

Niconico hands files over at a little under 1 MB per second. In our test a 12-minute video at 720p took four to five minutes, while the same video as an MP3 was done in about 30 seconds. The progress bar keeps moving the whole time. If you are in a hurry, pick 480p or MP3.

• Live broadcasts and timeshift recordings. A live stream has no finished file yet, and timeshift needs an account.
• Paid channel videos, members-only videos and anything limited to Premium members.
• Private or deleted videos, and videos that only play when you are signed in.
• The comments that scroll across the picture. You get the video and its sound, not the comment layer.

On an iPhone, open this page in Safari and paste the link. The MP4 goes to the Files app; tap Share, then Save Video, to move it into Photos. On Android, use Chrome and the file lands in Downloads. On a computer any current browser works, with nothing to install.

Only download videos you made, videos you have permission to save, or videos clearly licensed for reuse. This site has no connection with Niconico or its operator.