YouTube × SyncX
Back up YouTube Watch Later and playlists on your Mac
Keep YouTube Watch Later, liked videos and playlists in a searchable local library. Export the collected records, or turn on video downloads to keep a playable copy on your Mac or connected NAS.
curl -fsSL https://syncx.cc/install.sh | shHow it works
How to automatically back up YouTube Watch Later
- 1
Connect your YouTube account
Install SyncX on an Apple silicon Mac. In Collect, add a collection and choose YouTube. Sign in to Google in the normal browser window SyncX opens, or explicitly import an existing YouTube login.
- 2
Choose the lists to back up
Select liked videos, Watch Later and playlists as needed. Watch Later and playlists are separate choices; enable them explicitly. Pick one schedule for the account, every 12 hours by default.
- 3
Decide whether to download videos
Turn on saving videos for an offline copy. In Settings › Collecting, choose YouTube quality, maximum duration and file size. Confirm the collection; older items arrive in batches.
Scheduled collection runs while SyncX is running on your Mac. Collect shows the last and next run, and Downloads shows file progress. A NAS stores files and backups; it does not run SyncX for you.
What SyncX collects
Your own account
- Liked videos
- watch later
- playlists
Public accounts
Not supported yet
Signing in
Sign in through a normal window of Chrome, Edge, Brave or Chromium, or explicitly import an existing login. Your everyday browser session is never read on its own.
Media
Videos can be saved on this Mac or on a NAS, at the quality you choose in Settings. Videos past your length or size limit stay online. A saved video still plays after YouTube removes it. Covers stay online.
Current limits
Only your own liked videos, Watch Later and playlists are collected. Other people’s channels are not. Some videos need a signed-in download; if YouTube refuses, SyncX waits and tries again later.
Take your records with you
Export YouTube Watch Later or playlist records
Use CSV for a spreadsheet of your saved videos, or JSON for structured data you can process with a script.
Choose YouTube and a source
Open the filter button on the left of the library search bar. Select YouTube under Platform, then Watch Later, liked videos or playlists under your account in Source. The playlists source includes the collected playlists together.
Check the matching result
Clear other filters for all collected records in that source, or narrow by channel, date or search. The result count tells you how many records will be exported.
Export CSV or JSON
Open Export at the bottom of the filter panel and choose the format. Save the file on your Mac. The export includes every matching record, not just the cards currently visible.
An export contains video records and original links, not playable video files or a playlist that SyncX can restore to YouTube. Downloads are separate. SyncX does not change your YouTube lists.
Know what you have saved
Playlist backup or video download: what is saved?
Collecting a list and downloading its videos are separate operations. Check Downloads has finished before relying on offline playback.
| Content | What SyncX keeps | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Video title, channel and original link | Stored in the local library | The video must have been accessible when collected. |
| Playable video file | Optional download to Mac or NAS | Turn on saving videos. Files beyond your duration or size limits stay online. |
| Video covers | Loaded online | Covers are not a permanent offline image backup. |
| Subtitles and recognized speech | Searchable text when available | Video speech recognition needs macOS 26+. Available captions use the original language; transcription is not guaranteed for every video. |
Only a successfully downloaded file can play after a video is removed or made private. SyncX cannot retrieve a file already unavailable on YouTube. NAS files need the NAS connected; the database stays on your Mac.
How local and NAS storage workFind what you saved again
Search the collected text, author and links, plus words already recognized in images and video speech. Filter by platform, source or date to narrow the result.
Questions
Can I back up my private Watch Later list?
Yes. Connect the Google account that owns it and enable Watch Later in Collect. You do not need to make the list public. SyncX collects only lists available through your connected account.
Can I download YouTube Watch Later videos to a NAS?
Yes. Mount the NAS folder in Finder and choose it under Settings › Library, then enable saving videos for your YouTube account. SyncX runs on your Mac and keeps the database there. A disconnected NAS temporarily leaves new files on your Mac, subject to the local buffer limit.
Can I recover a deleted YouTube video?
Only if SyncX downloaded the file before it was removed. A previously collected title, channel or URL helps identify the video, but cannot recover the missing file.
Why did a video not download?
It may exceed your duration or size limit, be unavailable, or be refused by YouTube. Collect › Downloads shows progress and failures. If a download needs a login, Settings › Collecting can connect a separate spare account; it cannot be an account used for collection.
Does it collect channels I subscribe to?
No. It collects your liked videos, Watch Later and playlists.
Like and save as usual. SyncX does the rest.
Free public beta. Your library never leaves your computer.
curl -fsSL https://syncx.cc/install.sh | sh