Mastodon downloader
Post permalinks on public Mastodon instances.
Paste a public Mastodon post URL from supported instances. Save attached video or audio.
See title, duration, and formats
Private and DRM pages stay out of scope
Keep the flow in the browser
One workflow across devices
Example: https://mastodon.social/@user/123456789012345678 · Acceptable use
Overview
Mastodon is a federated network of independent servers where creators post video, GIF, and audio attachments. PasteGrab's Mastodon downloader saves public post URLs from any instance when media is exposed on the page — without running command-line tools on every fediverse domain.
Paste a full status URL (e.g. mastodon.social/@user/123456789). PasteGrab resolves attachments when the instance serves them publicly. Followers-only and direct messages are not supported.
Creators, journalists, and archivists use this page for instance-agnostic tips, format guidance, and Mastodon-specific FAQs.
43
Supported hosts
5
Format presets
Mastodon
This downloader
Free
Core tier
How it works
Open the Mastodon page in your browser and copy the address bar URL or the platform's share link. For Mastodon, working links usually match patterns like https://mastodon.social/@user/123456789012345678. Avoid profile homepages or search results — PasteGrab needs the direct page that contains the media file.
Return to this page, paste the URL into the downloader bar, and select Best quality, MP4, MP3, 720p, or Smallest file before you preview the formats. Format choice happens upfront so you know what you are requesting before our servers contact Mastodon. After preview, additional formats may appear if yt-dlp discovers more streams on that page.
Click Preview formats (or press Enter) to fetch metadata — title, duration, and available streams. This step confirms the link is valid and shows you what PasteGrab can extract. If the page is geo-blocked, login-gated, or private, the preview fails with a clear error instead of silently producing a broken file.
When preview succeeds, click Start download to queue the job. You land on a progress page that tracks status until the file is ready. Save the output to your device from the download link. Large Mastodon videos may take longer depending on length and server load, but you can leave the tab open while processing continues.
Guests can download without an account. If you sign in, completed jobs appear in History so you can retrieve recent Mastodon downloads without re-pasting links. History is optional — the core downloader remains free and link-first.
Benefits
You already have the Mastodon link. PasteGrab never asks you to upload source video to our servers — we fetch from the public page directly, which saves time and bandwidth.
Choose MP4 for editing, MP3 for podcasts and voiceovers, or Best quality when you want the highest merged stream yt-dlp can assemble from Mastodon.
The downloader bar is responsive. Paste from the Mastodon mobile app share sheet, switch to Safari or Chrome, and download without installing a native app.
Every job gets a status page with percentage and stage updates. You always know whether PasteGrab is resolving, downloading, or ready — no mystery spinners.
Teams working with Mastodon content get a consistent output path: same UI, same formats, same acceptable-use policy across every supported platform.
This guide is written for real users, not keyword stuffing. You get troubleshooting, FAQs, and internal links to related downloaders when Mastodon is not the platform you need.
Features
Metadata and stream discovery use yt-dlp extractors maintained for Mastodon. When Mastodon changes page structure, upstream updates improve compatibility.
Best quality, MP4, 720p, MP3, and Smallest file cover most Mastodon use cases — from master edits to lightweight sharing.
Press Enter to preview or download. A one-tap Paste button reads your clipboard when the browser allows it.
The input shows realistic Mastodon link shapes so you know what to paste before you start.
Unsupported hosts and private pages surface as readable errors so you can fix the link quickly.
Jump to other downloaders from the links at the bottom of this page when your next link is not from Mastodon.
Output
PasteGrab exposes format presets before preview and may reveal additional streams afterward depending on what Mastodon publishes for that URL. Video pages typically offer MP4 output; audio-heavy Mastodon posts may map cleanly to MP3.
If you need the smallest possible file for messaging apps or email attachments, choose Smallest file. For archival or re-editing, start with Best quality and only downshift if storage or bandwidth requires it.
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| Best quality | Merges the best video and audio streams available on the Mastodon page into a single file. |
| MP4 | Standard H.264-style output suitable for playback, slides, and most editors. |
| MP3 | Audio-only export when the Mastodon post is music, speech, or background audio you do not need visually. |
| 720p | Caps video height for faster downloads and smaller storage on long Mastodon clips. |
| Smallest file | Prioritizes compact output when quality is less important than speed. |
Devices
PasteGrab runs entirely in the browser. There is no Windows or macOS installer — visit this page, paste your Mastodon link, and download. Modern Chromium, Safari, and Firefox releases are supported.
On mobile, copy the share link from the Mastodon app, open PasteGrab in your browser, tap Paste, and continue. iOS and Android both work; clipboard permissions may prompt once per session.
Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Use keyboard Enter to move quickly through preview and download.
iOS Safari and Android Chrome tested regularly. Paste from the Mastodon share sheet for the fastest flow.
iPad and Android tablet layouts use the same responsive downloader bar with touch-friendly controls.
Support
Confirm you pasted a direct Mastodon media URL (https://mastodon.social/@user/123456789012345678), not a profile or search page. Post permalinks on public Mastodon instances.
Mastodon pages that require login or regional access cannot be fetched by PasteGrab. Only public URLs you can open in an incognito window will resolve.
Long Mastodon files take time. Keep the job tab open. If progress stalls beyond ten minutes, copy the link again and retry — transient Mastodon CDN issues sometimes clear on a second attempt.
Preview again with a different preset selected before clicking Start download. Format locks in at job creation time.
Tap inside the URL field first, then tap Paste. Some browsers block clipboard access until user interaction occurs.
FAQ
Related
If your next link is not from Mastodon, try these supported platforms.