vidshelf

Keep your links.
Take your shelf with you.

Vidshelf is a free video bookmark manager. Save links from different websites, organize them with tags and covers, and open each video on its original page. Your library stays on your computer or in your browser.

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Install on Windows or Linux

Download the installer from the official latest release. The app includes its runtime; you do not need Node.js, a terminal or a separate database.

On first launch, create a local password. The app asks for it when it opens. Windows and AppImage builds check for updates automatically; for .deb, download and install the new package. There is currently no native macOS installer; use browser lite on a Mac.

Desktop builds are currently unsigned, so your operating system may display a publisher warning. Use the official release page to check the source of the download.

Start without installing anything

Open Vidshelf Lite in a modern browser with JavaScript and IndexedDB enabled. It also works on macOS and mobile browsers. No account is required.

The shelf belongs to this browser profile. Another browser, profile or device starts with a different shelf. Lite has tags, search, pins, trash and JSON backups, but no password lock or hover previews. Export before clearing site data or leaving a private browsing session.

Add and organize video bookmarks

  1. Choose Add links and paste one or more video URLs. Vidshelf skips duplicate links.
  2. Add tags after each URL, for example https://example.com/video - cooking, evening. Pasting a known link with new tags adds those tags.
  3. Search by title, site or #tag. Use filters and sorting to find the links you want; pin favorites to keep them first in the pinned view.
  4. Open a card to visit its original website. Removing a link moves it to the trash, where you can restore it.

Vidshelf stores links and metadata. It is not a video downloader or a streaming service, and saving a bookmark does not preserve the full video if its original site removes it.

Back up or move your shelf

  1. Use Export in the app footer to download a JSON backup. Keep it somewhere you control.
  2. Open Vidshelf on the other computer or in the other browser.
  3. Use Import and select your backup. Imports merge into the current library instead of replacing it; existing links are kept.

Desktop and lite accept each other's backup formats. Desktop exports include the shelf and trash, tags, pins, cached covers and preview images. A lite backup can move to the desktop, which reads metadata again for imported links. Lite can read the desktop backup, including embedded covers, but does not show hover previews.

There is no automatic cloud sync. Export again after making changes if you want an up-to-date backup. Backup files contain your saved URLs and metadata; share them only with people you want to see your library.

Where your data lives

The desktop folder contains the SQLite database, cached thumbnails and available preview stills. Close the app before copying its data folder as a backup. The desktop server listens on the computer's loopback interface; it is not a public hosted library.

No account or cloud copy is kept by Vidshelf. Reading metadata still requires network requests: the desktop app contacts the linked websites; lite sends supported public links to noembed for titles and covers and loads external images. Visiting a saved link also contacts its original site.

The desktop password gate controls access through the app. It is not encrypted storage. Keep your computer account and exported backups secure. Browser lite has no password gate.

When a cover or preview is missing

Not every website exposes the same metadata. A link can be saved even when its title, cover or duration cannot be read. Desktop can read more pages than lite; hover previews only appear where a site provides usable video stills.

A login wall, removed page or site restriction may prevent metadata from loading. The bookmark still opens the source page. In the desktop app, use Retry on a failed card to try reading its metadata again.

If your lite shelf disappears after browser data was cleared, import your last exported backup. Vidshelf has no server copy to restore. For installer and update information, see the official releases.