Why Is My YouTube Download Only 360p?

If VidPS lists 360p or 480p as the highest option, it is usually not intentional downscaling — HD streams may be unavailable because of the source upload, your region, or sign-in restrictions. Work through the causes below to get the best quality available.

1. 1

   Cause 1: The upload has no higher stream

   Some older uploads, re-uploads, or Shorts remasters only offer 360p/480p on YouTube. VidPS can only list formats the platform actually provides — we cannot invent 1080p or 4K. Check the YouTube player quality menu; if the site tops out at 360p, your download will too.

2. 2

   Cause 2: Region or network restrictions

   Some videos serve low-quality previews or block HD CDNs in certain countries. If parsing fails or only low tiers appear, try another network, resolve proxy conflicts, or — where legal — use a VPN to open the video on YouTube and confirm available quality.

3. 3

   Cause 3: Age gate, membership, or sign-in required

   Content that needs login, age verification, or Premium often cannot be fully parsed as public HD. Use a watch URL that plays in full without signing in.

4. 4

   Cause 4: Wrong row (video-only vs merged MP4)

   Video-only rows can show different labels than MP4 with audio. Prefer rows marked with audio and compare file sizes — 1080p is usually much larger than 360p.

5. 5

   How to get the highest quality available

   1) Confirm 720p+ in the YouTube player; 2) Pick the highest row in VidPS; 3) If still 360p, check region/network; 4) On mobile, save via Chrome or Documents per our iPhone/Android guides.