Copy the ZDF link
Open the page on ZDF and copy the address from your browser bar, or use the share menu and pick Copy link. Either form works.
ZDF Video Downloader
Save ZDF Mediathek programmes as MP4 before the depublication date takes them offline.
German public-broadcast rules require depublication. ZDF replays come down on a schedule, permanently.
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How to download from ZDF
Paste it above
Drop the link into the box and press download. Nothing to configure — the right extractor for ZDF is picked for you.
Save the file
The file is prepared on our side and handed to you as a normal download. It lands in your usual downloads folder, on desktop or phone.
Why AppsCyborg for ZDF
Built around how ZDF actually serves media
German public broadcasters operate under depublication rules: most Mediathek material must be taken offline after a set period, frequently twelve months and sometimes far less. It is not a technical limitation, it is a legal one, and it means a programme you can watch today has a fixed expiry. We resolve the page to ZDF's manifest and mux video and audio into one MP4.
Nothing to install
No browser extension, no desktop app, no APK. ZDF links are handled server-side, so the same page works on a work laptop you cannot install software on and on a phone.
Kept at source quality
We hand you the stream ZDF published rather than re-encoding it down to a smaller file. What arrives is what was uploaded, not a second-generation copy.
No ads and no decoy buttons
One button that does what it says. No overlay ads, no fake Download that opens a tab, no push-notification prompt. AppsCyborg is paid, so the page has nothing to sell you on the way past.
Downloading from ZDF — questions
Is downloading from ZDF allowed?
That depends on the material and on where you are, and it is your call to make. Downloading your own uploads, or material published under a licence that permits it, is normally fine. Redistributing someone else's copyrighted work is not. AppsCyborg is a tool; it does not grant you rights you did not already have, and you stay responsible for what you download.
What file do I get from a ZDF link?
An MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio at the best rendition ZDF publishes, commonly 1080p. German subtitles are muxed in where available, and ZDF publishes them for most programming.
What happens when ZDF changes something?
Some ZDF content is geo-restricted to Germany and fails from elsewhere with that reason. ZDF revises its Mediathek API periodically and the extractor tracks it. A depublished programme is gone and cannot be retrieved by any tool.
Do I need to install anything to download from ZDF?
No. There is no extension, no app and no command line. You paste a ZDF link into the box on this page and get a file back. It works the same in Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge, on desktop and mobile.
What does it cost?
A day pass is €1 and covers 24 hours. A year is €6, and lifetime access is a single €30 payment. There is no free tier and no trial — the paid account is what keeps the site free of ads and the queue short.
Other source guides
Same tool, a different source. Each page covers what is specific to that site.