---
title: VidBee FAQ, Troubleshooting, and Setup Help
description: Get quick answers for VidBee downloads, cookies, RSS feeds, protocol links, slow speeds, and common errors so downloads work faster.
---

## What if a download fails or shows an error?

- Confirm the link is valid and opens in your browser.
- Update VidBee to the latest version and retry.
- If the content requires login or age verification, [configure cookies](/cookies).

![Error message prompting to sign in](/cookies/cookies-error-sign-in.png)

## Why does the same link sometimes work and sometimes fail?

Some sites frequently change page structure or limit request rates. Suggested steps:

- Make sure VidBee is up to date.
- Reduce the number of concurrent downloads.
- [Use cookies to reuse your signed-in session when needed.](/cookies)

## Which sites are supported?

VidBee uses the yt-dlp extractor system and supports many sites. Try the download first; if it fails, submit feedback with the link and error details.

## Why does VidBee ask me to sign in or confirm I am not a bot?

Some sites only allow downloads from signed-in sessions, or they show verification prompts before serving media files.

- If the page opens normally only when you are signed in, use [cookies](/cookies).
- If the content is age-gated, private, subscriber-only, or region-limited, cookies are usually required.
- If the site still blocks the request after cookies, the site may be rate-limiting or changing its anti-bot rules.

## Why does an RSS subscription save but not queue new downloads?

Check these items first:

- Confirm the RSS URL opens in your browser and returns RSS or Atom XML.
- If you are using `rsshub.app`, switch to a public or self-hosted RSSHub instance. The official instance is protected by Cloudflare and VidBee cannot read it directly.
- Make sure the subscription is enabled.
- Review any keyword filter. If no new item matches, nothing will queue.
- If **Download only the latest video** is enabled, VidBee will only queue the newest unseen item.

For setup details, see [RSS](/rss).

## Why does VidBee open from the browser but not start the download?

This usually means the `vidbee://` link was opened, but the page URL did not reach VidBee in the expected format.

- Make sure the browser allowed the external app prompt.
- Confirm the page or extension is passing a URL-encoded video link.
- If you are testing manually, use the format from the [protocol guide](/protocol).
- Retry after updating VidBee, because older builds may not match the latest browser behavior.

## Why do some Facebook, X, or Vimeo links fail even when other links work?

These sites change frequently and often apply account, region, IP, or anti-bot checks per video.

- Retry with the latest VidBee version first.
- If the content is account-bound, use [cookies](/cookies).
- If the error mentions login, age, region, or account verification, the site is limiting access to that item.
- If a site-specific parser breaks upstream, send feedback with the exact link and error text so it can be reviewed faster.

## What does “The channel is not currently live” or “No video could be found” mean?

These messages usually describe the source page, not a VidBee setup problem.

- **The channel is not currently live** means the stream URL points to a channel that is offline right now.
- **No video could be found** often means the post has no downloadable media, the media was removed, or the post format changed.
- Open the page in your browser to confirm the media is still available.
- If the media plays in the browser but not in VidBee, submit feedback with the link and the full error text.

## Why is the download speed slow?

- Check your network and proxy settings.
- Avoid starting too many tasks at once.
- Some sites limit bandwidth on their side.

## macOS says “file is damaged”

Remove the quarantine attribute and retry:

```bash
xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/VidBee.app/
```
