Frequently asked questions

Yes, completely free and open source, under GPL-3.0-or-later. No ads, no paid features, no account. All the code is on GitHub. If anyone asks you for money for Zajil, the copy is not ours.

Windows 10 and 11 (x64), macOS 11 or later (one file for Apple Silicon and Intel), and Linux x64 (a .deb for Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12 or later, or an AppImage). The extension is for Chrome and Edge (116 or later) and Firefox (142 or later).

There is no app for Android or iPhone.

Because Zajil is not signed by Apple or Microsoft. That is on purpose: Zajil is a free and open-source project, and will not be signed by either. What shows a file is ours: the SHA256SUMS checksums published with each release, the published code, and installers built automatically on GitHub only.

How to open it is under “Install”, and how to check the file under “Checking the files”.

From this site, zajil.by-wow.com, or from the releases page on GitHub, only. These are the only official sources. Any copy from elsewhere, or bundled with other programs, is not ours.

Zajil splits a file over several connections, up to 32 for one file, and when a connection is free it splits the slowest part. How much faster depends on the server and your network: some servers limit the speed of each connection, where splitting helps a lot, and some do not accept splitting at all, where Zajil downloads over one connection.

Zajil goes on from where it stopped, as long as the server accepts resuming and the file has not changed on it. If the download link has expired, use “Refresh link” and give it a new link to the same file.

Yes. The “Video quality” window shows the qualities there are, each with its size, and “Sound only”, and downloads a whole playlist or the videos you pick from it. For this Zajil uses open-source tools (yt-dlp, FFmpeg and QuickJS-NG), downloaded from GitHub once, when you ask for your first video and only after you agree. Zajil checks each one's checksum before every run.

Videos protected by DRM are not downloaded, and Zajil says so plainly.

• Start Zajil at least once after installing it: it is Zajil that registers itself with the browsers.
• In Zajil's Settings → “Browser” → “Fix the browser integration”.
• In Chrome and Edge, make sure the extension's ID is nbgfmhkjbkmldddelnepobieoehecmif.
• On Linux, from browsers installed with Flatpak, or Chromium from snap, the extension cannot reach Zajil.

It has not been published there yet. Until then it is added by hand from its file on the release page (the steps). We will put each store's link here when it is ready.

No. No account, no tracking, no analytics, no crash reports sent. Zajil connects only to the sites of the files you download, to GitHub to learn of a new version (it can be turned off), and to download the video tools once you agree. The details are in the privacy policy.

In version 1.0, Zajil tells you “A new version of Zajil is available” with a link to the release page, and downloads and installs nothing by itself. Download the new installer from the download page and install it over the old version. You can turn this check off in Settings → “Updates”.

Signed automatic updates are planned for version 1.1, and nothing will be installed without your OK.

If you turned on “Start Zajil with the computer”, turn it off in Settings first. Then:

• Windows: Settings → Apps.
• macOS: drag Zajil from Applications to the Trash.
• Linux: sudo apt remove zajil, or delete the AppImage.

Zajil's data and settings stay on your computer after that. Where they are on each system is in the release notes, under “Uninstalling”.

In Issues on GitHub, in Arabic or English. Security issues, though, should not be posted there in public: use private vulnerability reporting.