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Browser Extension

You can start with the Ameow desktop app alone. The browser extension is an optional upgrade that sends page tasks, page context, cookies, and some download preferences into the running desktop app.

[Diagram: browser page, browser extension, and the local Ameow desktop app connected together]

Decide Whether to Install It

Section titled “Decide Whether to Install It”

Skip It at First

If you only drop local files, change the output folder, or paste ordinary public links, the desktop app is enough.

Install It

Use it when a page plays in the browser but copied links fail, when login state or cookies are needed, or when you want current-page media.

Direct Links Work Alone

When the desktop app is not connected, the extension can still save ordinary image, audio, video, and file direct links through the browser downloader.

Shortest Path

Section titled “Shortest Path”
  1. Install and launch the Ameow desktop app first.
  2. Download the matching Ameow_<version>_browser_extension.zip from GitHub Releases.
  3. Extract the extension zip.
  4. Turn on Developer Mode in Chrome or Edge extension management.
  5. Click Load unpacked and choose the extracted extension folder.
  6. Open the extension popup. If the desktop app is running, confirm the status shows Connected; if it is not running, ordinary direct links can still fall back to the browser downloader.
  7. Open a specific video page, post page, work page, or image-detail page, then send the task from the extension.

[Screenshot: extension popup showing Connected, current-page resources, and the 2x2 quick actions]

Success state: the popup shows Connected, the Ameow desktop app is running, and a task sent from the page appears in the desktop queue or state display.

What Do Connected and Disconnected Mean?

Section titled “What Do Connected and Disconnected Mean?”
  • Connected: the extension is linked to the Ameow desktop app on this machine and can send tasks.
  • Disconnected: the extension is not linked to the desktop app. Ordinary direct resources can still use browser download fallback; resources marked [Desktop] require the desktop app first.

What Happens When I Send a Task from the Page?

Section titled “What Happens When I Send a Task from the Page?”

When you use an extension entry point on a supported page, the extension sends current page information into Ameow. The desktop app creates the task, shows progress, writes files into the output folder, and applies your download-quality preferences as needed.

You should see:

  • the popup stays Connected;
  • the desktop app shows task states such as preparing, downloading, converting, done, or failed;
  • the finished file lands in the current output folder.

If the page needs login state, confirm you are already logged in inside the browser before sending the task. You can also enable download-time login-state sync in the desktop app; after that, Ameow tries to sync cookies for the matching site when you download, instead of syncing every known site when you enable the feature.

Section titled “Popup Quick Actions”

The extension popup has 4 quick actions below the current-page media list:

  • Download settings: opens an in-popup drawer for the default download-quality setting.
  • Pick download: starts page-pick mode. Click the content you want to download; right-click or press Esc to cancel.
  • Login state: opens an in-popup drawer. The top area can sync or enable the current site, and the list below shows only sites you have actively synchronized.
  • Help docs: opens this page.

The login-state drawer is an information view plus a current-page sync entry. It is not a full copy of the desktop Settings page. The extension does not take over desktop downloads, and it does not list every supported site. Sites that have never been synchronized are not shown in this compact list.

What Does the [Desktop] Badge Mean?

Section titled “What Does the [Desktop] Badge Mean?”

If a resource row in the popup has no extra badge, the extension can usually save it through the browser downloader when the desktop app is offline.

An orange [Desktop] badge means the resource needs or strongly prefers desktop handling, for example:

  • login state, cookies, or site-specific extraction;
  • m3u8, mpd, stream fragments, blob:, or other resources the browser cannot save as one complete file;
  • high-quality video, separate audio/video streams, merge work, or transcode work.

When the desktop app is connected, the extension still sends downloads to the desktop app by default. When it is disconnected, only direct resources without the [Desktop] badge use browser fallback.

Browser fallback downloads are handed to the browser’s own download manager. The popup does not show an extra completion message; start, completion, failure, and conflict handling remain in the browser downloads UI.

The boundary is simple: the extension can identify and save ordinary direct links that are already complete files. The desktop app handles downloads that need extraction, login state, high-quality tracks, merging, transcoding, or post-processing.

How Should I Use Current-Page Media?

Section titled “How Should I Use Current-Page Media?”

The popup scans resources from the current active tab. In addition to <video>, <audio>, <img>, links, and browser performance records from the page DOM, the extension background passively records recent media responses and merges them into the popup results when you refresh the scan.

You can inspect scan results inside the popup: ordinary video resources can expand into a native player preview, audio can be sampled, and images appear in a thumbnail grid with format and dimensions. Clicking an image thumbnail opens a larger in-popup preview. Resource details focus on media facts such as format, size, duration, and dimensions instead of internal source links. Complex resources marked [Desktop] still require desktop handling for download.

That background discovery only stores bounded media-candidate metadata such as URL, media type, Content-Type, Content-Length, tab/page URL, and capture time. It does not store request headers, cookies, referrers, or response bodies, and the cache is pruned by age, tab, and total size.

It works best on:

  • a specific video page, post page, work page, or image-detail page;
  • a page where the target content has fully loaded and can already play or display in the browser;
  • a page where you want to choose a more precise resource before sending it to Ameow.

Do not judge support from homepages, recommendation feeds, search results pages, profile pages, channel pages, collection pages, or list pages. Those pages often include current cards, side recommendations, preloaded covers, and other media requests at the same time. The popup can only show what the current page is requesting; it cannot assume which resource you want.

The stable workflow is simple: open the specific content page first, then use the popup or in-page entry point.

Which Browsers Are Supported?

Section titled “Which Browsers Are Supported?”

The extension targets Chromium browsers such as Chrome and Edge. Installation uses Developer Mode plus Load unpacked. Browsers that cannot load Manifest V3 extensions may not work.

The extension needs to read resources from the current page, call the browser downloader, and passively observe media responses from pages. During an extension update, the browser may therefore show added download or network-request permissions. Ameow uses those permissions to identify downloadable candidates in the current tab; it does not upload your cookies or login state.

Common Issues

Section titled “Common Issues”

I selected the zip in the browser and it failed

Section titled “I selected the zip in the browser and it failed”

The browser needs the extracted extension directory, not the zip file itself. Extract it first, then choose the folder that contains the extension manifest.

The extension is installed but shows Disconnected

Section titled “The extension is installed but shows Disconnected”

For resources marked [Desktop], launch the Ameow desktop app first, then reopen the popup. If it still does not connect, reload the extension and restart Ameow. Firewalls or security tools can also block the local connection. Ordinary direct links can still fall back to the browser downloader while disconnected.

There is no download entry on the page

Section titled “There is no download entry on the page”

Confirm the current site and page type are supported. Test from the actual content page before deciding the extension is missing or broken. Site redesigns, login restrictions, paid access, and region rules can all affect the result.

Next steps: