Import subscriptions

Import subscriptions and source URL lists

Google Takeout CSV support and the reviewed text-import workflow are available in 2026.10.19. Use them to add sources in batches with one media profile.

This imports source definitions from a file. To register media already on disk, use Import existing downloads instead.

Prepare the file

File	Required contents	New-source behavior
Google Takeout subscriptions.csv	UTF-8 CSV with Channel Id,Channel Url,Channel Title columns, in that order	Monitoring enabled; downloads paused.
.txt URL list	One YouTube channel, playlist or video URL per line	Normal source settings; indexing and downloading can start.

Both formats accept 1 to 100 entries and at most 100 KB per file. Split larger exports into valid smaller files. Each CSV file must retain its header. Oversized files are rejected rather than silently truncated.

For CSV, use the subscription export from Google Takeout. The importer supports quoted fields, embedded newlines and a UTF-8 byte-order mark. Each channel URL must match its channel ID. Other export layouts, localized column names and non-UTF-8 encodings are not supported by this version.

Preview and import

1. Open Sources > Import Sources.
2. Choose the source file and Media Profile.
3. Choose Preview Sources. Preview parses the file and checks the existing library without contacting YouTube.
4. Review channel names/URLs, duplicate and existing entries, and rejected CSV rows. Correct the input if the preview is not what you intended.
5. Choose Import Sources to confirm. Keep the page open while the app processes one source at a time.
6. Review the per-source results. If needed, choose Cancel import; cancellation takes effect after the current source finishes. Already added sources remain.

Confirmation contacts the provider to inspect and create missing sources. A failure on one source is reported separately; it does not erase completed additions. Existing channels retain their profile, monitoring, download settings and files.

Review CSV sources before allowing downloads

After a CSV import, open Sources and review the new channels' cutoffs and profile. Select the channels you want to activate and use Resume selected downloads. See bulk source management.

Monitoring remains enabled during the CSV pause, so indexing can continue while media downloads are paused. A text import can start downloading under normal source defaults; do not use it as a paused-import substitute.

Limits and recovery

• The import is tied to the open page. Closing it, losing the session or restarting the application can interrupt processing. There is no durable background progress or automatic resume.
• If interrupted, inspect Sources and the completed results before importing again. CSV preview identifies channels already present; do not assume an interrupted run added nothing.
• Malformed CSV quoting, wrong columns, invalid channel IDs and mismatched URLs are reported. Fix the file and preview again.
• Provider failures can require cookies, a corrected URL, or waiting for rate limits to clear. See download settings and Diagnostics.
• There is no dedicated failed-row retry or downloadable error report in this version. Prepare a smaller file containing the entries you still need.

Larger imports, durable progress and additional formats remain roadmap proposals.

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