How to Download Niconico (Nico Nico Douga) Videos

Paste a nicovideo.jp watch link into ClipItNow and save the video as MP4 (or MP3) — no Niconico account required.

Niconico (Nico Nico Douga) is Japan's long-running video community, famous for vocaloid songs, game commentary and the scrolling danmaku comments that fly across the screen. The site has no official download button, and getting a video off it usually means dealing with a Japanese-only interface. ClipItNow removes that friction: paste the watch-page URL (the address that contains an sm, so or nm ID) and it parses the general, logged-out stream for you, then hands back an MP4 or an audio-only MP3. There is nothing to install, no account to create, and it runs entirely in your browser on iPhone, Android or PC.

How to download — 4 quick steps

Open the video on Niconico and copy its watch-page URL. It looks like https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm12345678 (the ID may start with sm, so or nm). On the app, tap Share then Copy link; on a PC just copy it from the address bar.
Open ClipItNow in your browser and paste the URL into the box at the top of the page, then press the Download button. Parsing takes a few seconds.
When the analysis finishes you'll see the available formats. Choose an MP4 quality to keep the video, or pick Audio only (MP3) if you just want the song or voice track.
Press the download button for the format you picked and the file is saved to your device — normally the Downloads folder. On iPhone it lands in the Files app first, from where you can move it to Photos.

Tips & troubleshooting

ClipItNow reads the general (logged-out) quality that Niconico serves to visitors without an account. That covers the vast majority of ordinary videos, but some content is genuinely restricted: member-only videos, official channel or premium-gated uploads, age-restricted clips and paid works all require a signed-in, entitled account, so they cannot be parsed. The danmaku comments are display data and are never baked into the saved file — you get clean video and audio only.

The video and audio you save belong to the original uploaders and rights holders. Keep downloads to private use — watching offline or where you have no signal — and do not re-upload, mirror or repost the files, or cut and republish them, without permission. Please respect Niconico's terms of service and copyright law.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Niconico account or a premium membership to download?

No. ClipItNow uses the general, logged-out stream, so any video you can watch without signing in can be saved by pasting its watch URL. A premium account is only relevant for member-only or paid content, which stays out of reach.

Which URLs work — what are sm, so and nm IDs?

Paste a normal watch-page link such as nicovideo.jp/watch/sm12345678. The prefix simply reflects when or how the video was posted: sm and nm are ordinary community uploads and so is often channel or official content. All three are accepted as long as the video plays without logging in.

Can I save just the audio, like a vocaloid song, as MP3?

Yes. After the link is analysed, choose the Audio only (MP3) option instead of an MP4 quality. ClipItNow extracts the sound track so you can keep music or voice clips without the video, at up to the bitrate Niconico serves for that video.

Why does a video fail to download?

The usual reason is that it is not open to logged-out viewers — a channel member-only, premium, age-restricted or paid video — or that it has been deleted. Open the watch page in a private browser window without logging in; if it won't play there, ClipItNow can't parse it either.