YouTube playlist import

Import YouTube saves into Sendlore.

Use Google Takeout to export your YouTube data, extract the archive, and upload watch-later.csv or another playlist CSV to Sendlore. Saved videos can then live beside articles, social posts, notes, and files — with richer transcript-based retrieval when a usable transcript is available.

Open Sendlore Import
See all import sources

Sendlore currently accepts a Watch Later CSV or another YouTube playlist CSV from the extracted Takeout data.

Sendlore import screen showing the YouTube playlist import option — Choose YouTube in Sendlore Import, then upload the Watch Later or playlist CSV from your Google Takeout export.

Export with Google TakeoutSelect YouTube and YouTube Music data for the Google account that contains the playlist.

Use the playlist CSVSendlore accepts watch-later.csv or another playlist CSV.

Review before importInspect detected video links and duplicate warnings before creating saves.

Enrich when usefulSupported videos can gain transcript-based searchable context when Sendlore can retrieve it.

Step 1

Create a YouTube export with Google Takeout.

Google Takeout is Google’s official archive tool for exporting data from Google products, including YouTube. Make sure you are signed into the Google account or channel that actually owns the Watch Later list or playlist you want to migrate.

Open Google Takeout

Go to Google Takeout while signed into the Google account connected to the YouTube saves you want.

Select YouTube data

Include YouTube and YouTube Music in the products being exported. Deselect unrelated Google products if you only need YouTube data.

Create the export

Choose the delivery and archive options you prefer, then ask Google to create the export.

Download and extract it

Once Google says the archive is ready, download it and extract the archive locally so you can access the individual playlist files.

Google’s current official instructions: How to download your Google data.

Step 2

Find the Watch Later or playlist CSV.

Sendlore does not need the entire Google Takeout archive. Use the CSV for the specific YouTube playlist you want to move.

For Watch LaterUse the current Sendlore-supported file watch-later.csv when it is present in the exported playlist data.

For another playlistUse the CSV corresponding to that exported YouTube playlist. Sendlore’s current importer also supports playlist CSV files beyond Watch Later.

Do not upload the entire Takeout ZIPExtract the archive first and select the relevant CSV file inside it.

Check the Google account/channelIf a playlist is missing from the export, confirm that you exported the account or Brand Account that owns it.

Expected Sendlore file

watch-later.csv

or another exported YouTube .csv playlist file.

Google controls Takeout’s archive structure, so if filenames change later, follow the current Sendlore Help Center guidance rather than renaming unrelated files.

Step 3

Upload the playlist CSV and review the videos.

Sendlore parses the export first so the migration stays reviewable.

Choose YouTube

Open Sendlore Import and select YouTube as the source.

Upload the playlist CSV

Select watch-later.csv or another supported playlist CSV from the extracted Takeout archive.

Review detected video links

Check the videos Sendlore parsed and inspect likely duplicate warnings before continuing.

Choose Light or Full AI

Import the backlog lightly or use deeper processing when richer video context is worth the available credits.

Light import vs. Full AI

A playlist entry and a processed video note are not the same thing.

For a large Watch Later queue, it can be wasteful to deeply process every video before you know which ones still matter. Sendlore separates keeping the video URL from attempting richer extraction.

Light importCreates lighter saves from the playlist URLs and available basic information without spending full-processing credits on every video.

Full AIAttempts richer processing and can use credits per item. When Sendlore can retrieve a usable YouTube transcript, that transcript can contribute to summaries, key takeaways, Search, and Ask.

Transcript availability is not guaranteed.

A video can lack captions, expose unusable captions, be private, removed, region-restricted, age-restricted, or otherwise difficult to process. Sendlore should not be described as creating a transcript when no usable transcript was available.

A saved YouTube video in Sendlore showing a summary, key takeaways, and transcript tab — When a usable transcript is available, a YouTube save can carry richer searchable context. Demo library shown.

After the import

Turn Watch Later into research you can actually retrieve.

YouTube already makes Watch Later convenient for playback. Sendlore becomes useful when those videos need to reconnect with projects, notes, articles, and other source types later.

Search by topic, not only titleWhen richer text or transcript evidence is available, semantic and lexical search can retrieve a video from what it discussed rather than only its title.

Keep video research beside other sourcesA YouTube tutorial can sit next to the article, Reddit thread, PDF, or note connected to the same project.

Use transcripts as evidence when availableSupported transcripts can make detailed video content easier to search and revisit without scrubbing through the full video first.

Ask across saved researchWhen enough relevant evidence exists, Sendlore Ask can retrieve saved material and point back to the supporting items.

Which YouTube saves does this page cover?

Watch Later and exported playlist files — not every YouTube account signal.

Watch LaterYouTube currently treats Watch Later as a playlist, and Sendlore supports the exported Watch Later CSV when available.

Your exported playlistsAnother playlist CSV can also be imported when Google Takeout includes that playlist in the YouTube export.

Liked videos are not assumedDo not assume every YouTube account list has the same export/import path simply because it appears under the You tab.

Saved playlists from other creators can differGoogle Takeout behavior can vary depending on whether a playlist is yours, merely saved to your library, or tied to a different channel/account.

Uploaded videos are a different exportGoogle also lets creators export videos they uploaded, but that is separate from this saved-playlist migration and is not required to move Watch Later links.

Account ownership mattersIf YouTube data lives under a Brand Account or another channel identity, Google advises switching to the relevant account when data seems missing.

Privacy and data scope

Google Takeout can contain much more than the playlist you want.

Select only what you need when practicalIf the goal is YouTube migration, there is no reason to include Gmail, Drive, Photos, or other unrelated Google products in the same archive.

Upload the playlist CSV, not the whole archiveSendlore only needs the supported CSV file for this workflow.

No Google password is requiredSendlore does not need your Google password, recovery codes, browser cookies, or login session to import an exported playlist file.

Private/removed videos can remain unavailableAn exported playlist entry does not give Sendlore special permission to access a video YouTube no longer makes available to the current viewer.

Export does not delete Google dataGoogle states that downloading your data does not remove it from Google’s servers. Importing into Sendlore is a copy/migration action, not a deletion request.

Keep or delete the Takeout archive intentionallyThe downloaded archive is your local file and can contain account information. Store or remove it according to your own privacy needs after migration.

Questions

Import YouTube saves FAQ

What YouTube file does Sendlore need?

The current Sendlore importer accepts watch-later.csv or another exported YouTube playlist CSV from Google Takeout.

How do I export Watch Later?

Use Google Takeout while signed into the Google account or channel that owns the Watch Later list. Include YouTube and YouTube Music data, create the export, extract it, then locate the Watch Later playlist CSV when present.

Can I import a custom YouTube playlist?

Yes. The current Sendlore Help Center says another playlist CSV can be used in addition to watch-later.csv.

Should I upload the Google Takeout ZIP?

No. Extract the archive first and upload the specific playlist CSV to Sendlore.

Will every imported YouTube video have a transcript?

No. Transcript availability depends on the video and what Sendlore can retrieve. Some videos may remain partial or metadata-only.

What happens if a video is already in Sendlore?

The current import review checks normalized URLs and can flag likely duplicates before the saves are created.

Does importing YouTube saves use credits?

Light import avoids full-processing credits for every playlist item. Full AI can use credits when Sendlore attempts richer processing, including transcript-based processing when a usable transcript is available.

Can I search an imported video by what was said in it?

Yes when Sendlore successfully stores usable transcript or other rich text for that video. If the save contains only metadata, retrieval is naturally limited to the information actually stored.

Does downloading my YouTube data remove it from Google?

No. Google states that Takeout downloads do not delete the underlying data from Google’s servers.

Make Watch Later useful after “later” arrives

Move the videos worth keeping into the same retrieval system as the rest of your research.

Export the playlist with Google Takeout, upload the CSV Sendlore expects, review the videos, and process the ones that deserve richer searchable context.

Open Sendlore Import
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All import options

Import YouTube Saves into Sendlore