Tumblr Video Downloader


Reblog and save Tumblr videos as 1080p MP4 or preserve animations as high-quality GIFs straight from your Dashboard.

Tumblr remains one of the most vibrant corners of the web for creators and curators alike. Its unique blend of microblogging, reblog culture, and diverse post types—ranging from videos and GIFs to images and audio posts—makes it a rich source of content worth preserving. Whether you're archiving your own sideblog's work, collecting inspiration from tags, or simply want to watch a video offline without buffering, the OrbitDownloader Tumblr tool gives you precise control over what you save and how you save it. Below, we break down the practicalities of downloading from Tumblr, covering everything from file formats to the quirks of its social structure.

Saving Videos and GIFs from Reblog Chains

Unlike platforms that silo original uploads, Tumblr thrives on reblogs. A single video might appear on hundreds of dashboards, each potentially with different notes or commentary. When you download a video from a post you encountered on your Dashboard, OrbitDownloader captures the original source file—not a re-encoded version—ensuring you get the quality uploaded by the author. This is especially important for GIFs, which are often compressed in circulation. Our tool preserves the full color depth and frame rate of the original GIF or the video source (mp4 or webm) before it was converted.

How Reblogs Affect Download Quality

Because reblogs don't re-encode media, the file you download from any reblog is identical to the original post. However, note that Tumblr strips EXIF metadata from images and may apply its own compression to videos larger than 100 MB. In practice, most uploaded videos retain their original resolution up to 1080p. Our downloader fetches the direct file URL from Tumblr's CDN, bypassing any additional transcoding applied by the web interface.

Organizing Your Archive by Tags and Sideblogs

Tumblr's tagging system is its organizational backbone. Creators use tags to categorize posts, and users follow tags to curate their feed. When you want to download a collection of posts on a specific topic—say, "landscape photography" or "vaporwave GIFs"—you can navigate to that tag page and let OrbitDownloader batch-process visible posts. Similarly, sideblogs (secondary blogs) often host niche content separate from a user's main blog. Our tool supports saving entire sideblogs by their URL, preserving the distinct content streams you follow.

  • Tags-only download: Enter a tag URL (e.g., tumblr.com/tagged/cyberpunk) to fetch all public posts with that tag.
  • Sideblog download: Input the sideblog URL directly; no need to log in for public sideblogs.
  • Post-type filtering: Choose to download only videos, only GIFs, or all media from a given page.
  • Reblog awareness: Downloads include the original post's media, not reblog-added commentary.
  • Limit by date: Optionally constrain downloads to posts within a certain date range.

Because Tumblr doesn't require a login for most public content, you can start archiving immediately. However, private blogs and password-protected posts are inaccessible—our tool respects Tumblr's access controls.

The Nuances of File Formats and Resolution on Tumblr

Tumblr accepts a wide range of uploads, but it standardizes all videos into either mp4 (H.264) or webm (VP8/VP9). Images can be jpg or png, and animated content is often posted as GIF or short video loops. Here's what you can expect when downloading:

  1. Videos: Typically mp4 with H.264 codec, up to 1080p at 30 fps. Rarely, you may find 4K uploads that Tumblr will downsample to 1080p. Webm variants appear for certain browsers.
  2. GIFs: Preserved as original animated GIF files, though large GIFs are sometimes converted to video by Tumblr. We detect and offer the underlying video source (mp4) when available.
  3. Images: JPEG for photos (usually high quality, Q=90+), PNG for screenshots or transparent graphics. Tumblr does not strip transparency.
  4. Audio posts: Downloaded as mp3 files, typically 128–320 kbps, depending on uploader's original file.

A Note on Resolution and Compression

While Tumblr claims max 1080p for videos, older uploads may be 720p or 480p. Our downloader labels each file with its detected resolution. For images, the full width may be up to 2048 pixels (max 10 MB), though side-wide photos are often 1280px. Use our resolution filter to exclude files below your preferred quality threshold.

Understanding the Limits: Private Blogs and Age-Restricted Content

Tumblr's community guidelines flag certain posts as not safe for work (NSFW) or age-restricted. These posts are hidden from logged-out users and often require a Tumblr account to view. Our tool works strictly with publicly accessible content. If a blog is marked as "private" or has enabled passcode protection, OrbitDownloader cannot access its media. Similarly, posts behind Tumblr's "sensitive content" screen are bypassed only if you are logged into a Tumblr account that has opted to view them—but because our tool does not require nor handle user login, those posts remain unavailable. This is by design: we respect the platform's content policies and the creators' privacy choices. For all other public posts on the Dashboard, tag pages, and sideblogs, you can download with confidence, knowing you're getting the original files as Tumblr servers deliver them.

Looking for something else? If you also need to save from other sites, try our Facebook Video Downloader, Flickr Downloader or Instagram Downloader.


Why use this Tumblr downloader

  • Dashboard Video Grabber. Capture videos from your Tumblr Dashboard in original MP4 or WebM format, up to 1080p resolution.
  • GIF Reblog Saver. Download animated GIFs from any point in a Reblog chain without quality loss, preserving frame accuracy.
  • Tagged Photo Extractor. Bulk download high-res JPEG/PNG images from posts filtered by specific Tags on any blog.
  • Sideblog Media Batch. Selectively download all media from a Sideblog's post types: video, audio, and GIFs in one go.
  • Metadata Preservation. Keep original post metadata like reblog source and tags in filenames for easy organization.

Supported Tumblr formats

FormatQualityNotes
MP4Up to 1080pH.264+AAC; best compatibility
WebMUp to 1080pVP9+Opus; open codec
GIFVariableAnimated GIF; looped playback
MP3N/AAudio only; from audio posts
JPG/PNGUp to 2048pxStatic images; original quality

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What video formats and resolutions can I download from Tumblr?
    Tumblr hosts videos in mp4 or webm, up to 1080p. OrbitDownloader extracts the highest quality available, typically mp4 with H.264 codec. GIFs are also downloadable in original resolution.
  • Can I download GIFs from Tumblr or just videos?
    You can download both videos and GIFs. GIFs are saved in original gif format, while videos are converted to mp4. For animated GIFs larger than 3MB, Tumblr may serve as webm; we handle both.
  • Do I need to log in to download age-restricted Tumblr posts?
    No, Tumblr does not require login for most content, including age-restricted posts. However, if a blog is set to private, you must log into Tumblr and have access to that sideblog to download its content.
  • Does OrbitDownloader work on mobile to download Tumblr videos?
    Yes, the downloader works on mobile browsers. Paste the Tumblr post URL directly into the site. Note that the Tumblr mobile app shares links differently; use desktop view to get the correct URL.
  • Is it legal to download Tumblr posts for personal use?
    Downloading for personal offline viewing is generally allowed under fair use. However, re-uploading or redistributing without permission may violate copyright. Always respect the creator's terms of service and license.
  • Can I download all videos from a Tumblr blog at once?
    No, Tumblr does not support playlists or bulk download. You must download each post individually by pasting its URL. For a blog with many videos, consider using the Dashboard's archive view to collect links.
  • Can I extract audio from Tumblr video posts?
    Yes, our tool can extract audio as mp3 from video posts. Paste the post URL, choose 'Audio' format. This works for both original videos and reblogged content. Audio posts are also supported.
  • Why can't I download a Tumblr video from someone's reblog?
    If the reblogged video is from an external source like YouTube or Vimeo, our downloader may not work directly. Try using the original post URL or check if the video is hosted on Tumblr. Also, ensure the link is not corrupted.

How It Works

  • 1
    Copy Tumblr Post Link. On your Dashboard, locate the video or GIF post. Click the three-dot menu (desktop) or share icon (mobile) and select 'Copy link' to save the post URL to your clipboard.
  • 2
    Paste Link in OrbitDownloader. Launch OrbitDownloader and paste the copied Tumblr URL into the input field. The tool scans the post and displays all downloadable media elements from that post.
  • 3
    Select Format and Quality. From the options, pick your preferred format—MP4 or WebM for video up to 1080p, or GIF for animated posts. For static images, choose JPG or PNG.
  • 4
    Download Without Login. Click the download button to save the file directly to your device. No Tumblr login is required for most public posts, so the process is straightforward.

Troubleshooting

  • Many videos on Tumblr are actually embeds from other platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, not hosted on Tumblr's CDN.
    Check the page source for a `video-source` attribute or look for a `tumblr_video` class. If embedded, you must download from the original platform using that platform's downloader.
  • Downloading a GIF from a Tumblr post may yield a low-resolution or cropped version due to Tumblr's 3MB size limit and compression.
    If the GIF originated from a video, find the original video post (often a video post type) and download the mp4 or webm source to get higher quality, then convert to GIF using desktop tools.
  • Sideblogs (secondary blogs) require using the subdomain URL (e.g., username.tumblr.com) rather than the primary blog URL, and some downloaders may not parse these correctly.
    Manually construct the direct post URL using the sideblog's subdomain and the post ID, e.g., `https://sideblogname.tumblr.com/post/12345`.
  • Posts from the Dashboard feed often have relative or temporary URLs; copying the address bar URL may not work if it's a reblog view.
    Click on the post's timestamp or permalink to open its permanent individual page, then copy that URL for downloading.

Only download content you own or have permission to use. Respect copyright and Tumblr's terms of service, which prohibit unauthorized downloading of others' content.